The Citizen, 1986-12-17, Page 22PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1986.
Simon Hallahan
50 years of service
to Huron County
BY TOBY RAINEY
After a lifetime of service to the
young people of Huron County,
Simon Hallahanof RR 3, Blyth.can
condense his advice on how to
succeed in life into one short
sentence: work hard, and be good
to your mother.
The advice has worked for more
kids than he can remember in his 50
years as a 4-H and youth club
leader. It was the base of his own
philosophy, andtheexamplehe set
for the scores of youngsters he has
worked with as the leader of one of
the oldest and largest dairy clubs in
Canada.
The tenet has al so held true in
Mr. Hallahan’s own life, as he
survived the death of two wives and
the loss by fire of two dairy barns,
to build the farm he established,
Hallrice, into one of the largest and
finest dairy farms in the county.
Now owned in partnership with
his son, Maurice, Maurice’s four
sons and “the women in the
family,’’ Hallrice has grown from
humble beginnings, nurtured by a
man who was so mortified at
finding himself once the owner of a
spindly Holstein calf, that he sold it
on the way home.
“I was that embarrassed,” Mr.
Hallahan says. “In those days, if
you didn’t have Shorthorns, you
weren’t a very good farmer.”
However, he soon realized there
were better things in life than the
daily “dipperful of milk” he was
getting from his Shorthorns, and
went into purebred Holsteins ‘ ‘full
strength,” building up his herd to
more and better cows after each
barn fire, one in 1944, the other in
1966.
Mr. Hallahan quickly became
“very partial” to Holsteins, and it
was this inclination which turned
him into one of Huron’s first 4-H
leaders, although the young peo
ple’s organization was not called
4-H until about 1942.
In 1936, when Mr. Hallahan first
became involved as a club leader,
the club was known as the Huron
County Girls and Boys Club, and
was strictly a breed club, being
devoted entirely to purebred Hol
steins. And when the 4-H dairy calf
program first began in 1942, it, too,
was devoted entirely to Holsteins.
But as early as 1952, OMAF ag
reps recognized the shortcomings
of such a club, and expanded and
re-organized to the format still in
use today.
“It’s far better now. 1 could see
back then there was discrimination
(favouring Holstein purebreds),
and it wasn’t fair to some of the
boys and girls. There are lots of
them with other breeds (and
crossbreds) that were every bit as
smart as some of the others,” Mr.
Hallahan says.
He says he has seen a great deal
of change in the dairy breeds of his
• 50 years of leadership, but the kids
involved have stayed pretty much
the same.
“I’ve never had a bad boy or girl
in my club, never had one that was
involved with the law, nothing very
serious” Mr. Hallahan says. “And
the 4-H training stays with them all
their lives, you know, it provides
discipline, and gives them a lot of
confidence in themselves.
“I look around, and I see that
some of the boys who were in our
club have done well financially
with their farms, with other
professionsaswell. Ihadaboy who
grew up to be a successful doctor,
and he told me that the stuff 4-H
taught him is still with him, still
part of his life.”
Mr. Hallahan points with pride
toEldonCookandGIen McNeil,
both highly successful dairy farms
in Huron County, both began as
members of the Hallrice 4-H Dairy
Club under his leadership.
But when asked to name the
highlight of his half century of
service, Mr. Hallahan paused for a
long time. “You know, he said, “I
think my highest memory will be
those boys and girls there the other
night (at the Hallrice Dairy Club
Awards Night in Westfield on
December 10). Did you see how
well behaved they were? They are
the best there are; I was that proud
of them ...”
Long-time 4-H Club leader Simon Hallahan of RR 3, Blyth, was honoured for half a century of service to the
youth of Huron County at the Hallrice 4-H Dairy Club Awards Night in Westfield on December 10. In
recognition of his contribution, Mr. Hallahan was presented with a gift by Club president Audrey Bos, and
with a plaque by OMAF representative Richard Hamilton. In photo, from left, Beatrice and Simon
Hallahan, Mr. Hamilton and Miss Bos.
gag! SSE SS5 Sgt
8
STOUT MEN’S SIZES
ON MOST CLOTHES
GOOD SELECTION OF
Jogging Suits
FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
Special \ 4
Western
Boots
$90.00 u?
Award winners at Westfield
Continued from page 14
Franken of RR 2, Auburn the
runner-Lp. The U.C.W. (Belgrave)
Trophy for Top Junior Showman
was presented by Doug Cameron
to Art Bos of RR 3, Blyth, while
Ingeborg VanEedenPetersman of
RR 1, Auburn took second place.
Art and Ingeborg also placed
first and second respectively in the
Top Junior Calf (1985) category,
with Art taking the Kennairn
Farms Trophy, presented by Ken
Ramsey.
Anita Bos won the Howatt Bros.
Trophy, presentedby Doug Ho
watt, for the Top Intermediate
Calf, with Jim Fenton of RR 1,
Belgrave in second place. The
Swiss Valley Farms Trophy, pre
sented by Linda Meier, for the Top
Junior (*85-‘86) Calf, went to
Sharon Ramsey of RR 3, Blyth,
with Allan Kikkert of RR 3,
Wingham as runner-up.
In the Pre 4-H Division, Conrad
Bos of RR 3, Blyth, won the 21st
Century Dairy trophy as the top
showman, with Melanie Knox of
RR 1, Blyth in second place. Patrick
Hallahan of RR 3, Blyth took home
the Blyth Vet Clinic trophy for the
top calf, with Conrad Bos as
runner-up. Both trophies were
Advertising
helps
make jobs.
presented by Dairy Princess An
gela Nethery on behalf of the
donors.
%-----------------------------
g INSULATED
& Shirts only$1 5.00
| INSULATED $50.00
« Coveralls & up
&------------ -------------------------------
S MEN’S
| Winter Boots
% $35.00 to $40.00
? ADULT & BOYS’
| Ski Pants
j $25.00 to $35.00
| Flannel Shirts
| MED. ONLY A
g
I Coveralls
g REG. & TALL SIZES
g
| Work Pants & Shirts
| $12.00 - $15.00 $9.00 - $14.00
Li® ¥® S® i® £® i® £® t® t® i® S® 6® i® V® £® i® y® iSS i® i® I® V ® £® j® J® 1® 1® i- ®j® i® 1® t® 1® i ® 1® i® 5® V
/Work
Sox
■ $18.00 A DOzN.
LADIES’ & MEN’S
2 Pc. Snow Suits $65.00
MEN’S
3 FOR $25.00
OR $10.00 EACH
. GENUINE
- Leather Purses
$5.00 Off
Scarves
$1.50 - $5.00
Work Boots
Reg. $45.00 up
ST. SS.
GREEN PATCH INSULATED
$50.00 $60.00 .
- X*-
Parkas
SIZES 36
TO 58
$20.00 up
Down Vests
S.M L.XL.XXL.
RICE'S STORE
523-4426
R.R. 1. Blyth -- Out in the country
Cone. 12Hullett, 2 miles east of Hwy. 4
Open: 9a.m. to 9p.m. [6days a week]; closed Sundays
® >® i® i® i® i® i® i
Brighten Up... Your Day
Automatic Headlight System
•Soon to be required on new vehicles.
the visible choice in safety"
Booster Cables
only $21.95
only $34.95
Battery Testers
only $2.75
WE HAVE GREAT IDEAS FOR STOCKING STUFFERS.
Radford Auto, Farm & ,Sf
Industrial Parts Ltd. S’
BLYTH
523-9681
Mon.-Fri.7:00-5:30
Sat.8:00-12:00
BRUSSELS
887-9661
Mon.-Fri.8:00-5:30
Sat.8.00-12:00