Village Squire, 1979-08, Page 25PEOPLE
You might say that Ted Cowan has made
a good deal of paddling (and peddling) his
own canoe. Many other people like to
paddle Ted's canoes as well.
The Brussels -area canoe builder has
built a following from Ontario through
Minnesota for his hand-crafted canoes.
He's made headlines himself with long
trips in his own canoes made like those
used by the voyageurs of 300 years ago.
Tcey're about 26 feet long and weigh 350
to 400 pounds. While the big canoes don't
have too much use in his own back yard
he sells them to boys' camps in Ontario and
has sold a lot in Minnesota, Wisconsin and
Michigan. He also keeps some to race
himself in various canoe races around the
province.
In the years to come when people look at
some of the old buildings in Goderich and
are thankful that they haven't fallen to
"progress". they may thank heaven for
Dorothy Wallace. Mrs. Wallace was a
leading figure in the saving of the old livery
stable which residents now hope to turn
into a performing arts centre. She serves as
president of the group seeking funds for
the centre. Recently she came to the rescue
o1 another old building. A red brick house
at 88 Lighthouse Street believed to be
about 135 years old was scheduled to be
demolished to make room for the new
senior citizens apartment project when
Mrs. Wallace stepped in and offered to
move the house to a new location. The town
gave her the house if she would pay all
moving costs. She expects the cost of
moving the house to its new location on
Bruce Street to be about 56000.
Her two pet projects are tied together
since she says any profits made on the
moving of the house will go towards the
arts centre aiding in the cost of the
$350,000 project.
Donald and Audrey Hasson of Stratford
must believe in happy endings. They have
reason to. Six years ago their daughter
Penny suffered brain damage in a car
accident in front of her home at RR 4,
Stratford. The parents were told their
daughter would need lifelong care because
she couldn't talk and had only partial use of
the left arm. She needed nursing care 24
hours a day.
Today she needs a companion only half a
day and spends her mornings at the Portia
School for the Mentally Handicapped in
Stratford. At age 20 she needs only one
person to help her walk instead of three,
uses a wheel chair and walks as part of an
exercise program to get her limbs moving
again. She now has feeling in her right arm
and can move it unaided. She has some
difficulty speaking, she understands about
90 per cent of words spoken to her. If she
can't say a word she has learned to mime
the word so others can understand.
Although the years of care and therapy
have been a heavy burden on the Hassons,
they say the experience has brought the
family closer together. Mr. Hasson says he
would never put his daughter in an
institution, claiming she wouldn't get the
constant human care she needs and would
likely become a living vegetable.
Home care costs for Penny run from
520-24000 a year. Interest from a civil suit
settlement of $250,000 in 1976, administ-
ered by the provincial government, provide
about three quarters of the costs and Mr.
Hasson picks up the remainder himself.
Part of the life of a critic is not being liked.
Always finding what's wrong with the
works of others can get one typed as a
negative personality. Yet critics can also be
moving forces in the arts and that's just
what London Free Press drama critic Doug
Bale is trying to be with an idea he
unveiled in the newspaper recently for a
new arts centre for London.
Bale took a look at the London Armories
now for sale in the city and took a look at
the cultural needs of the city and figured
that the two might make a perfect
marriage. He's suggested converting the
armories into a home for theatre, music,
dance. art films, studios,' galleries. craft
shops classrooms and administration and
technical facilities which would bring all
the arts together under one roof, providing
an exciting headquarters for culture in the
community. Now it remains to see if the
critic can overcome the brickbats thrown at
his plan by other critics. If he can, Western
Ontario could become an even more lively
place for the arts.
11) Opaabon
The sink cupboard in
your kitchen is the most
dangerous place for your
cleaning supplies; keep them
out of the reach of toddlers.
Never store poisonous, caus-
tic or inflammable substan-
ces in such containers as
pop bottles or jam jars.
A CHRISTMAS
COUNTRY FAIR
DISPLAY & SALE
OF LOCAL ARTS,
CRAFTS & COUNTRY BAKING.
Wednesday, October 17 and
Saturday, October 20, 1979.
Saltford Valley Hall
north of Goderich
SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE:
Collector's Dolls: French bisque
porcelain reproductions of antique
dolls by Pat Brown of Florence;
corn husk dolls by Allle Doble,
Plattsvllle; macrame animals,
Carol Innes, Brussels; The Huron
Tract Spinners & Weavers Guild;
rug hooking by Aline Jessome,
Midland; Cake Decorating, Judy
Goodall, Goderich.
Lci OK
THE GIFT THAT...
... KEEPS ON GIVING
JEWELLERY
KIT FORM - MAKE IT
YOURSELF
CUSTOM MADE - AT LOW
COST
STONES ARE NATURAL
MINERALS IMPORTED
FROM ALL OVER THE
WORLD. NO GLASS OR
PLASTIC.
Tiger Eye, Carnelian,
Amethyst Quartz,
Garnet, Moonstone,
Jade, Opal, and Tots
more.
Rings, Pendants, Beads,
Necklaces, Belt Buckles,
Bola Ties, Bracelets,
etc.
VISIT...MINI MINERAL
MUSEUM - NO CHARGE.
off. -[Ura CMS
51 ST. DAVID ST., GODERICH, ONT. HVA 11.4
524-9972
August 1979, Village Squire 23