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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1987-09-23, Page 31 THE HURON EXPOSITOR, SEPTEMBER 23, 19'87 — 3A • Having ftjn is- Frank.PhijIlipFrank ' prime m tiva.tiof iri life. Since that Remembrance day the collec- • tion has come a long way, and alot of local veterans and their families have donated war relics to add to it. "You don't try to live in the past, and you . don't try to,remember the horrors of war," says Mr. Philips, explaining why he started the collection.' . "I just wanted the young people to be able to see something they could relate to. It's a , big part of Seaforth history, all the men were away for five years. You just want the young people to remember what went on."' COLLECTS EVERYTHING ' It -seems -only -naturae -Mr. -Phillips would . be the one to start sueh a collection. He col - 'leets everything. In his den, aside from the plaques and awards, 'there are: all the items this man collects. There are model planes, letter openers, mustache cups, and a lamp shade that is covered' by a variety of but- terflies and insects. Aside from the things in his -den Mr. Phillips has collected revolvers, swords, bayonets, and shotguns. "I collect everything," he says,' "when you get to be my age you gotta be 'a pack rat.' Exactly what that age • is remains a • mystery; although Mr. Phillips says he is sure everyone knows how bld he is and there is no need for it to be published. ciaia"iIms.'m fifty-nine and still holding," he 4 Mr. Phillips lives with his wife Marjorie and has six children, ten grandchildren, and . one great grandchild. He has lived in Seaforth, all his lifer Mr. Phillips has done a lot for the Legion apart from the collection. He is; even as this is being written, helpingto set up the Legion booth for the Fall Fair this weekend. He is frequently involved in projects of this nature,setting up displays, building booths, helping build floats for parades or whatever else needs doing. "It's not just me, it's all the Legion members," says Mr. Phillips." "Everything ,I have ever done was a Legion effort. If it Wasn't for the executive I wouldn't have been able to do it all. A lot of people contribute time and labor." , Recently Mr. Phillips retired from behind the counter at the Legion where he worked as a Bar Steward for the past 21 years. In his , honor the Legion hosted a Frank Phillips Night on. Friday. The assembly was ad- dressed by the District Commander Glen • GUEST OF HONOR Frank Phillips Bridge, and the Zone Commander Steve • , :tea h � thanks the members of Legion Branch 156McGuire, both who have known Mr. Phillips • for what. he describes as one of the biggest .a long time. nights of his life. Mr: Phillips was also the'recipient of a number of gifts. Among them was a wallet containing a sizeable amount of y Turn tomonepagefrom • 18 .There is a certain Seaforth citizen, who seems to get awards and decorations wherever he goes. Asa member of the . Royal Canadian Air Force he was deeprated hack in World War II, as a member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 156.he has recieved honors and awards several times, and 'as a citizen of Seaforth he has been recognized for his contibutions. Frank Phillips has done a lot for the Seaforth Legion and has made a big con- tribution;. to the town of Seaforth over the years. "I just have a general interest in what's going on," says Mr. Phillips 'describing what it is that won him his awards over the years. Three plaques hang in Mr. Phillip's den. The first he was given in 1967 and it is a Centennial Service Award, the second came to hiin in 1979 when he received an award for meritorious service from the Provincial Command of the Canadian Legion, and most recently he received the Citizen of the Year award in 1981, the first year town council —gave-out-the-award.—Inseribed-upon the'pla- que is "presented to Frank Phillips. for his involvement with community'projects and activities which make Seaforth a , better place to live in." • • The words on the plaque reflect Mr. Phillips' attitude toward helping out with Community projects. He it always willing to devote his time to what is going on in the community. When he received the award • AT FRANK PHILLIPS NIGHT Legion members tell- Mr. Phillips that he has to pull on this rope to get the' present, that they would all like him to take i• ' retirement with him 4,4 Mr.• Phillips says he was surprised and wondered if he deserved it, and he has the same attitude today. "I never went for this Stuff," he: says about having his story in the paper. He says he didn't do all the things he did so he could win awards, he just had fun doing them. One of the contibutions Mr. Philips has ,One to the Seaforth Legion and to the com'- ••munity is the collection of war memorabilia' that is in the downstairs of the Legion. Over. the past 21 years Mr. Phillips has been col- lecting uniforms, equipment, and pictures from each of the men and women jn Seaforth-who-served-in-the-World Wars. • . PERSONAL COLLECTION "What I've been trying to get is a personal •collection,"..says Mr. Phillips.. "I could go to other towns and get, things for the collection but then it wouldn't be a personal display." • Of the approximately 400 veterans in Seaforth, Mr. Philips has pictures of all but about 50 of them. Some `still live here and some have moved away, but he hopes to get • a complete set of photos with every veteran' from Seaforth someday. • "I •got.the, idea to -start ( the collection) one November 11 when -there was an empty • store :,clown town. I thoieghtwe should let • people know what their relatives did during the war." FRANK PHILLIPS has a hug for his present and friend Jim Burdge, Corbett photo. OUT COMES A BUDGIE - As Mr. Phillips gives the rope leading into the box a tug out. • junps Jim Burdg e or Budgie as he is known to Legion members. "1 dont't know what I'd have done if it had been a blonde" said Mr. Phillips. Corbett photo. Nursery school activities educationally beneficial Anyone who has preschool children that need to be watched while they go to work, that need to be taught social skills, or that need to learn that there is life away from home, may be interested in the Seaforth Nursery School. The school reopened Monday, September 14, and has 83 children signed up for classes this year. The children are taken in the classes 16' at a time and are overseen by a minimum of three adults. Joanne Holland is always one of these as she is the only staff person who looks after the kids. The other adults present at the classes are parents of the children. Mrs. Holland says she believes nursery school cin help children out in many ways. Although the kids play most of the time, every playtime activity the children do has some educational benefit in either a social, creative, or intellectual way. "You can find any toy in here and i can tell you what its educational value is," says -Mrs. Holland. Mrs. Holland says the kids learn a lot•of valuable things at "the nursery school such as sharing, creativity, and how to get along with other kids and adults. The Seaforth Nursery School is a co-op, meaning it is owned and operated by the parents of the children who attend.- The parents hire the staff, have elections for the Board of Directors, and coordinate committees. Mrs. Holland says she has really enjoyed working fora co-op school because the parents have a more active part in what their kids are doing, and can see for therpselves how their child is getting along with other children. • "These parents are involved with their children and aren't just dumping them off somewhere while they are busy." Aside from just attending classes there are other activities for the children. They in- clude such things as field trips and parties. At Christmas there is a family dance and at the end of the year there is a graduation ceremony for all the kids who will be mov- ing up the ladder to start kindergarten, and for the kids who successfully completed a year of nursery school. '1'he nursery school belongs to Appleseed, which is the Association for Parents Par- ticipation in Schools for London and District. The Seaforth nursery is one of the biggest in the London district which in- cludes Clinton, Lucan, etc. It operates on a non-profit basis. Local man combines hobbies of woodworking and bird watching They say everyone needs a hobby and it's just a matter of finding the hobby that suits the person. For local birdwatcher Peter Bannon finding a favorite pastime was no chore at all. ' An admitted bird enthusiast Mr. Bannon has taken to carving water fowl out of wood. Although he has been involved with'carv- ing for a number of years it has only been in the last five years, since his retirement, that Mr. Bannon has started carving seriously. He has always worked with his hands hav- ing Worked at a furniture factory and at. Bendix Mobile Home Construction in Hen - sail. He also worked on a milk route in • Seaforth for 20 years. •- Since his retirement five years ago Mr. Bannon has managed to keep pretty busy. "I don't know where all the time goes," he says. Aside from his carving hobby he also oc- cupies himself with gardening, visiting his family, and driving local cancer patients to and from hospital. However, the duck carving does take a large chunk of his time away, as it takes about 120 hours to complete one bird. This lengthy process includes roughing out then burning in all the fine details such as lines on feathers, and then painting the ducks. Mt'. Hannon got into his craft as a lead off -from his first hobby Which is bird watching. A devoted bird Watcher, Mr. Bannon will soon be travelling all the way to Saskatoon to see the whooping cranes on their migra- tion south. "I wouldn't usually go so far," says Mr. Bannon, "but they are an extremely rare bird and there are only just over 100 in North America." ' From his bird watching over the years Mr. Bannon has come to know a lot about ducks and other water fowl, but he still doesn't feel he can carve a duck freestyle and do a good enough job. So he uses pattern books that give all the dimensions and size of a typical bird of the type being carved. There are also courses available that Mr, Bannon has taken to help hire learn hit craft. "Now all I need is lots, of practice,"• he says. There are organized competitions and sales of these wooden cpr'Vings and they're worth a shilling or two. Mr. Sanntoh knows of a London carver who sold one of his birds in Ocean City for $20,000. Of course this is exceptional, but it is not uncommon for a good carving to go for as much as $1,500. So far Mr. Bannon has either kept his car- vings or given them to relatives, "I'm not much for competing," he ex- plains, "right now its more of a pastime for me." "I've still got a lot of things to learn." adds Mr. Bannon. I may compete someday. I'll just see what happens." • BESLCARVING -- Mr. Pete Bannon's best carving to date is this American Black Duck drake. It. is pictured here with the scale diagram used to produce it. Mrs. Bannon has claimed this one as her own. Corbett photo. w`y LOCAL ARTISAN - Pet Banns' demonstrates part of the process of his' unique hobby Of carvingducks. Corbett photo. A NEW BED was donated to the hospital recently by the Seaforth Hospital Auxiliary. Left is Francis Teetero of the Hospital Auxiliary, the patient is actually nurse Dianne • Wood, and to the right is physiotherapist Carol Bowker. Corbett photo Hospital excited about new arrival The Seaforth Community Hospital is ex- cited about the arrival this week, of a new bed • a bed with special features, designed to meet special needs. The Hospital Auxillary is equally excited to see the reality of many hours spent in fun- draising to purchase this bed. Unlike older hospital beds which often re- quire a patient to call a nurse to raise or lower the bead of the bed, help them in or out of bed because it is too high off the floor and set the brakes again because the bed keeps sliding away, the new bed, or "rehab bed" is built with the patient's needs in mind, as well as the nurses convenience. The bed is electrically operated within the reach of the patient. It has legs that make it stationary and it came be lowered to the height of a chair or wheelchair for easy transferring. It can be raised to a height that makes it easy for staff to attend to nurs- ing care and for easy floor cleaning, and it is firm, which makes it easier for the patient to stand up. ' ' "This type of bed is a boon to the han- dicapped patient; for instance, a recent stroke patient. It will help them to get mobile sooner and that's the name of the rehabitliation game," say hospital auxiliary members and Seaforth hospital staff. Before purchasing the bed the nursing arid=; physiotherapy departments at the Seaforth hospital consulted experts in the field. They say they wanted to make sure the bed would aid in true rehabilitation, a process that stressed return to full function after illness, disease or injury. The purchase of the bed was in keeping with the hospital's motto of "Patient Care First".' COMMUNITY CALENDAR - If you're organizing a non-profit event of interest to other Seaforth area residents,' phone the recreation coke at $27.0882 or the Expositor at 527.0240, or mail the inforniation to Communi- ty Calendar, The Huron Expositor, Box 69. Seaforth, Ontario, NOK 1WO well in advance of the scheduled date. Space for the Community Calendar is donated by The Huron Expositor. Wed. Sept. 23 1:30.4;00 p.m. Senior Shuffleboard Euchre and Table Tennis Thurs. Sept. 24 Seaforth Agricultural Fall Fair at Communi- ty Centres & Fair Grounds Fri. Sept. 25 ,. Fall' Fair Sat. Sept. 26 Wheelbarrow Day on Main Street Sun, Sept. 27' 18th Annual Ciderfeet at Van Egmond House . Mori. Sept 28 6:00 p.m. Senior Galilee, Potluck Supper et Arena Tues., Sept. 29 7:30 p.m. Clinton Legion, Understand about Alzhelmer's Disease, information meeting with Dr. M. Fishman, Psycho geriatrician, London Psychlat'ric Hospitat, Packwood Hospital, Victoria Hospital. PANE1. with discussion to follow. 1:30 • 4;OOeSd.tlrSuept, Euchre Table Tennis • Tues. Oct 20 Holmesvifle Hall, Pot Luck Supper 6;30; Guest Speaker 8, Annual Gering Meeting to follow. Sponsored by Goderich and ()Istria Pro -Life Group 629'-7530.