The Citizen, 1996-05-29, Page 20Bargains everywhere
Anyone who passed through Brussels on May 25 had the
opportunity for great bargains as the community held its
annual village-wide yard sale. In conjunction with the
sales, the Crusaders hosted a men's slow pitch
tournament. Winnners of the A title were Body Glove of
Blyth, with B&H Mechanical placing second. In the B
round, Smitty's Crew earned top honours while Bump's
Boys were runners-up.
Gorgeous Hanging Baskets, Perennials & Annuals
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20 Fifth Ave.
VANASTRA 482-3969
Open Mon. - Fri. 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sat. & Sun. 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Beautiful Flowers
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Excellent Selection of
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PLANT
PARADISE
PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 1996
Father, son team tell of 3,300 km. journey
By Margaret Stapleton
The trek that inspired the
province's "Jesse's Journey", was
the topic of a presentation to
members and guests of the
Women's Institute last Tuesday
evening at the East Wawanosh
Public School.
John and Jesse Davidson of
London, the father-and-son team
who embarked on the 3,300-
kilometre wheelchair journey last
summer, brought their message of
courage and hope to local residents.
In return, the Institute and guests
donated over $600 to their
Foundation for Gene and Cell
Therapy.
When Jesse, the middle of the
Davidsons' three boys, was six, he
was diagnosed with Duchesne
Muscular Dystrophy, a genetically-
inherited disease. It is a degenera-
tive disease, which eventually left
Jesse in a wheelchair.
When the Davidson family first
hit upon the idea of a wheelchair
push across Ontario, John
Davidson said, he realized it would
take considerable training to build
the resolve to persevere. So, for one
year prior to the journey, he went
out training every available
moment, becoming totally
immersed in the concept.
They set out on May 20, 1995, at
the Ontario-Manitoba border,
Davidson recalled. The day was
cold and the wind was driving, but
they are on their way.
For 124 consecutive days they
would travel across Ontario,
assisted by 18 sets of drivers. They
stayed in over 200 motels and
Davidson wore out numerous pairs
of shoes and wheelchair tires.
Admittedly, says Davidson, the
first weeks of the journey were
hard and lonely, but as they
continued, momentum started to
build and by the time they reached
Goderich last summer, crowds
were there to meet them along the
way.
And along with the people came
the money, sometimes thousands of
dollars raised in one day. They fell
somewhat short of their original
goal of raising $1 million for gene
and cell therapy, but subsequent
donations have pushed them over
the $1 million mark.
"Every day was absolute magic,"
declares Davidson, who recounted
numerous stories of the people and
places along the way. Everyone
was more than willing to help, from
ordinary citizens to celebrities,
such as Darryl Sittler, Don Cherry
and even the prime minister, Jean
John and Jesse Davidson
Chretien.
"Jesse's Journey" ended on Sept.
20, 1995, in Ottawa where the
Davidsons were joined by the
entire federal Ontario Liberal
caucus in the final leg of the trek.
They paid a visit to the House of
Commons where they listened to an
historic debate about the upcoming
Quebec referendum.
The journey might be over, says
Davidson, but the fight goes on to
find a cure for Duchesne and other
genetically-inherited diseases.
Researchers have found the
Duchesne gene, said Davidson, but
now they must develop a way to
engineer it and get it back into the
body, perhaps "piggybacked" on a
virus, to offer a cure.
Even if researchers do find a cure
for Duchesne, there still are many
genetically-inherited diseases to
which researchers may turn their
attention. However, Davidson is
The Township of Hullett passed
the 1996 budget at a meeting held
on May 7 with an over-all expendi-
ture at the township level which
amounts to $288,000. The
corresponding municipal mill rate —
2.535 — is lower than the 1995
municipal mill rate of 3.141.
The total mill rate for residential
public assessments is 13.312 and
for residential separate school
supporters 13.199. This means for
an assessment of $105,000 for 1996
taxation, the taxes will be
$1,397.76 for residential public
school supporters.
The increased assessment base
for the township (due to the
enthusiastic, "We never have been
closer to answers than we are now.
We will see many diseases knocked
down in our lifetimes ... Genetics
is not an empty promise, but we
must fund solid research."
Following the presentation, John
and Jesse Davidson remained for a
social time, meeting and visiting
with local residents.
reassessment of all properties based
on 1992 market value) has resulted
in a decreased township mill rate of
.606 and a total decrease of 3.4
mills for residential public
supporters over 1995's mill rate.
The average . market value
assessment increase for Hullett
Twp. was 28 per cent. Properties
within this range should expect to
pay approximately the same
amount of taxes in 1996 as in 1995.
It will also be noted that garbage
collection costs have decreased in
the hamlet of Londesboro by $21
per household for the year. This
reduction is the result of the
decrease in the tendered price of
the garbage collection contract.
Hullett Twp. drops
municipal mill rate
Help protect the environment
Reduce, reuse and recycle