Huron Expositor, 2013-12-11, Page 44 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, December 11, 2013
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Seaforth
Huron Expositor
WEEK 33 — VOL. 151
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Canada,
editorial
Canada mourns
Nelson Mandela
Rest in peace Nelson Mandela. You had many supporters in
Canada and they are mourning your passing.
For anyone too young to have followed politics before the
1990s, the concept of apartheid is unbelievable.
Especially to those who've grown up in multi -racial Canada.
The idea of granting people different rights and services
based on the colour of their skin is so contrary to what we stand
for, it's hard to wrap your head around.
Yet it was very real in South Africa until the official end of
apartheid in 1990 and election that followed.
Canada saw this nonsense for what it was. While there were
ups and downs in Canada's relationship with South Africa, ulti-
mately we were on the right side of history.
Prime Minister John Diefenbaker spoke out against apart-
heid in 1961 -- challenging South Africa as a member of the
Commonwealth.
He said in the House of Commons that "apartheid has
become a world symbol of discrimination. I took the position
that if we accepted South Africa unconditionally, the action
would be taken as approval, or at least condonation, of racial
policies which are abhorred by Canadians as a whole."
In the late 1980s, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney repeatedly
took a stand that Mandela should be released from prison. This
was a bold stance for Canada at the time -- as it went against
the positions of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.
Mandela himself wrote that Mulroney "provided strong and
principled leadership in the battle against apartheid."
And all along there was a strong activist movement in Can-
ada informing their fellow citizens and keeping the continued
discrimination forefront in the minds of our politicians.
There will be much tallcin the days to come of Mandela's leg-
acy. The freedom fighter versus terrorist debate will be the
most prominent. So will his early history of communism and
his continued commitment to socialism.
But Mandela did not enact sweeping socialist policies during
his sole term as president. Instead, he embraced co-operation
and diversity -- he brought together a country torn by divisive-
ness and focused on people's similarities, not their
differences.
Nelson Mandela's ultimate legacy is one everyone should
strive for: To leave the world in better shape than you found it.
—QMIAgency
A warm welcome is
always appreciated
Moving to Sea -
forth has been
quite the experi-
ence, and I'm not
just talking about
the night a raccoon
took out my car's
front bumper.
I've lived in a few
big cities; Vancou-
ver and Toronto.
So, when I began
telling people my
next stop was
Huron County,
Ont., I was bombarded by
questions:
"What are you going to do
there?"
"Aren't you going to be
bored?"
"Where?"
And though I tried to hide it, I
will admit, I was nervous.
Moving to a new place is
always a challenge. You know no
one and are cursed to wander the
roads, feeling like a stranger in a
strange land.
But, if I knew then what I know
now, I could've saved myself a
heck of a lot of sleepless nights.
Seaforth is a darn friendly
place.
It's been exactly one month
since I made the trip from Kitch-
ener, an entire life packed into
the trunk of my hatchback. My
first day was Remembrance Day,
a busy day and a snowy day. I was
on my first assignment, covering
the ceremony at the legion. As I
walked up the front stairs and
opened the door, an amazing
thing suddenly happened; peo-
ple were smiling at me.
I didn't know these people.
Heck, I didn't know anyone. But,
never the less, there I was, the
Colu
mn
Whitne
y South
new girl in town
and people actu-
ally, truly, smiled
at me.
Well, to those of
you who have
become accus-
tomed to this phe-
nomenon, my
reaction was sim-
ple. People out
there just don't
usually do that. We
walk down the
street; eyes on the
pavement, never acknowledging
each other for fear the other party
may think us mad. But here, a
simple stroll is met with nods and
smiles, friendly greetings to each
other without giving them a sec-
ond thought.
Last week, I found myself at a
table at Wong's Grill, surrounded
by a chatty group of people. I
looked around at the friends I
had made these past four weeks,
who had all come together for a
bite to eat on chilly night, who
had all taken the time to get to
know me and welcomed me to
their home.
The only word I could think of
to describe this feeling was
blessed.
My wish for this holiday sea-
son is that each and every one of
you will take the time to see how
even the smallest gesture can
make all the difference in the
world. I encourage you to appre-
ciate every conversation, be it
with friends or the lady who
serves your coffee in the morn-
ing. Be thankful for the place you
live and the relationships you
have made in your community.
I know I am.
vit
dniine
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