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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1980-10-30, Page 2Since 1880, Serving the OolnrrounitY. Firtit , ' Pahlhihed at SEAFORTHt ONTARIO every Thursday itnenting by IVIeLEAN,PROS,PtrilLISHERS tiaa, • ANDREi'O'Y-'41eLEA1'4, Publisher SUSAN WHITE,'Editor • ALICE GD3D, News Editor Iftetaber Canadian Community Newspatter Assoclatiaq • Ontario Weeldy Newspaper Assoelationt and AUdIt Bureau of Circulation SuhseriptionRatese Canada (in advance) S14.00 a Year Outside Canada (In advance) $30.00 a Year SINGLE COPIES -35 CENTS EACH Second Class Mail Registration Number 0696 Telephone 527-0240 SEAIOORTH, ONTARIO, OCTOBER 30, 1980 No -contest Wanted: Someone to help spend $25 million in public money. Salary: $3600 a year. No experience necessary, but must be willing te attend several meetings per month. If you had read the foregoing help wanted ad in a local weekly. . newspaper it's likely your reaction would have been disbelief, followed by a big laugh. Competition for a job like that, if the ad's serious, will be fierce, you say to yourself. But, you'd be wrong. Just about all the positions on the Huron County liloard of Education were filled by acclamation last week. And though the two trustees who will now represent our immediate area have municipal experience, they've never been on the county board before. don't mean to slight those genlemeri in any way but board of education seats are too important to be filled so automatically. The Huron board spends much, much more that the town of Seaforth, but the job of representing taxpayers -there is less soughVaf ter than seats on Seaforth council. The boards of education, (and the lack of interest iikthem extends to the Huron Perth Roman Catholic Separate School and the Perth County boards) are even more important_because they decide what, hew and from whom our childrenlearn. So why is there county -wide apathy about who will represent us in deciding our children's future? It could be, as retiring trustee Dave Gower of 'Goderich suggests, that theadministration runs the education set-up and elected reps'have very little chance to make changes, or even decisions. That would tend to discourage concerned, active people from seeking the Job. It's possible that the voters liked the newcomers who announced ther'd be candidates so much that no one thought of opposing them. We're pretty sure the board's past practise of having day -time .meetings eliminates the possibitity of working people being able to seek a seat. (The same goes for county council, but that's another Issue.) And it could be that the media, the Expositor included, are not doing their job in stressing the importance of what boards of education do and the need for competition and careful selection of trustees. Whatever the reason, it's too late now to generate any interest in school board elections. Good luck to the trustees who've been acclaimed as they struggle with spending and 'teaching decisions. It's an awesome responsibility, dealing with thousands of kids and millions of dollars. Maybe they too wish Ihe public had been a little more interested in what sort of a job they'll do. • Our kids' safety It's good to see red and white signs blooming conspicuously in the windows of Seaforth homes. For those signs mean sgfety and reassurance to Seaforth kids. Our town isn't, thank Heavens, a high crime rate area. But local Optimists, working with the police department. know that an ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure and they've introduced a Block Parent program to make eure,any Seaforth child in trouble has a place • to go. Combined with an education program In our elementary schools the Block Parent program is a simple. effective and inexpensive way to help keep our kids safe. It's not dramatic - perhaps volunteer Block Parents Will spend most Of their time directing a lost child or putting some tot's mittens -back . on. But the program is now in place, and should a more serious emergency involving children come up, Block Parent volunteers will be there to deal with it. Signs will also be erected at entrances to town describing Seaforth as a Block Parent community. That publicity alone, the national Block Parent organization says. helps protect local kids from would-be moiestors from outside the community. Of course most child abuse cornes not from strangers, but from those involved in a small one's early life. A Block Parent program can't tackle that problern head on.. But it's a start and a very important one towards saying Seaforth values our kids and working together as a community of volunteers, we'll prove it. Thanks, Optimists. Sugar and spice By B;11 Smiley • This is 3 tiniC f eawhen my heart\ goee out to city -dwellers. It's a time when rural or small town living N immensely superior to that in the concrete canyans.' the abominable apartments. the sad suburbs of metropolia. In the city. day ends drearily in the fall. There's the long, wearying hattle home through traffic. or the draughty. crushed. degrading scramble on public transporta- tion. The city man arrives home fit for nothing • ban slumping for 'the evening before the television set. And what greets him? The old lady, wound up like a steel spring because she hasn't seen a soul she knows all day. there's nothing to look at but that stupid house next door. exactly like their own. and the kids have been giving her hell. He's stuck with it. For the whole evening. That's why so many city chaps have workshops in the basement. It's much • simpler to go down cellar and whack off a coup!c of fingers in the power saw than listen to Mabel. Lif rs quite different for the small town male F* is home from work in minutes He surveys the ranch, says. "Must get those storm windows on one of these davs.•' and goes in. to the good fall smells of cold drinks and hot food. His wife saw him at breakfastagain at lunch, has had a good natter with the dame next door. and has been out for two hours. raking leaves with the kids. She doesn't need him. Instead of drifting off to the basement. the small town male announces that this is e his bowling night. or he has to go to a meeting of the Conservation and Slaughter Club, and where's a clean shirt And that 'e all there is to it. While her city counterpart squats in front of TV. gnawing her nails and wondering why she didn't marry good old George. who has a bin dairy fnrm now. the small town gal collects the kids and g,ies • In ergot' leene of October 8 you published an artiele entitled "Want HOuseWives to share their ideas" outlining a new orga.nizro, tion for houseweary housewives. In this- • article the writer said, (and I quote) "this woma&has an unlimited number of choices for a new career, interest or hobby" and other like statements which I shall quote as I proceed. These statements gave concern to an organization nearly a hundred years 014R namely "The Women's Institute"; In reply to that first statement, W.I. has a scholarship fund for a University Course.Our committees arrange interesting evenings on many topics - agriculture, indti§try, citizen- ship, world affairs, education, cultural activities, family living, consumer topics and • work on needed resolutions. A large variety of interests! For hobbies, we have courses at various times, On cooking, sewing, embroid- ery of variousitinds, lmost any craft you can name. e Tor self:confidence self-esteem." In our meetings we encourage - „participation, starting at the humblest level and working into the larger responsibilities ac one's confidence grows. Quote, "sharing ideas and gain support front another". A period of interaction is part of all our meetings 'from branch level upwards. These levels go from local branch to- a world-wide organization with links with the United Nations. Quote, "join women of all ages, all interests and afi fields to get them more actively involved in social and psychological aincerns." These are the aims of the Women's Institute. Quote, "talk about common problems and issues and exchange ideas and interests." Our famly topics inciade Family Relation- ships and health and, s'afety problems. Local and world issues' ar_e covered 12y_p_ur resolutions. E.-g-.-ike-i-6ife-if theieifiling of - vegetables to India to Prevent infant blindness. The World Health Organization now looks after this. Quote, "reach out to 'women In rural areas", Women's Institute is largely a rural organization. . Quotc, "We're not trying to take oinen out of their homes, we're trying to nake their lives more fulfilled". Women's Instit- ute was formed in the first place because -of the need for women to be better educated in their role as homemakers. Every few years, the needs of women are updated and all the topics mentioned in the newspaper would have a place in the Women's Instityte programme. - In Short we feel that you are just taking the aims and concerns of the Women's Institute and presenting thein as a new movement, under a new name, while all the time you are ed. In other words, presenting an. oici article gift wrapped. How much more constructive it would be to join forces and build on a structure that already has a solid foundation. These were fity thoughts, on rOading the article; Last Thursday I attended a meeting of the group. The speaker and the announcements for future meetings, far from building up the.homelifelappeared to be trying to tear it down. Although the words were never uttered, the impression was. of . one thing and one thing only, Women's Lib. We were told that they were not:interested in hobbies, that they do not.Intend to exist for long (so where the help?) and that it is not intended to spread the movement and that it was the isolated rural women they . '.4vv4ntea to reach - hardly a description of Huron County. _ Sp Women of Huron C-oiinty-, beware. It you want women' sLib by all rnearis go ahead and join thiview organization. If you went a full, satisfying life with plenty of interests and new horizons opening up; join the Women's Institute. There are many branch- es throughout Huron County and I shall be r.91le_h with Ihe nearest one. My phone number- is 2E2--5018. Hilda H. Payne Triengaii President Huron South Woraen's'Instittite Time to heal in T-uckersinlih On Thursday, October 23, the O.M.B. hearing on Tuckersmith council's request for approval. on Bylaw #11-1980 was held' and concluded. The decision wae not in our favour, that is our protest against th is bylaw, making the people of Vanastra only, to pay for the original $130,Q00. --debenture on the Rec. Centre was• not sustained. However the dispute on the issue Of 0.M.B. approval has now been decided. As members of one family, we are after all neighbours and all residents of the township, we had our family conflict. We needed someone from the outside of the family to settle the argument. Now by all appearances the argument is settled and it is time to heal the hurts and restore broken relationships. I believe that at this point the council has a real responsibility, as well as an opportunity, to take the initiative and make some real .„ rnpves of goodwill and fairness to the people of Vanastra. 1 suggest that the present arrangement on the curling club building be reconsidered. This has been a sore point all along. Reconsider du!' preeent financial setup and also make this building more available to a lug& number of people of the community for various activities. After all, this was part of the original petition. a place for the people of the community. A second suggestion is to give all the residents of Vanastra a 25-30 per ccnt discount on all program and membership fees of the Rec. Centre for the length of the debenture. My prediction is that this gesture will increase the total revenue because more residents will participate. Also this will give an incentive t more community participa- tion i tnt something which is badly needed. I also believe that this type of Move on the part of council will remove something of the bitterness add hard feclinks of the past. The miserly 10 per cent needs -to be replaced with a more generous gesture of good. wil I . • MORE GOODWILL A third suggestion for goodwill on the part af council towards the people of Vanastra is to do something real about the paik. The original petition mentioned a picnic shelter and tables. The park could really become a beautiful community park, perhaps under the sponsorship of the Lions. but with financial backing from the council. As a crimmunth Vanastra needs a local project. something of which we can be proud. something on which we can work together. which we can enjoy with our neighbours, and cif which we can also say this is7ours. Sea forth - To the editor: On the 0.M.B. hearing, just a" :few comments. The whole conflict has been costly, also in some respects painful, and certeinly time consuming. What have we elearned, and what are the positives? As I think back upon the proceedings, a few thoughts come quite readily. For one thing, as a people. I would never e, want a public petition pushed on Me or push one myself, without a public meeting or meetings. Without such open public meetings the door is wide open- for a few persons to push through their Particular project. Also a council, a governing group of persons elected by the people, should never accept a publie petition with out putting their eirs close to the people. And t mean the people'. not just a few activists. I noticed from the Proceedings at the hearing that the changes from -an oven to a closed swimming pool were acted upon by council upon the recommendation of a fewl Decisions were made by council affecting the people • of Vanastra as a whole bu without the benefit of a Well publicized and} open public meeting. This is inexusatle and should never happen again. 'Those who are elected , by the people for the People, at least must ale() listen to the people. not just to a few. UNFORTUNATE It is unfortunate that neither the township deck, nor the council of 1974 called to the attention of 0.M.B.' the . wording of bylaw #40-1974. If this had been Ilene', as it should r• 'have been done in 1974, we would not have had the lid blown off in 1980. With others I can only speculate as to the reason for this 'neglect, if it was neglect. But this non -action tying in with the unwillingness of former clerk Jim McIntosh to call a public meeting in 1974, even though urged by letter from Toronto to deal with the unrest and dissatisfaction, makes this "neglect" look mighty suspicious. What do we learn? Perhaps this, that the chickens eventually do come home to roost. As people we need- to learn, and if we don't learn we will continue to pay dearly, to present complaints and iesues in a proper manner to the proper authorities at the ,proper lime. .1 became more- and more arnazed as I listened to the evidence that none of all the birching and complatning going on in 1974-75 ever amounted to a proper presentation to council. And by proper I mean a written letter to the township clerk requesting the complaint or is tedr eontlbyeallptlhaecoisoenancoduflnacpilp'Sinsleroundnad. in 1974 never reac-Fed' co—uncil in any progft manner. What a beautiful excuse to ignore all that noise! This is exactly what happened. FREEDOM OF (MENTON And lastly I hope that council and council members also learned the valuable lessen to allow freedom of opinion among its ' members. The apparent practice in council of pressure to conform to majority opinion is undemocratic to say the least, and the worst smacks of. an ' inquisition board. And from hereon let -council members vvho vote- noon a particular issue request the chair -person to have their negative vote recorded. Some years -down the road such a recording will make -a difference in any 0.M.B. hearing or court procedure. Besides that, recording a negative vote is common practice and courtesy in any decently functioning govern- mental body. The 0.M.B. hearing of October 23 was an education in many ways. I sincere y herpe that it was a valuable learning expetjence for all. In that case all the money time and energy spent in conflict on this issue from 1974 on, need not be a total waste. Peter Mantel an Egmond members A.„ 1 1) The Van Egmond'Fouldation is leased To announce that. the major construction activity at the heritage site is now completed. At its last meeting the Board agreed to shift its priority activity to that of site _programming and thc development of activities which will put the house and grounds into full use. Inherent in its philosophy is the determin- ation to make this project function without the help of "tax " dollars. In fact. as the construction has proceeded. we are proud of the fad that no municipal tax—Money. has been involved. Our funding has been an excellent combination of private donations, ftmdraising such as the Ciderfest activities. and assistance from the Heritage Forinda• lion and Wintario. • For the first time ever. we hope to put our membership renewals on an annual basis in ceder to maintain contact with our support• resident OCTOBER 29, 1880 0. and J. Petty of the Yorkshire packing house in Hensall, are Purchasing a large number of hogs. They intend going into the pork business more extensively than ever this season James Simpson of Grey Toy,enship has done it now. He has tied a knot with his tongue which he cannot untee with his teeth. and that knot was matrimony. His bride was Miss Jessie Macdonald, also of Grey. Robert Anderson. late of Stanley, and Mr W.T Grieve. late of Mullett, with ther families nave amved safely at their new herne in Dakota -ard have got cerrefortab is settled They are Inc ted near New Buffale Mrs. Robert Scott of Bankhead. Roxbore died at her home on Sabbath last, m her 61rd y -ear Deceased. who was a daughter of the tate Archibald Dickson_ was born in 1818 near Jedburgh. Roxburghshire. Ssetteand and came to Canada in 1834 with her mother crs and benefactors over the years of construction. An add ehre in this paper is your 1981 mcmbershi equest. We invite your membership and continu- ing Support! Periodic newsletters and general membership meetings will be our source of communication with you. Although the major capital work is largely finished, we have several years of ApansIon to consider. Proper washroom and ? age facilities., for caample, are planned for next year. We want you to be part of the project in whatever way you deem possible. Yours in heritage, Paul Carrot. Chairman Van Egmond Foundation hanks from volunteers , I would like to thank you on behalf of myself and Mrs. Yvonne- Kitchen for the coverage our Junkie Volunteers received in this week's paper. We also appreciated Miss Rimmer's being in attendance at this special meeting and her interviews with the recklunteers. She did a splendid job The photos certainly captured the happy facts of some very important young people from our community. Thanks -again for your co-operation. Sincerely/ F.R. Teatero Liaison Officer Junior Volunteer Program Seaforth Community Hospital finds Yukon gold in 1905 lathe years agone and younger members of the family to join her father and brother James. who had preceded them. and settled on the bank of the Maitland. She leaves a family of five sons and three daughters. who with th& father. mourn their iteparab1e lose. The snoW and cold weather of last week have caused the farmers ofetlibbert to begin hfting and housing their root crops. but owing to the unfavourable weather they are unable to make much pmgress' Turnips are very good in general. and would yield excellently if thee had two or three more weeks to grow OCTOBER 27, 1905 T.J. Head of Nome. Alaska. a former Seaforth resident,was in St. Thomas recently where he exhibited a nugget weighing ;Pe ounces which he said was worth two bite less Pity the city in the fall hor” at there is nothing more'romantii than th( hat k streets of a small town in the dark of a fall el, ening Piles of leaves spun orange flame White smoke eddies Neighbours call out. lean on rakes Worneh. kerchiefed like gypsies, heap the dr‘ leaves high on the fin . Kids AN..,in .suhject of bedtime. dash about the fire like nimble gnomes. Or perhaps the whole family goes to a fowl supper. Whatin city ling. (In ompa re with this finest of rural functions') A risp fall evening. a drive to tho,chun hall through a Hallowe'en landscape. an appetite like an alligator, and that first wild whiff of turkey and dressing that makes your knees buckle and the juices flow free in your cheeks. But it's on weekends that my pity for the citv-dWeller runneth over. Not for him the shooting -match on a dear fall Saturda}„ with its good-humored conipetition, ;Is easy friendliness. Not for him the quiri stroll down a sunny eared r.tad, stguo over arm. partridge and woodcock Teeing like clouds of mosquitoes It's not that he doesn't liye right. or doesn't deserve these pleasures. It's just that its physically impossible to get to them easily. If he wants to crouch in a duck -blind. at dawn. he has to drive half the night to get th'e-re... • Maybe on a Sunday or Holiday. in the fall. the city family decides to head out and see some of that beautiful autumn foliage. They see it. after driving twcr hours. And with 50.000 other ca. they crawl home in late afternoon. bumper to buniper. the old man cursing. the kids getting hungrier, the wither growing owlier. Small town people can drive for 15 minutes and hit scenery, at least around here. that leaves them breathless. Or they'll wl*:ljefut a few miles to see their relatives on the farm. eat a magnificent dinner. and sit around watching TV in a state of delicious torpor. than fifty dollars. He arera had a bottle of gold dust from the placer mines. and wore a - chain of small nuggets in the rough state. linked together. and a charm with a kit of mitter's tools engraved Thereon. Mr. Head. who left Seaforth in 1898, travelled first to -Dawson City in the Yukon by the Peace River route. The Seaforth reed and brass band is now ie a flourishing condition. Nearly all the old. star players attend the bi-weekly practices , regularly and the young reserves are progressing so rapidly that some of them will Ise promoted to the stellar ranks at an early date. John Maredson. of Hibbert Township, Con. 13. has jest returned from an extended trip through the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. He has taken up a homestead on the proposed new branch of the CPR near the village of Daysland in Alberta. He is having an auction sale of his stock on Nov. 6 and will either sell or rent his farm here. Miss Minnie Bennett of Walton was recently married to Samuel McSpadden of Boissevain. Manitoba in Winnipeg. After the ceremony. the McKillop natives, accom- panied by a few of their friends, drove to the Empire Hotel. where They •partook of a splendid dinner, after which they took' the evening express to Boissevain, where the ,groom holds a good business position. OCTOBER 31, 1930 Armed with revolvers etid a sawed-off shotgun. two men, believed to be Italians, entered the Brussels Bank of Nova Scotia at 3 o'clock Wednesday afternoon and 15 minutes later were speeding in a coupe car towards London with 55,840.04 in dash. leaving the bank manager and two employ- ees bound and gagged in the vault. The Misses Cressweil left Seaforth on Wednesday for Pasadena California where they will spend the winter. Bean threshing in the Kippen area is getting well on to completion for another year. Mr. and Mrs•Robert Meraiin wIre-nsall were recently in London attending the convocation exercises'. of the University. where their talented -daughter Miss Marg- aret received scholarships and a neat sum of money connected therewith. Miss Norma MS. Pose. eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Rose of McKillop. recently became the bride of Henry i. Bode, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Bode of Logan. The bride, given in marriage by her father, was charmingly dressed in ivory duchess satin with pearl trimmings and trailing veil caught in orange blossoms and. carried a bouquet of yellow chrysanthemums and ferns. Charles Rathwell of Varna, who has spent the last year in Western Canada, has returned to Ontario feeling considerably i -nproved in he1th.. OCTOBER 28, 1955 The Daly Motors block in Seaforth was gutted by a 530,000 fire late Saturday afternoon. The blaze spread from a flash fire eannveeelointhdator e repatriradcep 'artumnednetratgothmge wreamhaiircnhteonf pethe block. Owned by Harvey MeLlwain the tractor was being serviced by his son •Jaci. One fireman, Allen Reid, was 'cut during the fire when falling glass pierced his sWriullbiabmer Winter Of Walkerton, Warden of Bruce County and a well-known Seaforth native. was honoured at Walkerton when 225 guests and county officials attended a banquet at the Legion. Seaforth Public Sehool students will be asking for pennies instead of candy as they make their rounds to neighbouring homes this Hallowe'en. The pennies that are collected will be given to the Lions Pool caniNopratiligTslide United Church of Seaforth celebrated its 78th an-nivereary on Sunday with Rev. Dr. Gallagher of Torolito as guest miDonisnter. Dodds and Douglas Keys of 0.A.C. Guelph, spent the weekend with their parents in Winthrop. • Students at the St. Patrick's School, publin, are practising a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, The Mikado, which will be played early in December.