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SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 1983 — 18 PAGES
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xpositor
OVER 40 canoes were launched in the Bayfield River in Egmondville Sunday at 1:00 to start
the 12th annual Seaforth Optimist canoe race. Race officials were skeptical at the low water
level, but were relieved by a heavy downpour the day before. Arnold Stinnissen, Optimist
Tuc.kersmith approves
expenses in this first year of operating will
not be incurred in future years.
Tuckersmith and Hullett Townships both
refused to approve the first proposed budget
' but now both townships have approved the
revised edition, following the lead of the
other three municipalities who approved the
first proposal. The Town of Seaforth. which
pays the largest share, the Township of
McKillop the sec4iltd largest share and
Flibbert Township the second smallest share
used their combined vote of over 80 per cent
to carry the budget through for approval.
Richard Koostra of RRS, Clinton. a
resident of Stanley Township, who plans to
build a feed mill on Highway 4. attended the
council session to answer questions on the
site plan for his business. He stated he was
anxious to be neighbourly and not cause dust
problems for a neighbouring restaurant and
boat works in Tuckersmith Township.
BY WiLMA OKE
It's unanimous. The five municipalities
which own and operate the Seaforth and
District Community Centres have now all
given approval to the 1983 budget for the
centre.
In a vote of three to one. Tuckersmith
Township Council approved the revised
budget of $165,255 for the centre. The
revision includes a reduction of $1,900 in
capital expenses in the previous -proposal and
the resulting deficit proposed'now is $34.405.
Councillor John Brownridge was not
satisfied the budget had changed . and
declared he could not approve it. Reeve
Robert Bell (who does not vote on motions
unless to cut a tie vote) said he was willing to
give the management committee of the
centre the benefit of the assurance by Ken
Campbell. chairman of the management
committee for the centre. that many of the
member, said the club was hoping for rain. "When it did rain, It was music to our ears. The
river level was perfect for -the race." He said entries were average, "considering the water
level the previous i^eek." (Wassink photo)
.1983 arena budget
SDHS to get a
new principal
As a result of a shuffle among four of
Huron County's five high schoolts, SDHS will
get a new Principal in September.
Present SDHS principal Bruce Shaw, who
• has been in the school top job since 1975,
goes to the much larger South Huron District
High School in Exeter as principal. Mr. Shaw,
who is also mayor of Exeter, has continued to
live in that south Huron town throughout his
appointment at SDHS.
John Cochrane, director of education for
the county board, said Monday that the name
of the new principal in Seaforth won't be
known "for a couple of weeks." The new
principal will be someone already working for
the county board, he added. "The opening
has been circulated within the system...and
anyone interested can apply" Asked about
Harry Scott, a Seaforth native who is
presently vice-principal at SDHS, Mr.
Cochrane replied "I wouldn't rule him out."
Mr. Scott. 58, of SDHS, vice-principal
since 1976, has taught at the local high school
since 1965. For two years before that he
taught in Clinton and prior to that he was a
teacher in Bracebridge.
The transfers, which see longtime South
Huron DHS principal, Joe Wooden, moving
to Central Huron Secondary'School in Clinton
and CHSS principal Herb Murphy moving to
Goderich District Collegiate Institute, where
present principal, John Stringer retires in
Councillor Robert Broadtoot and Deputy township and asked for written assurances
Reeve William Brown said they were from Mr. Koostra that the prevailing westerly
concerned about the business firms in their please turn to page 3
Canoes race fast, rough Bayfield River
Fast water and a tough course full of
sharp turns and floating logs were a few of the
chat lenges faced becanoeists during the 1 A
annual Seaforth 'Optimist Canoe Race .
Canoeists dodged branches and trees
hanging into the Bayfield river While
travelling the 16 km course which began at
the Egmondville bridge and ended at the
Vanastra bridge. One participant said that he
felt like Paul Bunyan using his paddle as a
chain saw to cut his way to the finish line.
Arnold Stinnissen. canoe committee chair-
man. said that close to 80 people participated
in the race even though some "didn't want to
risk their canoes" after viewing the shallow
THE EASY WAY—It may not be the best way to eat spaghetti like that served at SI Thomas
Anglican parish hall on Friday evening but Bonnie Palin found it to be the easiest. More
photos inside the Expositor (Photo by Hook)
liver on Saturday. But, heavy rainfall
turday evening caused the river to rise
Firs pItfte in the A class was -won by Rene
Boogemans of Hensall and Ted Cowan of
Brussels. The winner of the canoe raffle was
Gaby White while Fred Schute won $20'•
Other race winners Included hill Jcnmitz in
the Kayak class, Karen and J. Cowan of
Brussels, Greg Scroggs and Calvin Falter
both from Bruceficld. Bill Pinder and Dennis
McCauley. both representing service clubs in
Seaforth, Keith and Scott Homan of Coder-
ich. Roger Harbocian and Mary Farthering-
ham of Harrow, and Bob Kruys and Gary
Irwin from London.
June, were approved by the Huron County
Board of Education last Tuesday. Only R.P.
Ritter, principal of F.E. Madill Secondary
School in Wingham. will stay in his present
position.
Mr. Cochrane said the transfers were his
idea. "I contacted each principal involved
and talked to them about their careers." The
director of education, who retires himself at
the end of June, joked "they can blame it all
on me."
Mr. Cochrane said the change, and new
challenges, should be beneficial to all
involved. It's not as easy, he said, to transfer
longtime teachers to various schools in the
county. Teachers have their specialties, and
although all vacancies in the system are
posted, a move to another school isn't as
necessary a career move fdr a teacher as it
might be for a principal. The need for travel
to work or to sell a house and move also makes
teachers less receptive to the idea, he says.
The deadline for applications for the
directors' job was on Friday. and Mr.
Cochrane told the Expositor that a short list of
applicants will be drawn up on Thursday.
Candidates, "some within the system and
some outside", will be interviewed by the
whole board on Saturday, Apr. 30.
The present director says he expects a
decision on his successor will be announced
early in May.
PUC, union sign first
working agreement
The union representing Seaforth PUC's
four outside employees has signed a two year
contract with the PUC commission on wages
and a new working agreement effective
March 29. The contract, retroactive to April
1. 1982, was signed by representatives for
Local 363 of the International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers (IBEW) and. the Seaforth
Public Utilities Commission. it is the first
union contract to be negotiated by the PUC
and its newly -unionized outside.employees.
The contract gives the employees a nine
per cent increase in the first year and a five
per cent increase in the; 'setrond,,,ycaF,s, jn.•
addition to a now benefit package.=lt aiso
gives the employees wage priority with their
counterparts in Mitchell, Clinton and Goder-
ich.
In an earlier interview with the Expositor,
union representative Doug Smale said that
the reason for the employees joining a union
was because of difficulties they were having
in getting the commission to budge on the
issue of wages. Mr. Smale explained at that
time. that the employees had little difficulty
in previous years reaching an agreement on
clothing allowances and other items. How-
ever, he admitted that the employeeshave
not been satisfied with previous wage
settlements.
After studying other settlements by PUC
employees in other communities, the outside
employees decided to joie the union to help
bargain with the commission.
The new contract gives employees of the
hydro department a new salary scale for the.
two different categories. •in the groundman
category a beginner will get $6.29 to start
with a salary ceiling in the first year of $8.34.
In the second year the beginning wage is
•-S6,b0-with the top,at�58:A9f�, j�l1Ate egtepdry+of
lead hand jodtfeytttan lineman the beginning
salary is $6.29 in the•first year and $6.60 in
the second year with a top salary of 5,10.45 in
the first year and 510.97 in the second.
The new settlement brings the Seaforth
PUC employees wage parity with other area
municipalities. In Clinton. the salary scale for
the same categories starts at 56.34 for,
lineman and groundman, with a top wage of
$11.87 and 10.13. Similar salary grids are in
effect in Mitchell and Goderich. The figures
do not reflect negotiated benefits.
Retiring principal is proudof local school
It's with "mixed feelings" that SDHS
principal Bruce Shaw contemplates his
transfer to the principalship at South Huron -
District High School in Exeter.
He describes his "contentment" with the
school here: "i'm pleased with staff and
student acceptance of change (for example.
the semester system which was introduced
in September) and the quality of work
produced by both. 1 like the freedom to
teach." The principal has taught three
English classes at SDHS this year.
While he calls the local high school
"accomplished for its size....outstanding in
the province." Mr. Shaw. who is mayor in
Exeter where he lives, says his new job will
be like "going hnn)h "`the Exeter school is
nearly three times the size of SDHS, with
about 58 teachers, compared to 24 here and
he calls it "a challenge...a big one."
"If (I was) here much longer. 1 could
become stale. You can only do so much to,
for and with a system."
RESPONSIBILITY
While he says the semester system. a
pilot project in the county. indeed the area.
needs to be followed through "by someone
familiar with it". Mr. Shaw is proud that
SDHS students have "been given more
responsibility. challenges and trust" dur-
ing his tenure as principal. For example.
this winter "the kids organized intramural
hockey. and they did it all themselves."
The student -run cafeteria continues to
run smoothly and SDHS students are out in
the community. contributing to it. The
principal points proudly to Karen Byers'
Famils Studies classes who work with
senior citilens and elementary school
students and Terry Johnston's Phys Ed.
classes who are helping with handicapped
kids at Vanastra.
Mr. Shaw says compared to the larger
Exeter school, where he expects more
discipline problems. SDHS students have
"a certain Innocence and sheltering here. It
makes them good kids, I'd be glad to have
them in my own family."
Acknowledging he's gotten some criti-
cism here because he's always lived in
Exeter and served two terms as mayor while
he's been principal, Mr. Shaw says "1 feel
badly that I haven't been able to offer my
services to this community," He says he
needs to be involved where he lives but the
job always came first.
A PLEASURE
"i don't think the school suffered. I'm on
no ego trips. i tend to delegate authority and
people like it." He says the staff at SDHS
parents in for a talk."
And he adds, the school gets "questions
from parents rather than criticism," He
cites one parent's thoughtful answer on a
questionaire about the semester system
that went something like "it's too early to
tell, but here are some of my concerns..."
Mr. Shaw has been at SDHS for 10 years
altogether (he spent two years as vice-prin-
cipal) and during that time he notes the
curriculum has gone nearly full circle. from
''no compulsory anything to 16 compulsory
subjects." Art has been introduced; the
school had a music program for a few years;
the band has had great success; a sex
edutation program was introduced, with
plenty of input from parents; there's now a
grade 13 phys ed program and grade 11
computer studies and a new biology course
"It's outstanding in the province"
has alw ays been positive. "It's a pleasure to
work with them.''
Comparing Seaforth and Exeter. Mr.
Shaw sans Exeter seems to be more
aggressive. with a lot of business expansion
and "a very active, dynamic BIA" which
has "virtually re -done the main street."
Perhaps that town's location and proximity
to London is part of the reason, and Mr.
Shawwho was head of the English
department there for nine years. speculates
it contributes to a greater sophistication
among South Huron students,
, The principal is proud of the atmosphere
and lack of problems at SDHS. where there
might he "two broken windows a year....
We don't suspend kids: we perhaps bring
unlocked for days while the family was away
on a trip "because we couldn't find the •
house key." He and his wife Fran have two
boys, one a student at UWO and the other
playing his first season with the NHL, for
the New York Rangers.
Looking forward to "going home" to tlieiv
Exeter school in September. their father
jokes "fortunately. my kids have both left
the school."
arc coming. He has praise for the county
board which allows the county's smallest
high school also to have the lowest
pupil/teacher ratio. "They consider our
uniqueness" he says simply.
HAPPINESS
"Success by its standard definition has
come to me easy and early," the principal,
who is 41. sums up. "I'm happy with my
family, my lifestyle, the people 1 know and
work with. But we all want challenges and
change at times....To hang onto the things 1
like and still have change....that's happi-
ness."
Bruce Shaw is glad the upcoming change
still leaves him living in a small town. He
describes leaving the house in Exeter
BRUCE SHAW
SPS has science fair
winners /Al2
Hensall will get
seniors' apartment
/A14
Kids enjoy spaghetti
and dessert /A8
Fires destroy
house and barn /A6
Births /A8
Brussels news /A6, 7
Classified /A16, 17
Dublin news /A4, 5
Entertainment /A8
Family /A13
Farm /All
Hensall news /A 14
Kids /Al2
Obituaries /A 10
People /A8
Smiley /A2
Something to Say /A2
Sports /A9, 10
The Junction /Al2
Walton, Londesboro /A15
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