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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1983-02-23, Page 3THE HURON EXPOSITOR, FEBRUARY 23, 1983 — A3 9 Stress root of most problems BY KRIS SVELA (Editor's note: This is the second of a two part article dealing with a minority group of children known as young offenders. It is an attempt to shed light on solving the problem and helping children and their parents to recover from an often tragic situation. Due to the subject matter, names have been changed and omitted. Characters and events are fictitious and not based on specific cases or offenders.) Janice and her parents sit nervously in the room waiting the arrival of a counsellor to begin their first session of therapy. Janice is a young offender who got into trouble with the law a year ago. She has gone through the legal system relatively unscathed, but has been asked to voluntarily seek counselling with her parents, The counselling is an attetnRt, to find the root problems facing Janice and her family and help the family cope and help each other to get back on track. According to Don Keillor, the director at the Huron Centre for Children and Youth in Clinton, this fictitious family has overcome their most difficult obstacle. They have realized that a problem exists and have voluntarily sought outside counselling. Mr. Keillor admits that once ,these two steps are taken, joint work involving the child and parents can begin. Family Therapy Orientation is' the proper terminology for this type of counselling. It involves joint counselling with parents and the child.to determine family problems and solutions that can help family members resolve their differences and build on their relationship. "The greatest source of a child's current stress is his relationship with the parents," he explains. He adds that many young people are distressed with themselves and their rela- tionships with parents, friends and figures in authority, in many casest teachers. It is this stress which often leads to disciplinary problems at school, in the home and other places. In the carr of teenaeers, the nrohlem is compounded when their parents fail to recognize the need for gradual release from the family bond,. Mr. Ketllor explains that the adolescent youth wants to feel more respon- sible as he or she grows older, a fact that many parents fail to realize. GROWING PAINS The child's struggle to cope with these growing pains and the parents failure to realize the problem can result in internal stress in the child. As the internal stress grows, the need to vent frustration grows. Often it is vented in acts of destruction in an attempt to gain attention. Mr, Keillor feels that as these problems build, the child loses more and more respect for himself and those around him. "1 think that many children come to a point in their lives when they stop caring," he explains. Often children and parents have difficulty relaying their feelings. The end result is a total break down in parent-child relationship and communication. In many cases both parties are so caught up in their daily problems that they don't realize that there is a significant problem. Often the full confron- tat4on with the law by a young family member' serves to bring these problems into the open. Mr. Keillor explains that in many cases, confrontation with the law makes all family members aware that there is a communica- tion problem and that help is needed. According to the parent of one young offender, it was the child's disciplinary problems that made everyone involved realize that there was a definite problem in the family. In this case the parents were attempting to cope with'ffieTfcown problems and failed to realize that their child was also. experiencing problems. Once the child had reached a point where his behaviour resulted in property damage. the awareness of a communication problem surfaced. At that point the family decided to seek counselling. "The question was do we as a fancily wait to continue as we were or do we want to work and improve our relationships," a parent said. The concerns of the parents in solving their • problem prompted their minister to help them find proper counselling. An outside counsellor has helped the family begin to solve their problems. It has helped both the parents and the child to rationalize the situation once the anger and frustration is overcome. "The counsellor helped us to look at the situation objectively," the parent said. Mr. Keillor says the therapy offered at the centre focuses on rebuilding the earent-child relationship. He agrees that outside counsel- ling is necessary because a professional counsellor is able to gain a clearer perspec- tive on the problem. He feels that it is important to establish how the child responds to authority. In many cases children lack, respect for people they perceive to be authoritarian. He stresses the need for the parents to give their children more responsibility and greater independence as they grow up. They must also be taught that they are responsible for their actions. According to Mr. Keillor this "weaning" process is important to help resolve strains in parent-child relationships. RESPECT According to one parent it is mutual respect for each other and not control that is the key to re -building a good relationship. Through this re -building process, both children and parents can help bring their problem out into the open, thus relieving interifal distress and opening new lines of communication. The process is a long and -difficult one and often carries stern measures that have to be dealt with to make the child understand the consequences of disciplinary problems. The process requires a great deal of soul searching on the part of each family member. It also requires that lines of communication are kept open between the child and the parents. They have to learn to discuss their problems openly and to solve them jointly. One parent admits that it is difficult to be 10.0 per cent open, but that many of the Dogs quarantined after s BY RON WASSINK Rabies has been almost non-existent in Seaforth for several years until the recent shooting of a skunk at the home of Russ Dunbar, main street north. Mr. Dunbar killed the animal after he noticed an attack on one of his hounds. "The dog chewed at it, but I don't know if the skunk bit the dog." W.J. Thompson, district veterinarian of the Canada Agriculture Food Production Veterinary Inspection Operation in Huron County. said tests done on the skunk proved it was rab'd. He noted that the last recorded case of ra in the Seaforth arca was in 1982 in McKil o nship. "The average in this area is very to The positive report r Ited in a six month quarantine of two of A , Dunbar's dogs_ "This is the first incident in Seaforth I can recall." Mr. Thompson said. County wide, 79 cases of rabies were recorded. There were 30 skunk and 25 fox victims the two most common carriers of the disease. In Huron Dr. Thompson said 1979 was low with only seven cases while 1980 recorded 73 and 1981 had 62. the month of January, 1983. was higher than the 1979 low. with six rabid skunks, two bovine and one feline animals reported. "The lows and highs in Huron County coincide with skunk and fox population. There was a higher number of cases in 1982. but not a drastic increase." He noted that rabies was more prevalent in the townships of Morris, East Wawanosh and West Wawanosh. BEEN AROUND Rabies. more commonly known as "mad- ness" in early centuries. was first noted by Aristotle when he made a connection between rabies and dogs as early as the fourth century, B.C. It was not until early 1800s that the public realized rabies was a communicable disease between animal and man. • Quarantine measures were adopted as early as 1826 and in 1885, a rabies scrum was developed by Pasteur. "There was a major outbreak of rabies in southern Ontario from 195' to 1959." explained Dr. Thompson. The cause is thought to have been animal migration. "Since then. rabies has certainly had its ups and downs, and has been in Huron County since the outbreak." Rabies vaccination clinics have been made available to the public for many years. Dr. Thompson questions the benefits. "The people who bring'thcclF pcts to the clinics are usually urban residents. The people who don't come in arid who are the ones who should, is the farmer with 10. barn cats. Those are the ones we should be getting." Despite the negative aspect, "vaccina= tions .are a ,good barrier." Even with vaccinations, a dog or cat in contact with rabies must be quarantined for three months, says Dr. Thompson. "Six months, if the animal has not been vaccinated." "I don't know if there will be a clinic in Seaforth this year," says Dr. Thompson. "'the incident of rabies isn't high enough to warrant a clinic." Asked if his department responded to all rabies oriented calls, Dr. Thompson explain- ed. "if there is no human or domestic animal involvement, then we don't pick up an animal which may have hail rabies. We ask the individual to bury it." The reason is twofold, he .said. "First of all, it's unnecessary and second. we operate on a tight budget. This year. our department is overspent and the fiscal year doesn't end til March. "The recorded figures arc misleading. but comparing from year to year. they arc very reliable." Mr. Thompson explained if a farm animal dies as a result of rabies, a federal government indemnity will he paid. The payment for cattle is up to $1.000: $500 for horses and $200 for sheep, swine and goats. "People are still afraid of rabies. They think once they contact the disease. they're a goner" says Mr. Thompson. If someone is exposed to the disease and has treatments. the risk of becoming severely 01 is minimal. "I had to have treatments on two occasions. Once when taking a brain out of a cattle beast. 1 had a cut in my hand. The second time. a cat bit me," There have never been any rabies related deaths in humans in thc county that he can recall, • RABIES CYCLE Signs to look for if a dog has had contact 5ith rabies is: I -irritability and restlessness: discussions will help open the avenue of communication, and keep the family to- gether. SCHOOLS HELP Schools are also playing an increased role in helping young people with disciplinary problems. With the co-operation of the parents, many of the behavioural problems in the school can be eliminated if they are confronted right away. In some schools, children who break the basic rules are put on a rep, rt system, where they are expected to acquire a daily status report from individual teachers. One professional feels that this system helps make young people aware that they have to be responsible for they behaviour. Mr. Keillor agrees that children who are singled out for misbehaviour at school often improve because of pressure from class- mates. Ministers, church groups and other c m- munity groups are also involved and can h in many cases. There are a number of support agencies willing to help families of young. offenders overcome their problems and cope , with the future. According to one parent, help can also be sought from other families who have experienced the same difficulties. Through meeting and talking to -other families many parents and children gain a greater under- standing of their own problem and what as to be done to solve their conflicts. In reporting this story it becomes appa that there is no lack of support groups and individuals who are willing to help. It is also evident that the blame for family problems cannot be placed on any one individual. What is clear is that a joint effort has to be made by all family members to help solve problems. That effort can best be achieved through proper communication and mutual respect. It is also important to note that young offenders comprise a small minority of the children today. As one professional put. "most of the children are good." CAST—The cast of the musical The Fantasticks are polishing up their performance In preparation for the play on March 10 and 11.vPictured In back Is Te,d Leeming, middle row from left, Dave McKnight, Roger Leonhardt, Lucille Delaney and Don McDonald. Front row, from left, Jarhes Thompson, TriSh Rimmerandbavid Campbell. (Photo bySvela) The Fantasticks reactivates amateur local musicals unk attack F:6 TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT—Keeping his distance, Russ Dunbar of Seaforth learned that the skunk he shot was rabid. Two of his hunting dogs are presently quarantined for six months because of possible contact with the diseased animal. , (Wassink photo) 2. Difficulty in swallowing, drooling saliva; 3. Dog howls, runs about wildly, snaps and bites; 4. Becomes paralyzed, has convultions and dies. The signs are similar in humans. 1 - Infected person is agitated, restless, has difficulty,speaking; 2, Develops headaches, temperature, difficulty swallowing. Wound radiates pain; 3.,Develops muscle contrac- tions, convultions; 4. Paralysis`of breathing muscles causes death in two to 10 days of contact. If a person is untreated, death is more rapid than in animals. especially when a kite or scratch is close to the brain. • In June 1980, a more effective new anti -rabies vaccine was introduced for human use. Instead of the old method of 23 painful abdominal vaccinations, immunity is now given with five injections in the arm. Mr. Thompson said he had the painful shots. Although people are more knowledgeable towards the disease, Mr. Thompson explain- ed most people contact rabies from pets or stray dogs and cats which they consider not to•be dangerous. It has been proven that not all bites from rabid animals are disease developing. For example, the chances of contacting rabies from a dog are four to one, but if a human is in contact with a wolf or cat, they will have an almost 100 per cent chance to Contact rabies. Poultry shows popular in 1883 FEBRUARY 23, 1883 The "biggest thing on ice" will take place at the Seaforth• rink. The five mile race between the Ontario champions, Messrs. Miller and Dawson, will he exciting. The ladies have not hcen forgotten as they can test their speed in a half mile race. Wm. Grieve, McKillop, exhibited a Pl)•• mduth Rock rooster al the Seaforth poultry show. He was offered and refused the suns of $15 for the bird. Hens will soon he as valuable as horses at this rate. Thcrc were 500 to 600 entries in the show. Brussels village auditors show that total receipts for 1882 were $7.378 and disburse •ments $6.989. FEBRUARY 28, 1908 Adam Turnbull of Concession seven, Grey Township, was appointed road inspector by Grey council. He will receive $2 for each day he is engaged. Seaforth milk dealers have reduced milk prices from seven cents to five cents a quart. No reason is given for the reduction. The first carnival of the season was held at the Palace Rink. Ice conditions were gond. Prize winning costumes were worn by: Florence Soole; Mabel Strausscr. Mrs. Duffle. Ben Duffle: Thomas Fowler. Ralph Reid, Lloyd Soole and Thomas Dick. FEBRUARY 24, 1933 Hydro lineman cut down several trees on Goderich Street east, but were prescntea from further cutting when the Provincial Highways Superintendent claimed the ne- cessary authority had not been obtained, The P ll C linemen. however. claim the trees were interfering with power lines and felt they were within their rights Taylor Bros., of Woodstock. who appeared before Magistrate Reid in Seaforth on a charge of stealing a quantity of saws and belts from the Canada Furniture Factory. were given suspended sentences. Restitution h:ld n@ y@ago ©con@ been made and the stolen goods recovered, The case aroused much local interest. FEBRUARY21, 1958 Louis Maloney, 21, had a narrow escape from death by asphixiation when he was overcome by fumes. He was waiting for assistance when the truck he was driving became snowbound in Fullarton township. He was released from Scott Memorial Hospital following treatment. Plows battled drifted roads when the worst storm in years hit the Seaforth area: Rural students were stranded in Seaforth with accommodations made available in Seaforth homes. Traffic was brought to a rtonlptete standstill. A pnce in a lifetime cribbage hand was dealt to Don Hunking at a match in Blyth. George Brown dealt him a perfect hand for the full count of 29 points. Optimists keep kids busy TOP SKATER—Reader Frank Sills loaned the Expositor this photo of Ontario, then Canadian speed skating champion, William Dawson of Seaforth. Mr. Dawson Is mentioned in the 1833 Years Agone this week For the souvenir community centre grand opening edition In June the Expositor would like totdo a feature story on the national award winning athlete. Anyone with any Information about Mr. Dawson Is asked to call Ron Wassink at 527-0240 The Optimist Club of Seaforth LRI. are trying hard to live uo to their motto. that is. friend of youth, and they have touched at least 1000 kids just lately, Optimist President Ken Miller reported to the club at this month's dinner meeting. On Jan. 19 Mr. Miller and Optimist Ron Stewart held snowmobile safety classes at both Seaforth Public and St. James Separaite Schools. They worked in Conjunc- tion with Constable Eric Grosse of the Goderich OPP, showing the children a little about snowmobiles themselves and talking about rules and regulations and safety in operating them. In all they talked to over 300 children. many of whom had pertinent questions about snowmobiling. On Jan. 2d. the Optimist Club showed two feature length movies at the Arena's big hall and entertained over 400 youngsters. The sound system is not yet complete at the new arena, so the sound 01 the movies was not as good as it could have been, however the popcorn was free and the Optimist members popped. bagged and gave out over 50 lbs. ofkernelpopcorn. On Jan. 22, the Optimist Club held their annual Winter Carnival dance at the Seaforth Arena and filled the Arena's big hall once more, with both young and old who rocked the night away. Officers of the Seaforth Police department who dropped in 'at the dance commended the Optimist club for providing activities that kept the young people off the streets both Friday and Saturday evening. . Also at the dinner meeting, Optimist members discussed the possibilities of holding feature length movies at the Arena's big hall as a regular event, with the next date in mind mid-March, -Contributed by Sibyl Miller Amateur theatre in Seaforth is being revived after almost 30 years of inactivity, thanks to the efforts of .a small group of theatre enthusiasts from the area. The group, backed financially 'by the Seaforth Agricultural Society, will be staging a two-day run of the musical The Fantasticks, Mar. 10 and I 1 in the Seaforth and District Community Centre? The choice of the Fantasticks was based on its reasonable budget, simple costumes, and a Small cast of eight. The cast includes Ted Leeming of Seaforth. as Ed Gallo; Lucille Delaney, Dublin as Luisa; Roger Leonhardt. Brodhagen, as Matt; Don McDonald, Walton as Ballamy; Dave McKnight, Egmondville. as Hucklebee; James Thompson: McKillop as Henry; David Campbell, McKillop as Mortimer and Trish Rimmer,:.-Seaforth as Mute. All cast mehtbers have been involved in choirs, musicals and theatrical productions in the past. The play is based on a fantasy, a light romance between 'a bov+and the girl next door who suffer through the humourous interference ofrtheir fathers. These four characters are supported by a travelling troupe of actors who provide the framework of the play, the asides and comments on life. The script is sprinkled with lively songs and dances, as well as a lot of fun. A four piece combo orchestra accompan- ies the play. According to producer Bruce Whitmore, - auditions held in December revealed a great number of talented individuals from Sea - forth and the surrounding area. After 14 rehearsals the cast is putting the final touches to the production in prepara- tion for opening night. The play offers a fun -filled evening for both young and old and hopefully will breathe a new life in local community theatre in the future. Tuckersmith sets road budget Continued from page 1 heating system tor the swimming pool, In the end a committee was named to handle it. Reeve Robert Bell, councillor Brownridge and Mrs Durnin, recreation centre director. Mrs. Durnin reported the Country Singles group has suspended the weekly dances at Vanastraa because of dwindling attendance. She said her assistant Was proposing'to hold Old Time Festival events on Sundays and they proposed the township bethe sponsors, However Reeve Bell and councillor Robert Broadfoot objected. Mr. Broadfoot said he had complaints that the township should•not be in competition with • other township groups in money raising events. Reeve Bell suggested the recreation centre sponsor the eypnts., Mrs. Durnin was tojd,tq,continue her investigation on the availability of, liquor licences without a sit down meal on Sunday. Foam insulation plagues Seaforth area homeowners Continued from page 1 homeowners, the Sinnamont had their home's assessment reduced by 75 per cent by a court in Goderich last July. But that was just for one year; now the Ontario government offers a 35 per cent reduction to homeowners with UFFI- The Badleys are applying this year; they didn't know they could get a break in 1982 and by the time they found out it was too late. But that causes another problem. As a very rough guess, John Sinnamon estimates one third of the insulated houses in Seaforth have UFFI. If all those residents succeed in having their assessments lowered the town will have its tax revenue cut significantly. "It's not the municipality's fault, but the municipality is going to suffer," the former mayor say+$. RID OF FOAM Hard work that'll have to be done all over again is the picture you get as the Badleys talk about getting rid of the foam. The ceramic tiles on the bathroom wail have got to go. So does the new Raggedy Anne wallpaper in daughter Tanya's room. Then there's the inconvenience' of living in a construction site while Reg takes out the insulation from one room at a time. and the possible hazards of being exposed to the stuff while it's being removed. They don't feel they have a choice. because they couldn't sell the house and move if they ever wanted to and because its 1 presence makes all, the other home improvements they've made valueless. ' With the huge cost of removing the foam, the Sinnamons are going to stand pat for the present. "Through time they may come up with another way of getting rid of it....that's what I'm hoping fo'r. ' John says, MP gels porn complaints BY KRIS SVELA There is growing coneettt among area groups and individuals over what is termed "pornographic content" on the new cable services to be offered on Mitchell and Seaforth Cable T.V. According to a news release 'from Huron -Bruce M.P. Murray Cardiff, the response to pornographic programming has been overwhelming. According to the release 100 per cent of those who responded are critical of the programming. Steve Ward, part owner and manager of the Mitchell and Seaforth Cable T.V. says the controversy in the press has been the best advertising for the service, expected to go into operation in early March. His company will be offering First Choice pay T.V. to its customers. He explains that reponse he has received indicates that First Choice is favoured by subscribers. Mr. Ward does not feel that the Playboy programming offered in the new service will create a problem over the issue of young people having access to the station. He explains that unlike the other cable channels offered, First Choice has placed its Playboy programming in a late night slot. Because of this structure timing. he feels, parents will have an opportunity to control what their children are watching. He says that other channels will be offering restricted movies at any time during their programming day, which could result in less control by the parents. With Playboy featured only in the late hours there should be little difficulty in screening what children watch, he adds. Mr. Cardiff states. "This is one of those issues that people feel very strongly about. My mail on this issue has been heavier than cm any issue since the MacEachen budget of 1981 I'm glad to say that 100 per cent of those who have written to me about the Pay T.V. pornography issue are opposed to allowing such material on any Canadian television channel." Mr. Cardiff (explained that response has come in from all parts of his riding and is heaviest among church -related groups. In a letter aimed at reaching a large number of the respondents, Mr. Cardiff. explains that he is also opposed to the programming. "1 have no difficulty at all in opposing emphatically any use of licensed television in Canada to show pornographic material. The CRTC has issued a press release indicating that it would like to see the television industry adopt voluntary standards for its programming to prevent abuses." The letter also states. "One reason they give for preferring this course is that they claim not to have any mandate to prohibit material in advance, while. after broadcast, when the harm has been done, it is for the courts to rule on questions of obscenity and of community standards. The CRTC also believes. however, that the current judicial definition of obscenity is not appropriate for television, My own view is that the CRTC does not go far enough in recognizing its power to ensure that material such as that the Playboy network offers in the United States, is kept off licensed television in Canada." "For years. the question of community standards has been a troublesome one in Canada. We are caught between a respect for the indididual's right to make his own decision on matters of taste and morality, and a respect for the moral standards of our heritage and of the majority." The letter goes on to say. "Our rights as individuals are, in matters of this community nature, freedoms from, not freedoms for any particular course of action. Correction An editorial in the Expositor of Feb, 9 was in error when it said the trustees of the Huron County Board of Education had voted themselves a raise of 100 per cent in 1982. In fact the raise was SI00 a month or 3319 per cent. The raise applies to trustee honorariums of S300 a month. That rate was set back in 1975, and continued until 1982. when the rate became S400 a month. From 1973 until 1975, Huron B of E trustees were paid S200 per month. Their honorariums were S150 from the beginning of thc county -wide board in 1%9, until 1973. In the 15 years the board has been in existence. from 1969 to 1983, inclusive. trustees have had three raises. The Expositor apologizes for the error. (