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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1983-08-03, Page 2?1u, ' Y baron � «xpositor— S!nce 1860, Serving the Community first lncorpo[eting Bl'Us' 4s Post .rounded 1872, 12 Main St, 52740$40 Publlehed at SEAFORTH, ONTARIO every Wednesday morning Susan White, Managing Editor Jocelyn A. Shrier, Publisher Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association, Ontario Community Newspaper Association and Audit Bureau of Circulation A member of the Ontario Press Council Subscription rates: Canada 517.75 a year (In advance) -outside Canada $50. a year (In advance) Single Copies - 50 cents each SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 1983 Second class mail registration number 0696 Let's dream a little What's your vision of the best possible Seaforth? Close your eyes, take a moment and dream. That's what the people who founded this place did. In fact, most people who accomplish anything, ever, start with a dream. The current criticism of the town's Maih St. notwithstanding, Seaforth's old brick buildings have a great deal of potential. The strdet Is unusual because it was rebuilt pretty much all -of -a -piece after the 1876 fire. Most people agree that the second stories have fine architecture, worth .preserving and enhancing. And of course Main St. has Its showplace, a potential tourist attraction in Cardno's Hall. Its owner has a dream: he'd like eventually to restore it to its 1875 glory. Once the town's heritage district plan Is completed, downtown Seaforth could start taking steps to make the most of what is already here. The fact that Seaforth is doge to two of Ontario's biggest tourist attractions, Lake Huron beaches and the Stratford Festival, has occurred to most of us. So has the sad fact that the thousands who visit both places drive, quickly, right through town. There's nothing to persuade them to stop here. With imagination, hard,'hard work and some luck, Seaforth could take advantage of its architectural assets and attract visitors wf6'd like to see an uflspolled Ontario town. One o those architectural assets is of course, the old Seaforth Public School. If Main St. flourishes, if Cardno's Hall approaches its former gfor�r, so a congenial use of the old school building could add to the town's attractions. As several people we interviewed last week made plain, the old school might as well be torn down if there's no use for it. But as recycled old buildings from Toronto's St. Lawrience Market to Stratford's Gordon Block have proven, a new interior inside old walls can look great and make money. Our old buildings, our big trees, our relaxed, gracious atmosphere are all positive things Seaforth has.going for it. They wilhattract people who want to live and set up businesses here, people who want to shop here, as well as tourists who want a side trip from Stratford or the beach. The Van Egmond House, steadily being restored and promoted on the edge of town, is a tremendous resource in that scheme of things. Main St., once heritage district plan work gets under way, and Cardno's Hall eventually will be too. If the old Seaforth Public School is wrecked there will be no possibility of it being another attraction. Council and LACAC should do some probing and prodding to see If there's anyone out there with the imagination, energy and money necessary to make the building one of Seaforth's highlights. And any public support for the possibility. Any takers? Off the roads Drinking and driving is one contemporary habit that most of us recognize is harmful. Although liquor consumption is often implicated in fatal accidents in the county, old habits die hard. And it's an old habit of too many of us to get behind the wheel after boozing it up at a party or a dance. Or to take a run on the area's roads with a case of beer along for the ride. The public, and groups like MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, are saying however that this sort of behavior is dangerous and won't be tolerated. There's now some evidence, locally and in Michigan, that crackdowns on this social problem are having some effect. In Middlesex, Oxford and Elgin Counties, the OPP have stopped and checked more than 8,000 vehicles since June 20. Hundreds of charges have been laid, in an effort to cut alcohol-related accidents and fatalities. In neighbouring Michigan, statistics show the July 4 holiday weekend had the lowest fatal accident toll on record. The state's tough new drunk driving law gets credit from police there for the fact that 12 people were killed on state highways that weekend, as compared to 30 in 1982. The same weekend police arrested 26 per cent more suspected drunk drivers, than last Fourth of July. Tougher laws, and stepped up patrols can save lives on our roads. All of us who are concerned about drinking and driving (and that should be all of us) will applaud both moves. Sawmill burns in 1883 Iln d @ y@@nr ca can* AUGUST3, 1883 On Wednesday eve ling last, about half past nine o'clock. the alarm of fire was again sounded. The roof of Dr. Coleman's sawmill was ablaze. The fire brigade was soon at their post and in a short time had the fire extinguished. It is supposed that a spark from the Smoke stack started the fire. The alarm created considerable excitement in town and drew out a large crowd of people. Mr. James Sproat of Tuckersmith Town- ship near Kippen commenced to cut his fall wheat on Wednesday last. Mr. Sproat is the first we have heard of in this section to commence harvesting operations. Dr. Duncan McLeod of Detroit and formerly of Kippen "h4s taken another advance step in his proj'eson. The Michigan College of iofediciny have appointed him Professor of the Institute of Medicine. AUGUST 7,1908 Wednesday next, August 12th is the date of the big S.O.S. celebration in Seaforth. Every person should keep this date in mind and attend the Seaforth celebration. Already entries for the different athletic events have been received from some of the best athletes, so that the athletic part of the programme is an assured success. The baseball match between Wingham and Fullarton will be one of the events of the day. The game should be worth seeing as these teams are the best aphibn r It's magic WOW, THAT WAS NEAT—A magic show was featured at the second Klda Corner in Brusgela, Thursday afternoon. Over 126 public school age children participated In a sing -a -long prior to the magic performed by Kevin Marshall of London. Kids burner Is an attempt to let kids know the church Is concerned and wishes to provide some good wholesome activities, says Pastor Doug. Zehr. The group is sponsored by the Brussels Ministerial Asaoclao tion. "The first time we held It, we had 85 kids and we were very happy and we were almost overwhelmed with over 126. On Aug. 11 we will feature a puppet show." (Photos by Wasslnk) amateur teams in this part of the province. 4th Highlanders band of The famous 8 g Toronto has been engaged for the occasion. In addition to playing during the afternoon thcy will give one of their splendid concerts in the driving park in the evening. AUGUST4, 1933 The day was last Saturday and he was a stranger in town. but he nevertheless recognized the Province of Ontario crest on the windows of the Provincial Bank. Walking in he handed some money and a little book to the teller. Mr. Frank Savigny. "Six quarts of ale' he said. Mr. Savigny looked startled but had presence of mind to tell the stranger as gently as possible that he was in a government bank - not a government liquor store. The stranger excused himself and departed. Messrs. Geo. Hays. W.E. Southgate Jr., Stanley Hays, Frank Sills, Tom Sills, Garnet Free and Jack Holmes left this week to camp in Bayfield. They will remain two weeks. AUGUST7, 1958 Twenty-five years ago the Huron Expositor did not publish a paper on August 7, 1958. 11 , was holiday time and as had been customary during recent years only the business office was open during that week. The following are items published during the following week. Please turn to page 3 We Scots are In the great nature versus nurture debate, 1 usually line up with nurture. How you are brought up, your environment and your experience, I say, have more to do with making you the sort of person you are than do the genes you've inherited from your ancestors. Two tiny babies born the same day start out with=a grea(deal of potential; whether they redi:h'':it dr not depeti4al-dri' who dt what inflyenees them as they grow. And yet, and yet. when I try to account for myself as totally a product of my environ- ment, 1 come up against one irrefutable fact: I'm a Scot. -Oh. I'm of the fourth generation born in Canada on one side of the family, more than that on the other. But when 1 look honestly at some of my most obvious personality traits, 1 have to admit there's more than a bit of the clan and the kilt there. When a gathering of the clans brought Scots from all over the world to Nova Scotia earlier this summer. participants said that people kept up their Scottish heritage, (even people with names like White or Witinsky) because it gave them a feeling of belonging. sentimental, stubborn and shy SomicAlhtinog goy by SQs2dn People want to be more than a listing in the phone book. A MINI -GATHERING lf�ajbe that's why I'm looking forward to a very mini -gathering of the clans in Seaforth this Weekend. I, along with thousands of others and at least half the population of Seaforth, belong (way.back) to a family who first came here and settled in Roxboro, 150 years ago this month. A year later family members came out to join them. Three young children died on the way to Canada and a young mother, Margaret Scott Govenlock, died of cholera shortly after arriving at her father's home. A simple field stone with a bronze plaque will be dedicated to the memory of the four on Sunday at Roxboro. That's one of the things about Scottish people...we don't forget. There's a great tradition of handing down stories, of revering ancestors, of knowing your roots and making sure your kids know theirs as well. 1 mean,. families that are still having reunions after 150 years are fairly rare, right? And the Scots are sentimental too. 1 doubt. there'll be a dry eye in the surrounding countryside when the piper plays and the stone is dedicated. We feel in our bones the sacrifices our foremothers and fathers made in getting to Canada and we aren't afraid to show that. NO ARGUMENTS And we're stubborn. It's safe to say there won't be many arguments on the weekend when descendants gather from all over North America. No point. because no one would ever win. We're shy too, we Scottish people. Shy about putting ourselves forward, about promoting ourselves and our own. Credit where credit is due, most people would call it. but to a Scot. that's bragging. We're sacrificers. We make do. we put up with situations and places that would cause other people to rebel, give up or simply move on. We pride ourselves for that although it's often not very health behavior. ROUGH AND TOUGH 1 understood why the Scots came to Canada when I visited there in the wind and the rain, the fog. the damp and the cold. But then this new country must not have been a heck of a lot better. That first Canadian winter, 1833-34. was probably rougher than we can comprehend. Scotland and Canada, both relatively unhospitable, rough lands had a lot to do with shaping the characters of the tough, self-sacrificing Scots. So we're back to nurture. Who knows which is more crucial? As well as Highland and Lowland Scots there's some English. and French Huguenot background in my family. From her dad. our daughter, aged five, gets German and Irish Ancestors. And while that doesn't necessarily have a heck of a lot to do with how she'll live her life, she's coming to the ISOth anniversary this weekend. Eventually. I hope. she'll think it was important too. The U.S. is going through mid-life crisis Dr. Samuel Laidback hated parties. He could never relax because people were always asking him for free advice. So when the rather serious looking man came up to him and said Doc. I've got a problem he told him to take five more Zombies and call him in the morning. But the man kept persisting. "I have this friend who is acting very strangely," he said. "Can't you see the couch is full of people discussing the important issues of the day like will John Travolta make a sequel to the sequel to Saturday Night Fever?" But the man kept persisting so the psychiatrist had no choice. It was either that or listen to two paunchy men talk about the wonderful things jogging had done for their lives. "My friend has always had just about everything he wanted," the man said. "He's the wealthiest guy arodnd. He's big and powerful, He never had to take a backward step from anyway, at least until a few years D*11And 4hG 3C@fi 12 by Mc* R©ullg4@w ago. This little guy poked him in the nose this time not badly, mind you, out somehow he's never been the same since." "Then the economy got to him for a while. Oh he was still rich compared to just about anybody else around but a few neighbours started to catch up a bit because they weren't being hurt so bad by the recession and that really bothered him. See he just took it for granted that he was supposed to be richer than anybody else. 1t started to bother him." "Sounds interesting," Dr. Laidback said and picked up some more liver pate on a whole-wheat cracker. "So anyway, my friend went into a bit of a depression there for a while. He started brooding because things weren't the way they were supposed to be and he sulked for a while and we hardly saw him. Then a few more things went wrong, just little things and he seemed to get worse. "Then a while back he seemed to change again. He started coming out of the house again. He got in a heck of a fight with the biggest neighbour he had. The two never had - gotten along very well. 1t never came, . blows, or at least not yet, but there was lots of insults and shouting and threats, "Then he started arguing and pushing around his smaller neighbours. This one was trying to cheat him in business deals. That one was trying to get a little too independent. He decided, he told mc, that it was time to smack them back into line. He wanted to see things go back to how they'd hecn in the good old days." "How old is your friend?" the doctor asked. burbing daintily from the liver. "Well it's hard to tell. I'm sure he looks a lot younger than his actual years." 'Sounds to me like your friend is going through a rather had mid-life crisis. A lot of people get frustrated when they find out they can t do the things they once did when they find out no matter how much money they've made they aren't necessarily going to be richer than everybody else forever. Here's my, card. 1 could probably fit your friend in ond Friday." "Gee thanks Doc. But...uh..,how big is your office.' "Quite big. Corner suite. Lots of windows, locked of course. Deep carpet. Calf -skin couch. Why?" "My friend is a little large. Matter of fact my friend is a whole country: The United States of America." The doctor dropped his cracker. Fishing weekend anything but rough Little old Susannah Moodie, the gentle. ironhearted, misplaced English -woman, whose diaries have become the touchstone of Canadian Literature, the archetype of surviv• al in the Canadian wilderness. She wrote the title of this piece. She was about as Canadian as my great -great -great-grandfather, who was dig- ging peat and potatoes about the time she composed her literary masterpieces. And about as Canadian as Frederick Philip Grove, a Finn, Swede, German—take your pick — who wrote interminable stories about snow, after he moved — or escaped — to Canada. Everyone. except me, begins his/her CanLit course with those two. They're dull, after a taste or two, But poor little old Susie's scenario would have crumpled into wept -over ashes if she'd gone along with me on a recent "roughing it" weekend. True, there was bush. True, there were some weird characters about. True, the Flies and skeeters were hostile. But roughing it? She'd have torn up her manuscripts and gbt on with making bread or maple syrup or digging a new backhouse, or whatever turned her crank. The roughest part of the trip was fighting the holiday traffic. The second roughest part was listening to non-stop stories about deer O O O O 0 O O [� Ll Ll� �M D D g p b$In�t160CW}j that were shot at 600 yards, bear that were 12 feet tall. and giant fish that required three men and a block and tackle to get them aboard. Yes. I went on a fishing weekend, as 1 threatened in an earlier column. Boys oh boys, it was rough. Drove 60 miles. Flew 20 minutes. Camp had a fridge with ice cubes. hot and cold running water, a propane cook stove, and — you won't believe this — a carpet sweeper, the only concession to the primitive was an outdoors john, and even this had a touch of the exotic: a wild rose growing between the two seats. Night before 1 left, one of "the boys" phoned and told mg to bring some heavy line, because the muskies were moving in and gobbling up those five -pound bass. 1 might as well have taken a piece of cotton thread from my wife's sewing machine, Now, I'm not knocking it, I had a fine weekend. But it's a bit much when you have to keep moving your feet because someone wants tb clean the carpet under them. And it's entirely too much when you see guys washing their armpits, at a hunting camp, in hot water. Last time 1 was at a hunt camp, the only thing we ever washed were our hands. and sometimes our feet. when we fell in the lake. I'd warned my wife that 1 was -going to rough it, and that the food would be camp food, mostly canned stew and stuff, Told her to have something decent.. like a pork chop, for when I got home. Expected to eat some fish. Know what we had for dinner. first night? Young, tender leg of lamb, and not that frozen stuff, With mint sauce naturally. Fresh young carrots and potatoes. Dessert. Wine with dinner. Second night was pretty ordinary. Just two pork chops each, with apple sauce and again. fresh vegetables. And wine. And it wasn't just thrown on the table. The cooks served you at your place. All y ou had to do was push your wine glass or coffee cup past a big, hairy arm. and it was filled immediately. Roughing it! Lunches were pretty rudimentary, though. h. and by the second day I was getting sore that 1 had to make my own. There was nothing but sardines, tuna, cold lamb, ham. and eight pounds of salad, plus Campbell's soup du jour and fruit salad. with a bit of old cheese to top off. Breakfasts were sparse. however. A mere four cups of coffee. three eggs, half a pound of bacon. and a big portion of fried spuds, plus toast and the best homemade marma- lade in North America. Nobody was 'able to fish until mid-day, by which time the bass had also eaten and were sulking in the depths. Certainly didn't get sick of eating fish. Seven of us caught two smallish bass, just before the plane arrived to fly us out: 1 know it sounds like a weekend at a big, rich resort. But it wasn't. The moment 1 arrived. I began to feel uneasy. And my feeling grew. These other guys weren't there to fish. They were there to work getting the camp ready for the fall hunting season. To the great dismay of myself and another guest. the regulars pulled out paint brushes, lawn mowers and other such horrors of civilization, and went ur work. They painted and piled wood and slashed underbrush, and generally did so much manual labor they'd have all been on strike if Please turn to pagr 3 t