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The Huron Expositor, 1978-12-14, Page 28Seaforth bank of Commerce 100 years of managers 1879 M.P. Hayes 1909-15 W.C.TIMorson 1880-87 A. H. Ireland .1916-32 J.G.Mbllen 1888-90 ,John Aird 1891-97 M. Morris 1933-38 J.G.Mills .1439-57 G.C.Brightriall 1898-1901 F.C.G. Minty 1958-66 L.F. Ford 1902-08 G.E.Parkes 1967-74 E.S. Cam ell Ftivatzl? FARM eQUI NT LTD.' SEAFORTH - CAMBRIDGE - AYR -WOODSTOCK Congratulations to the .Canadian. Imperial Bank of Commerce on joining the Century Club SEAFORTH 527-0120 1 TOPNOTCH FEEDS LIMITED OPNOTCH Congratulations to the imp?rial Batik of Commerce on 100 years of service to Seaforth Area A. , I 10A .4- ',HE, HURON EXPOSIT° OEPEM R.14, 1978 , • residen t ofCommerce 'BANK OF /COMMERCE STAFF The members of the present Bank of Commerce staff are (front row, left to right) Pat blocks, Fylargaret Ungarlan, Shirley Cooper, Dianne • Vandervelden and Barb Dolg and (second row) BY ALICE GI 31/ ,The story of John Aird. a mail who rose front the humble job of milt% ay clerk to be president' of the Canadian . of Commerce. is ,n Canadian version of the',, Horatio. Iger rags to riche's Story. Since John Aird spent. two years as manager of the Seaforth Bank of -Commerce alone the way. it's an on- Mae oung, Marlene Harburn and. Donna Fry and (third' row) 'filch Lettort, Jim' Goyld (Manager) and John Sebben., Absent:. Anne -Mousseatt, Susan Deighton. (Expositor Photo) , was sent to Normal School to study as 'a.teacheti. However. the lure of business proved more power- ful, and at 15. John Aird left school and joined the Northern. Railway as a jjoior clerk and telegraph operator. FIRST TYPIST I his spare tifne. de- m nstrating Horatio Alger idencies, Mr. Aird, taught himself to type and. when the portune. time to look at the career of otte man who contributed to the success of. the local bank. John Aird, later to become, Sir .John Aird. was born in t1,: the village ongettil, on the outskirts of ontreal. the son 91' a Scot- .114,engineer. Shortly after the boy was born. his family moved to Toronto and eventually John Yearliook. "I am not so fortunate as 'to be able to claim ,the advantages of education at the Seaforth Collegiate." he wrote. "But .can justly claim that part, perhaps the most important part,' of my ''early banking education was obtained in Seaforth:" VOCATION • It was , 1888 when John Aird came to Seaforth, and he said,"l regarded it as my best opportunity, to succeed in the vocation had' chosen v and it proved to be a happy and successful experience." He stayed in Seaforth for only two, years before his next promotion on the ladder towards the presidency of the bank and partly credited his promotion "to the beneficial influence of having been associated ,with a body of such strong and enterprising people ,as I found in (Continued on Page 11) railroad . bought the first typewriter' ever seen in Toronto, he .heeame the city's first typist. ' At the age of 23, John Aird was hired away from the railway by the l'2 year old Canadian Bank 'of Com- merce. a step that affected the rest of his life. The bank had been founded ' by William McMaster, the man whose. money . would later found Hamilton's MeMasfer• toiversity, When Aird was hired by the bank. his typing skills stood him in good stead and he was made secretary to the general manager. At the age of 25. as a reward .or'.0.13,is hard work, he was appointed ma mind' of the, Seaforth branch of the bank. °In P)3.1, five years before, his-death . Sir John Aird recalled his experiences in Seaforth in the SCI Alumni Walton BEFORE THE POST OFFICE — The Bank of Commerce building at the left, which was erected in 1905 edged an imposing structure to Seaforth's main street. The three fraMe buildings shown here were removed when construction of the present post office was begun in 1911. At the right of the picture is the former Dominion bank building. Mr. and Mrs.' Wm. Blake entertained Mr. and Mrs.. Roger Haines of Clinton, and Mr: and Mrs. Bruce Bromley and family of Grey Township to an early Christmas on Sunday. Mr. and Mrs, Don. McDonald attended the;, school board Christmas pai•6` at the White Carnation at Holmesville on Saturday evening. There were ten people from Walton and area boarded the Nicholson bus on Monday • morning for Simcoe to see the Christmas Panorama of lights. Enroute they stopped to shop at Stratford and a visit to the Coyle's factory outlet, at Tillsonburg. '4 UCVV hears about Amnesty's work Jeanne Moffat of Waterloo, the guest speaker at the recent Huron-Perth Presbyterial meeting of the United Church Women, told Women thetle are over 100 countries in the wOd where people are imprisoned and tortuned for their beliefs. Mrs. Moffat was speaki g on• the work of Amnesty International. • an international organization which is concerned with human rights and the fate of people imprisoned for political or religious reasons. Mrs. Moffat told her Audience the organization, founded in 1961, now_ has. • thousands of members in 109 countries, 35 of which have national organizations of Amnesty International. She said the organization handles about 7.000 cases a year of poeple called "prisoners of conscience." The speaker said the one prerequisite ,for membership in the organization is "A burning conviction that there are rights that all of us should enjoy." "Your specific interest in the area of human rights and the work of Amnesty Inter-. • national arises, I suspect ,mt of the mission stud emphasis on human rights, this year within the. United Chructi,", she said. "I would also suspect that a majority of have, until now, not given much thought to the issue-- largely dtie to the fact that yOu have felt your human rights haye not been violated. It's ' a "distant" problem that pushes itself into' our congioilsnesin a and certain • other circumstances that separate, us, are thinking of us and giving us' strong support, people who are united to us by bonds capable of bringing together all huManity. This drawing together, of which we already see rust the beginninks.j.S-shown here by the.fact that you have put yourselVes on our side in denouncing oppression and in saying no to, the violence,' and tyranny to which we have been subjected for the simple reason of having, ex- pressed our opinions and having spoken up for democracy." newspaper 'headline or TV newscast only to be foil gotten when; the article is read or' the newscast is over.": • Mrs.. Moffat said, "With these kinds of reactions,. we ,can shrug off any . re- sponsibility-or involvement. I trust you will realize, how- ever, that ' as' committed Christians, these reactions are. inconsistent with the command to be obedient, the command to love that is ours." Ainnesty International is an independent organization which - is not assocated with an:y govern . poltical party or religious creed. The group does have consultative status with the United Naitons, the Council of Europe and obseriier status with the ,Organization. 'of African Unity. In 1977, Amnesty .Inter- . national was, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, for its work in freeing prisoners of , conscience and campaigning for the abolition of torture. In a prisoner of conscience 'campaign, a dioup is en- couraged to adopt a prisoner. and then-start a letter v•fitine; campaign to try and oht the, prisoner's release Mrs. Moffat told the women abut the case she is working on. "I am involved in working on" the case of Mohamed Znagui. 'The petition that was signed by aiumber at the meeting, wt I be hand- delivered by the Vice Pre- . sident of the. Canada Section of Amneity International to the `Moroccan Embassy in - (Tunisia) ,s. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce on the centennial of your arrival in Seaforth • __v . The market wifi, as usual, illuminated and the meats and'stagy. will be tastefully decorated. We would. advise those of „our readers .who wish to witness a! fine display, and hate their appetites sharpened for Christmas to pay the market a visit this or to-mor- row evening. Tin NEW BANK. — The Seaforth agency of the Bank of Commerce was opened for business yesterday. This bank is one of the best and safest' Mon- etary institutions in the country, and the management have made a most ju- dicious and wise selection in appointing Mr M. P. Hayes as agent. This gen- tleman thoroughly -understands the ne- cessities and requirements of the place, and -as a Bank Manager is deservedly • popular with business men generally. - the near future. A copy of the petitions will go to Don Jamieson, our own External Affairs Minister, who already has raised . the case' with our Ambassador in Morocco and has asked the Embassy there to bring' the matter up .with Moroccan officials," she said.. , Mrs. Moffat told the women they can join Amnesty. Internation•al, receive the organization's, monthly bulletin and take part in the world wide letter campaign on " behalf of prisoners of conscience- and victims ,of torture. Also, the group's work can be supported by donations, which assist in research. and relief to the families ' of people imprisoned fdiY their beliefs. . She told members they could help by signing her petition for the release of Mohamed Znagui, or by forming an Amnesty Inter- national group in their community. Mrs. Moffat also recom- mended q.uestioning Canadian aid to countries Where gross violations of Minion rights are common.,- She said, "All of our disgust and dismay can really be turned into a Creative compaSsionate force in this world if we join our voices with those who often risk far more than uwe in the struggle for a fuller ,human. life." hi closing her talk on the organization's work, Mrs.. Moffatt read this letter from one prisoner of conscience, "Your letter showed by comrades and myself that we were not alone and isolated in our misfortune:, on the contrary, there are people who, in spite of the'distance` We at the EXPOSITOR were here to tell the story - of the Bank of Commerce when 'it opened in Seaforth ,onDecember 19th-;11370 ....and a hundred years later we continue to kde4he people of Seafotth and ir?sa informed of the activities of the community we,iser4e. sVe ANNIVERSARY SERVICES.—The anni- versary services in connection with the Canada Methodist Church in this town will beheld on Sunday next, when ser- raons- will be preached at the- usual 'ors by Rev. Dr. _Jeffers, of London. -iversary tea meeting will be -Ailing of Christmas T‘ From The Huron Expositor of December 20th, 1878 'It 'Auto congratulations ,to • - Canadian imperial Bank of Commerce on your 100th ANNIVERSARY McKILLOP MUTUAL. FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY (fxpositor Established 1876 Seaforth 527-0240 Congrat*tions to the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce on 100 years of service to the area SEAEORtH FARIVEftSTOO.