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The Citizen, 2008-05-08, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2008. Looking Back Through the Years May 9, 1962 The Blyth hotel was reopened after being boarded up for two years. Massive remodeling and renovation work took place, and it was hoped that the revamped building would generate much more business, as well as ceasing to be an eyesore on Queen Street. After switching owners, the restaurant would include a new setup, furniture and menu items, and nine new bedrooms were added for those wishing to stay in Blyth for a night or two. The hotel had been closed in 1960 after the former owner failed to gain a liquor licence. Sparling’s Hardware was expanding its business. Sparling’s purchased the Wallace Dry Goods store and was planning an extensive clearing sale, and the joining of the new building to the existing place of business. The former owner of Wallace’s, Miss Olive McGill, had purchased the property in 1947. Communism in Germany continued to separate the people. Border guards stationed on the Berlin wall seemed to be getting younger, suggesting that the East Berlin Communist leaders were having to tap into their last reservoir of manpower - 16 and 17 year old boys, working patrol duty along the wall. In a related story, a portion of the Berlin Wall of Shame, as it was called, had collapsed. Although the majority of the wall was still intact, many hoped this would be a sign of things to come. Jacqueline Kennedy was quickly becoming a fashion icon of the world. Even sketches in foreign fashion magazines, as far away as Russia, depicted models with a sharp resemblance to the first lady, complete with her signature bouffant hairdo. May 13, 1981 The Canadian Cancer Society was successful in raising over $1,150 in their Huron-Bruce canvassing campaign. The Ontario Dairy Goat Society were going to make an unusual gift to Prince Charles and Lady Diana in honour of their wedding. They had selected four goats of rare breeds to be presented to the royal couple, and had even had a contest to name all four goats. Playing at the Mustang Drive-In Theatre in Goderich was Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange in The Postman Always Rings Twice. Also playing was a horror flick marathon, including The Howling, Scanners - “Their thoughts can kill!”, David Cronenberg’s The Brood, and The Exterminator. May 9 1990 Huron County was considering a proposal to merge the Huron County Historic Gaol board with the Huron County Museum board to save time, efforts and funds. Many believed that the merger would offer positive benefits to both organizations, but no decisions had been made yet. Classical pianist Elyakim Taussig made a special appearance at the Blyth Memorial Hall. He performed several classic composers’ pieces, and lightened the mood with light comedy, drawing a capacity audience. The Huron County Playhouse was holding auditions for performers of all-ages to star in their upcoming musical productions Gypsy and Annie Get Your Gun. Singing and dancing was required, and any dancers specializing in ‘tap’ were especially needed. The Playhouse also announced that for their upcoming season they had their highest ever pre-season subscriptions sold. The previous season’s ticket sales totalled 2,632, but this year they had already sold 2,459, with the entire season still to come. May 10, 1995 Ontario Premier Bob Rae paid a visit to Huron-Bruce, accompanied by Food and Rural Affairs Minister Elmer Buchanan. They both joined MPP Paul Klopp for the opening of his Goderich campaign office. Following the opening, the three politicians moved to the Bayfield Town Hall where they met with the public to discuss election issues. Students at Grey Central Public School were treated to a very special guest teacher. Local humour writer Gisele Ireland spoke to students about the essentials of good writing. Tears were shed and much consolation shared after the loss of a community main-stay. The congregation of the Belgrave Trinity Anglican Church were dealing with the loss of their own church building. The last service was held as the altar was removed from the building. The congregation would now amalgamate with St. Paul’s in Wingham. The Blyth Lions Club celebrated 50 years of service to the community. The club’s charter was first received in May 1945. Senior members Charlie Shaw and Harold Cook, who had served for 35 years, both attended. The club’s activities and volunteering had long benefitted the community, and they would certainly continue to do so for many years more. The cheerleading squad from Central Huron Secondary School of Clinton displayed their talents for the Huron County Board of Education. The team had just recently earned the opportunity to compete at a provincial level of competition. THE EDITOR, Hope blooms! Each spring, large refrigerated trucks bring more than six million daffodil blooms across the country from growers in British Columbia to Ontario for Daffodil Days. And in 2007, volunteers in Ontario raised $2.9 million from the sale of daffodils. We extend appreciation to everyone who purchased daffodils during our campaign this year. Together we were able to raise over $59,000 in Huron and Perth Counties. Your donation will help the Canadian Cancer Society fund lifesaving cancer research and vital community-based support prog- rams for people affected by cancer. We also sincerely acknowledged each and every one of our dedicated volunteers who gave their time to organize this campaign and sell daffodils across the two counties. We really appreciate their support and dedication. Cancer Society volunteers also deliver vital services, raise funds, provide information on prevention and risk reduction, advocate for healthy public policy, provide administrative and much more. They truly are the centre of it all. The daffodil is the Canadian Cancer Society’s symbol of hope and we would not be able to offer programs and services or fund important research without the generous support help of both our volunteers and our donors. Together. Strong. To join our volunteer team, call 1-888-939-3333 or visit www.cancer.ca Sincerly, Delia Huitema, Fundraising Co-ordinator, Huron-Perth Unit. What the figures don’t say When Statistics Canada announced information from the latest census last week everyone agreed when it was suggested that when inflation is taken into effect, the middle class has gained only a few dollars in income over the past 25 years. We all think we aren’t getting ahead. And yet if these figures are so, it’s hard to reconcile with the actual happenings in everyday living. Take the rate that people are adopting new technologies. Back in the 1980s the VCR was just coming into use. The machines were so expensive that there were businesses that rented them out for an evening of watching movies at home. Two decades later the VCR was replaced by the DVD. This time within a couple of years the new technology was purchased so quickly by homeowners that within a short time you couldn’t rent or buy a movie on the old format anymore. Homes are getting larger as families get smaller. The size of cars, and the price people are willing to pay, is growing. The vacation industry has exploded. More people have two homes. If things are as bad as we’re led to believe, 80 per cent of the world’s population would love to share our hardship. Part of the reason people can live better is that the costs of many necessities have decreased. The average Canadian, for instance, now spends just 10 per cent of his or her income on food, and is screaming like crazy because the price of some foods has gone up . Many luxuries are also cheaper because we’re importing them from China and other low-wage countries. Ironically, these cheap goods are also part of the reason our incomes haven’t continued to grow as fast as people want. Many high-wage jobs have been lost to countries where people work for less. Of course Canadians want both. They want the cheap goods but they also want to buy them with high wages. The reality is we can’t have it both ways.— KR Justice for the unpopular When it comes to a double standard on injustice, Canada has certainly showed it in the cases of Brenda Martin and Omar Khadr. Canadians were outraged when Martin was kept in a Mexican prison for two years without trial. When she was convicted of a crime we were sure, from media reports that never explained the Mexican authorities’ side of the case, that she never committed, we demanded the Canadian government get her out of prison and bring her home. Khadr has been held in the infamous Guantanamo Bay facility in which the U.S. says it doesn’t have to abide by the U.S. constitution, but is also can ignore international rules. Khadr, for instance, was just 15 when he was arrested during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. A month before his capture the U.S. had ratified the Child Soldier Protocol that said child soldiers couldn’t be treater like adults. Last week the military judged trying his case denied him those protections. He was not called a prisoner of war with the rights that brought, but a terrorist. And yet Canadians, and both Liberal and Conservative governments, do nothing on his behalf. No doubt the terrible reputation of his family, which famously has supported terrorism, brings him no sympathy. To be a just country, however, even the unsympathetic must be treated justly. Omar Khadr deserves the same rights as Brenda Martin. — KR Letter to the editor Editorials Opinions Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie GroppAdvertising, Ken Warwick & Lori Patterson The CitizenP.O. Box 429,BLYTH, Ont.N0M 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. 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