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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1980-12-24, Page 1e 121at Year Whole No. 5885 1,TrfaTr I/. 'SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY,VECEMBER 24, 1980- 38 PAGES .1111,•, Town hires constable Seaforth eresidents will have no trouble spotting the toWn's new police constable when he joins the department Monday. He stands six -foot -five and weighs 260 pounds. The new officer is 26 -year-old aNeal Newman and he fills the position open since Peter Van Meekeren moved to the Wood• - stock force a month ago. _Conssable_Newman is an eight_y_ear • veteran of law enforcement, but in Septem- ber he resigned from the Tillsonbukg police department to attend the Univerleity of Western Ontario. At his last policing post he was a first class constable. Constable Newman started his career in 1972 as a cadet with -the Simcoe police. According to Seaforth clerk Jim Crocker, the tiew officer was selected from 13 original applications for the post. The constable is married with no children. St. Patrick's student drew our cover Karin Peetera, 14, of R.R. 3, Monkton, is the artist responsible for the scene on the front page of the Christmas Expositor . Karin, a Grade 8 student at St. Patrick's School, Dublin, lives on a farm outside Monkton and according to her father she's good at drawing. We couldn't congratulate Karin herself because she's in Holland for the Christmas holichlys, visiting relatives. HELLO THERE, SANTA— now residing in Huronview, Lions Club held a party at Maud Leeming, a fOrMer SeafcTfth—re-sltte-nt _ got a big hug from Santa when the Seaforth Huronview on Sunday afternoon. (Photo by Oke) $16 a year in acleanees Single Copy 40 Cents hbours help• •. rieless amity John and Chris Coultis of Varna, and their two till:hen-were- left hirmeless-Saturday-- night after fire destroyed thee- family's two-storey frame house in Varna. The family was away at the time the fire was discovered by passers-by who spotted smoke and called in the alarm. Firmen from the Bruceileld, Bayfield and Clinton fire departments responded to the call, and were on the scene for five hours. Mary Chessell, a neighbour of the family, said her husband tried to enter the house but "the house was,so full of dense black smoke no one could gdin " She said she phoned in the alarm ablaut 7:15 p.m. and another neighbour also called the fire department. "It's a ,complete loss," Brucefield fire cheif Stewart Broadfoot said Sunday. "They didn't save a thing." Residents of Varna and Bayfield met Monday morning to co-ordinate efforts to help the family. Mrs. Chessell said she was surprised how many people attended the meeting, including a delegation from Bay- field. She said alreacLy residents have donated almost everything needed to furnish a house for the Coultis family. However. still needed are lamps, a chest ot drawers, bedding and towels. The Coultis family, who lost all their ----Christmas-gifts-as-welleirs-thefiree -include John Coultis, his wife Chris and their two children, aged 6 and 3. Clothing needed for the family which can be dropped off at Varna United Church include a boy's size four to six, a girl's. size seven -eight, a size 10 women's clothes and large size men's clothing. The family drove to Toronto following the fire to break the news to Mr. Coultis' mother, who lives with them, but was visiting relatives at the time of the fire. Mrs. Chessell said a home has been offered to the family which they can live in until spring in the village if they wish. By Monday afternoon, financial donations for the family had reached $1,000. Donations of clothes and giftswere received from as far away as Alvinston and St. Thomas. The offer of a rent-free home in the Varna community will give the Coultis family a Compassion, and the child within BY YVONNE REYNOLDS Christmas is for children of all ages. Whether we are young or old, single or married, parent or childless, each of us was once a child, and that child is still within us. Some little ones are becoming aware for the first time of the mysterrand magic of this special season: others have kept their child -like wonder and joy through many Decembers. We celebrate the birth of the Christ child, who grew hip to say . "Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not. for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven." Heaven and earth. human and divine, are very close to each other at the Sunday School Christmas concert. The annull re-enactment of the events in Bethlehem. as old as antiquity. is as fresh as new - fallen sbow.' Usually the first on stage is a rather self-conscious Joseph, leading a Mary whose features havebeen trnasform- ed by the miracle of Christmas into the face of a tviadonna. Joseph knocks on the door of the inn, and explains his wife's desperate need. His request denied. he turns sadly away. (LEM year 1 read of a group of children acting out this drama. The young boy playing the part of the inn keeper became so indentified with his role as he watched the retreating backs of Mary and Joseph that he called out from the depths of his own heart. "Wait. Joseph. You can have my room.") The scene changes. to reveal shepherds abiding at stage right. Suddenly a heavenly host of angels appears. dressed in y•ards of white gauee edged in glittering tinsel. The chief angel steps onto a box to raise himself above his companions. and proclaims his- joa-ful news. ANGELIC WINGS As the shepherds burr to the Bethlehem stable. the angels spread their wings in the background. Tired human MISS droop momentarily under purr pinions. and slipping halnes are quickly righted with the furtive flick et an angelic wing. Meanwhile the shepherds. dad in the traditional terry bathrobes and towel head-dresses, have jcened Mary and Joseph at the manger. The tableaux is motionless as the shepherds kneel in adoration. (We pretend not to see Joseph scratching his chin under the itchy beard -1 The scene is completed by the arrived of the Magi. resplendent in satin housecoats and dressing gowns, their gold paper crowns reflecting the light from the Chnstmas tree. Melchior stumbles as he moves forward to present his gift. and almost drops his frankincense Funny. That shepherd's crook v. asn't there a moment ago. One of the concert's highlights is the junior Church presentation. Little girls acutely conscious of their freshly curled hair and special accaston dresses. little boys chafing under the sun:tures of their first tie. step reluciantls onto the stage and. with' a great deal of shifting and shuffling. arrange themsels es and their piacards to spell the words MFRRY CI-IRISTM AS In mans churches this year. the olive -skinned hands hrildtng Storne nf those letters contrast sharply with the shite bristolboard. and dark Oriental In t.c sparkle beside Occidental Throughout Ontario and across Canada. government and church -sponsored families w ho have fled from the miseries of IndoChina are participating in their first North American Christmas. SILVER BELLS The church I attend has sponsored a Caotian family since last March. At our concert. Somxay and Bouavan watched proudly as son Sasasme. two-and.a hatf. shook his %Raer bell with the nursers class. helping ha provide a tinkling background to the choir's rendition of "Away in a Manger." Little Sayasine, too had'no crib for a bed." Before coming to Canada. all he knew was life in a refugee camp. where his only steeping place was in his mother's arms. He has not yet adjusted to steeping anywhere else. When anadians heard of the "boat people's'. plight we did not echo the inn keeper's "No room '• Instead. we as a nation reached out in compassion and said "Come in." No one know s the exact day. month or year of Jesus' birth. and that is as it should be. Thus we can keep the spirit of Christmas alive every day, even month. every year. "In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." School Concerts One of the most poplar evehts of the holiday season is the Christmas concerts in area schools when young- sters step onto the stage and become ,instant performers. This week, we have lots of pictures in our second sec- tion featuring local concerts. See section A. Vacant Arenas There's nothing that pleases a budding hockey star more than to show his skills in front of family and friends but writer/photographer' Larry Dillon discovered the, young players perform be- fore vacant seats in area Varenas. See pg. 11A. thig week chance to decide where they want to rebuild, Mary CLuessell said. The family was expected to :nove into the hoase by Tuesday night. SECOND FIRE SATURDAY Brucefield' fire department answered another call earlier Saturday afternoon, when fire broke out in the home of Mervin Falconer of R.R. 3, Seaforth. Mr. Falconer said the family called the department at 1:15 p.m. when they discovered an upstairs bedroom was on fire. Mr. Falconer said he believes the fire started from wiring in, the bedroom. In addition to gutting that room, there was smoke and water damage to two other rooms in the home. However. Mr. Falconer said they will be able to repair the bedroom. He said the Brucefield firemen "were here very prompt!) and they did a terrific job when they got here." Investigation of conduct OPC to study chief The Seaforth town council ha e reauested that the Ontario Police Commission (OPC) conduct an investigation into the condutt and performance of duties of the town's police chief, John Cairns. The request follows a meeting involving OPC advisors, town council and chief Cairns earlier this month. An earlier report from the commission on problems in the force was expected in early December but it has not been released. The investigation of chief Cairns under Section 56 of the Ontario Police Act will involve public meetings which. thc chief said, would likely be held in Seaforth. Town clerk James Crocker said he did not know when the hearings would be held and added notification would be placed in the paper. Concerning the supplementary study into his own conduct, chief Cairns eaid "these things hurt the merale of she force. I kno* it gets mine dotyn." When the original OPC investigation was announced in October mayor John Sinnamon said it was only to clear the air and added the town was not after anybody's job. R. S. McKercher dies Robert S. McKercher of McKillop died in Seaforth Community Hospital Tuesday after- noon Dec. 23. . Whitney-Ribey Funeral Heine is In charge a funeral arrangements which had not been completed at press time. Several accidents, no charges in bad storm Poor dna ing conditions led to several accidents oa-er the past te eek but no charges %ere laid' in anti of the mishaps A two vehicle crillistori at the intersectton of Main Si and John St. last Tuesclaa resulted on an estimated damage A car driven ba Dwight Pushellierg of Brod hagen on main street and a pickup driven ha Flgin Young of Scatorth on John St. were in collisinn at the interseciion. Police laid no charges because the road surface was icy at the time. Last Wednesday a two vehn le odliscon at the ;MCI CrZtton vf Martel and ItIgh St. resulted tn an estimated 5300 damage to one sar A achtele dna en ha Brute Walker of Scare:11e a inte attempting to turn eccuth onto Hogh St helm Market. slid into a car driven le. Ray Murras of Mc K ollop Tot, n ship Mr Slurraa had to a stop at the mlerscultivr Poli.cr again attribute the Dick Box ,58, dies in hospital R.S. Box King Caterer Christmas is a particularly busy. time for Valma Miller. but her catered meals. famous throughout the area. keep her cm the go year round. In the past year she has served up 13.000 meals to diners from as far away as Gaderich and Stratford See story. pictures. Pg. SA New President At its most receht meeting the Seaforth Horticultural Society chose Pat Rodney as president for 1981. Mrs Rodney succeeds Gladys Doig aa the group's top executive. See other new members of the executive, .! and picture. Pg. 6. . 4111e7s 1 -- Funeral Services for Richard Samuel Box prominent Seaforth business man 4" High were conducted Street. Seaforth Tuesday afternoon in First Presbsterian Church by his minister Rev. T. A A Duke Mr. Box died Saturday at Uniaersita Hospital London following an illness of nearly four months. He was 53 A third generation member of one of Seaforth's early families. Mt Box carried on the family tradition m the furniture business. Following service in the RCAF he established the Box Funeral Horne on High Street arid was associated in the Box FigrOture business. which he built into one of ffie largest anal rrisise suceesaful husiness• es in the area. Barn in Seafatetti. he was a son 4 the 4ate Ernest and Bertha Box and was educated in Seaforth schools. Mr. Box served on the Seafarth Public Utility CO7Ziftistz-m and for a number of years was chairman He was a member of the Western Ontario Funeral Directors Association and the Ontario Funeral Directors Association He was a member cif First Presbyterian Church and active in the Seaforth Branch 15.6. Royal Canadian Legion Surviving are his wife. the former Mara Stagleton to whom he was married in Dublin in 194' and one daughter. Barbara. of London. He was predeceased by tvne sister. Mrs. G. (Leona) Vance and one brattier Edward. The remains rested at the Box Funeral Horne until Tuesday •afternaon at 2 p.m when a service was conducted in First Presbyterian Church with his minister the Rev. T.A. A. Duke officiating. Members of Branch 156 Royal Canadian • Legion conducted a Memorial Service at the funeral. home Monday evening. Following tfle funeral service ternporarv entombment was in Pioneer Memorial • Mausoleum with burial later in Maitland - bank cemetery. Pallbearers were Allan Nicholson. Dorlean Sills, Ken Stapleton. Ron Vance, Bill Wilbee. J.C. Cornish. Honorary Pallbearers were Ron MacDonald. Royce Macaulay. _Y. c altar of the accident to t'. On Freda'. e,.enarqz a crtms rarrthrte drnen ha Michael Marion of Seaforth collided with 3 ratted tar owned bs lames rocker of Seaforth The ao%ident. on High .,a,turreal alien MT Marian swerved to asood a dog and. lost Lontrol of his snowmo- bile There were no charges. and damage ts estimated' at SI.190 On Saturclas (-soling an actIdent at the Main inter cestion 4 Seaforth resulted in 51.100 damage The acvi dent occurred ta hen a aelncle driven ha George ( ampboll of McKillop Township. at• tempting to turn north from Main St. West, was in col- lision with a vehicle driven by John Valkenburg of Tar - onto. 'The Valltenburg auto Please turn to page 22 ,VARNA AND AREA RESIDENTS AID HOMELESS FAMILY — John and Chris Coultis and family of Varna were left homeless when fire destroyed their frame house Saturday night. But Varna and area residents found a vacant home and furnished it so the Coultis family could remain in the community. (Photo by Ellis) tT-1,,Ffr