The Huron Expositor, 1997-08-13, Page 44-T1411 SUNON SIt*O$$TOR, dItugl-t-t 13, 11107
A 199/ t:.unodun Corern-rfiry Newvparpst Assoc Award lac ptentr
Your Community Newspaper Since 1860
TERRi•LYNN DALE - Genal Manager
& Advertising Manager
PAT ARMES . Office Manager
DIANNE McGRATH Subscnpttons
& Classifieds
PAVE SCOTT - Editor
GREGOR CAtatIELi.
• Reporter
BARB STOREY
distribution
A Bowes Publishers Community Newspaper
RIP L . - : !LOCAL • 32.50 o year, in advance, plus 2.28 G. S
5€"0R5 30.00 a year, in otfvonce. plus. 2.10 G.S T
IDSA d Farersn 28.44 o year to advance. plus 578.00 poseege, G.S T. a/artp!
,SUBSCRIPTION RILTE�
Published weekly by Signal -Star Publtshtng ot 100 Motes Sf , Seaiorrh. Pubs c *.c'
mail registration No 0696 held at Seolwth, Onsad Advereistng a accepted on
condition mat ,n Its event of a typographical error, the advertising space maimed
by the erroneous item, together with o reasonable allowance for signotirre, will not
be charged, but the balance of the advertisement will be pad for at the applicable
rote In the went of o typographical error, odrenismg goods or services at a
wrong pace, goods a eervtces may not be sold Advertising a merely on oiler to
sell and may be withdrawn ot any time The Huron Expositor n nor responsible for
he len or damage of unsaltated manuscripts, photos or other monads used lot
reproduction purposes Changes of address, ander for subscriptions and urdelt,
enable copies are to be sent to The Huron Expositor
Wednesday, August 13, 1 097
Editorial and Busineu Offices - 100 Man 51reet.,Seofora,
Telephoto f519) 527-0240 Fox 1519) 527-2158
Mailing Address - P.O. Box 69,
sedorat, Onion°, NOR Two
Member of the Canadian Community Nswspoper
Assoctohon, Ontario Community Newspapers Assoctaoon
and the Ontario Press Council
We're online!
ria!
Want to;et•mail your Letters to the Editor? The Huron
Expositor has gone high-tech and online. Our e-mail
address is:
huronexp @ odysllsey.on.ca
Remember, ALL Letters toot "Editor must be signed
and have a telephone number for confirmation. Letters may
be edited for both length and content.
Dont forget to checkout our homepage at:
www.bowesnet,com/expositorl
Letters to the Editor
Marks of vandalism
will last for years yet
Dear.Editor:
Recently I received a phone
call regarding the condition
of the NEW playground
.equipment at Seaforth Public
School. h would seem some
local artists decided that
nearly $19,000 worth of
equipment would provide the
perfect place to practice their
talents. thus making the
equipment unsuitable for
young 'children. Upon arrival
at the school yard the follow-
ing morning 1 was greeted by
a large amount of graffiti
which included enough
swearing to make a sailor
blush.
After we filed a police
report we proceeded to clean
as much of the paint off as
possible, this took over an
hour and a half, for two
adults, a good amount of var-
sol and paint scrapers, while
our combined children, five
in total. waited so they could
do "something fun". While
there is still some paint on
the equipment, the rest will
have to be painted over and will also be mature enough to
some scribbling just left. We admit your mistake!
talked about who could have In closing I would like to
done this and more impor- ask any parents .who may be
tantly WHY? missing a can of dark green
As a mother I know we, as spray paint to think about
parents, cannot be every- where your child was around
where all the time, nor can the 28th of July. I would love
thc police be everywhere to hear from you!
either but someone must be Lisa Campbell
held accountable for this act. . S.P.S. Advisory Council
i would hope the person(s) Chairperson
responsible will think about and Barb Shannon
all the effort and time dozens Secretary
of people, a lot of them chil-
dren worked for 13 months to
raise the money to buy and
install a safe place for the
school and the community to
play. Perhaps your parents or
another family member
bought or sold tickets to
make the playground possi-
ble? Perhaps you have
younger brothers, sisters or
cousins who will get to look
at the remainder of your
WORK for years to come.
You may also have to live
with it years from now when
your own children play on
this equipment, because both
the equipment and the paint
will still be .there in 10,15;
20 years.
This vandalism may have
seemed fun or cool at the
time but I assure you it was
neither. It was a pathetic and
useless way to spend, i
believe it was a Monday
night (July 28), and I hope
that some day you will take
responsibility for your
actions and I hope that you
Farmers have enough cats
Dear Editor: 3. The farmers have enough
Some weeks ago there was cats of their own.
a letter printed in your paper
about a Seaforth resident who
trapped the neighbor's cats in
a cage and dropped them off
in the country. Sunday morn-
ing we had a "stray" cat in
our yard that 1 am sure is
someone's beloved pet. This
has prompted me to write this
letter.
To people who capture
these pets I have.a few words
to say. 1 have three good rea-
sons against this method of
getting rid of unwanted cats.
I. Someone is grieving for
their lost pet and the pet is
grieving for his/her lost fami-
ly.
2. Pampered house. cats
cannot survive in the wild.
Every year we get one or
two "stray" cats we don't
need. We don't destroy. them,
Otey make their home here,
but we really don't.want any
more. So be a goad Citizen
and work something out .with
your cat -loving neighbors
instead of dropping them off
somewhere else.
And to pet owners. Please
do be responsible. Keep your
cat inside or train it on a
leash. It is possible, especial-
ly if you start them as kittens.
That roaming cat could also
be run down by a vehicle. If
you love your pet please take
care of him/her.
Elaine Penner
Rachel was not your ordinary receptionist
It was a bit ot a coincidence
as the phone call came just at
the right time.
My receptionist, Susan
Sinclair. was leaving to get
married. Susan was the niece
of CFRB's Gordon Sinclair.
Over many years at
Queen's Park I had a succes-
sion of bright, intelligent
young women who
came...and went. Most
moved on to more senior
positions and other chal-
lenges in the government. A
talented person was hard to
keep for ministers and senior
staff were always on the
lookout for skilled people
and had no qualms about
stealing from others.
I remember them all...what
would the next one be like?
The call came from a
friend. He asked if 1 knew of
any position that might be
open for a young woman.
According to my .taller she
was not lacking in education
or talent...but she had few
specific skills. She had
recently arrived from the
U.K. and her parents were
concerned for she came to •
Canada alone.
I suggested he send the
young English girl to see me
and i would arrange lin her
to be interviewed and take a
civil service testa
Rachel was announced and
walked into my office with
body language that suggested
she had just bought the build-
ing. She was close to six feet
tall. walked like a model and
before she said six words 1
knew she had spent some
Guest Column by
Clare Westcott
time in a Tony English girls
school. Her accent reminded
me of the Christmas message
we heard from young Queen
Elizabeth on the radio many
years ago. It fairly dripped
with breeding and refine-
ment.
I couldn't imagine that she
had anything in the way of
office experience - and she
quickly admitted that she did
not - nor had she ever worked
anywhere before.
But she claimed to be able
to type.
I arranged for a typing test
at the civil service commis-
sion and the results were a bit
revealing. Her score was
unusual enough to be brought
to the attention of the direc-
tor. 1 received a call telling
me that Rachel set.a new
record in civil service testing.
No person tested previously
had typed two words a
minute. Some did eight or ten
- but never two.
What can 1 say...I hires]
Rachel and she was great.
The deal was that she was to
enroll in a typing course at
one of the night schools and
be able to type 40 words a
minute within three months.
Before the three months
were up she was doing better
than 40 words and her dispo-
sition and personality helped
to liven up a rather sedate
government office.. The down
side was that we had an
increase in visitors for so
many people made excuses to
see me so they could find out
what the voice looked like. A
friend couldn't wait to sec
her apd in my office said,
"It's a voice I would expect
to hear on a call to
Buckingham Palace."
She stayed for a year and
like all the rest, she left. But
not before I was invited to
visit her mother and father if
at any time I happened to be
in England.
A few months later 1 was
visiting the Canadian NATO
base in Lahr. Germany with
Senator Andy Thompson.
When we stopped over in
London on our return I called
Rachel's parents. An invita-
tion for lunch followed along
with the offer of a car to pick
us up at our hotel and the fur-
ther offer of a spot of grouse
hunting in the country with
Rachel's father and grandfa-
ther. Of course I accepted on
behalf of both of us.
Rachel's dad was the presi-
dent of MacMillan
Publishing Company and a
Member of Parliament as
well as a Minister in Prime
Minister Heath's cabinet.
The luck of the draw paired
me up with a rather distin-
guished grouse hunting pan-
nier. 1 would ride to the hunt -
in the land rover with
Rachel's grandfather. Sir
Harold MacMillan...irrever-
ently known as "Mac the
Knife." He was Prime
Minister of England until
1963.
In 1984 I received a letter
from Rachel saying she
would drop in to say hello on
her upcoming visit to
Canada. Unfortunately when
she did arrive in Toronto 1
was out of the country. We
missed seeing each other.
1 was never to see Rachel
again. Less than three years
after I received her letter she
died. She was only 31.
Her death made the front
page of all the English
papers. Her picture -was under
a bold headline on the front
page of the London Daily
Mail. The story went on to
say..."Police believe she died
of an overdose of drugs and
alcohol."
I remember this happy
young lady who walked into
my office in 1973. I can still
see her smile as she said. "Hi,
Mr. Westcott, I'm not sure
what 1 can do, but if you give
me a joh I'll work hard." And
she did. -
lndeed. she was not just
your ordinary receptionist.
Pesticide fine like swatting fly with sledgehammer
Dear Editor:
Recently the local news
media reported that a Huron
County agriculture crop
consultant had been fined
$50,000 and his business
company lined S30,000 for
importing agricultural
pesticides not registered for
use in Canada.. He was also
prohibited front working with
some of his clients list several
years. This is like swatting a
fly with a sledge hammer.
The purported reason for
not allowing Canadian
farmers to use these specific.
pesticides is to protect
Canadian consumers from
consuming farm products
exposed to a pesticide not
approved by Canadian But Canadian farmers are not penalty for such a minor
bureaucrats. permitted to use them. infraction?
However. these same Therefore they have higher This penalty must not be
pesticides are used by U.S. production costs. and are allowed to stand. Our
farmers to treat their crops. placed at a competitive politicians arc responsible.
Some of these crops arc disadvantage. This matter affects all
imported into Canada and Obviously this fiasco is farmers, not just the victim.
eaten by Canadian consumers caused by some faceless. Farmers and their
with no obvious ill effect. mindless bureaucrat, over organizations should beat a
and no obvious concern paid. under worked, lounging , path to Ottawa, demanding
shown ,by the same- .in a plush, office high in the that this .miscarriage .of
bureaucrats. clouds far far from the real justice be corrected. They
Where is the logic here? world. Probably trying to must also demand that the
I.S. farmers use these justify his or her existence by rules be changed to reflect
pesticides. which are more making a scapegoat of the realities. conditions and
effective and reduce someone flouting an asinine needs of farmers in the
production costs. Consumers regulation. 1990s.
on both sides of the border And the judge. Where
consume products grown would they find a judge so Gordon Hill,
with their use and there are far removed from reality as to
no obvious disadvantages. impose such a draconian
Hill & Hill Farms Limited
Seaforth closer to getting long awaited blinker light
on from the Stratford office
with monthly visits being
made to town as required.
Opened in November 1945.
following the disastrous
J.Boshart & Sons fire, the
Seaforth office has given an
excellent service to this dis-
trict. which has been favor-
ably commented on by both
employers and employees.
Mr. Watt, in his announce-
ment, stressed the coopera-
tion which had been extended
him by the Town of Seaforth.
its officials and the citizens
generally.
AUGUST 24,1972
A picture of early bottles
recovered in the Seaforth
area is featured on the cover
of a new hard cover book
"Bottles in Canada" by Doris
and Peter Unitt.
"Bottles in Canada" is the
latest in a series dealing with
Canadian antiques, silver-
ware and glass which the
Unitts, widely known stu-
dents of Canadians. have
published.
Among those to whom the
240 page book is dedicated is
Bill Hart of Seaforth who is a
recognized authority on scal-
ers and crocks. Mr. Hart has
been a keen bottle collector
for many years and pho-
tographs of items from his
collection appear throughout
the publication.
***
A grant of 87,000 has been
approved by thc Ontario
Heritage Foundation with the
purchase of the Van Egmond
'home in Egmondvillc as an
historic site.
James Doig, Van Egmond
Foundation chairman said an
additional grant of $7,000
has been promised providing
an equivalent amount was
raised locally and plans for
restoration and administra-
tion had been approved.
FROM THE PAGES OF J
THE HURON EXPOSITOR
AUGUST 20, 1897
LOCAL BRIEFS - Eleven
tickets were sold at this sta-
tion on Tuesday for the
excursion to Brantford. and
forty were sold to different
points for the civic holiday
excursions. - Mr. James
Fisher. wife and two children
of Little Rock, Arkansas, are
visiting relatives in town. -
The Beaver lacrosse club
played a league match with
the Stratford team. in
Stratford, on Thursday of last
week, and succeeded in
defeating the classic city
lacrossists to the tune of four
goals to two. Some of the
old time feeling must have
been aroused in the bosoms
of the Stratford boys, as some
of our fellows were pretty
badly marked up whcn thcy
got home. - Mr. Alex.
Davidson has gone on a trip
to the old country. We wish
him a safe voyage and a
' pleasant visit with friends of
the old sod. - The boy's
brigade will hold a garden
party on the lawn of Mr. D.D.
Wilson this (Friday) evening.
A good programme of music,
fancy drills. etc., will lie
given, to say nothing of the
tempting refreshments to be
served.
AUGUST 11,1922
Firemen and Highlanders at
Oshawa - Thirty-one mem-
bers of the Scaforth
Highlanders Band and fifteen
members of .the Fire Brigade
left on Wednesday morning
to take part in the annual
gathering of the Ontario
Firemen's Association, being
held in that city, and no other
organizations will present a
better appearance. A strong
bid is being made to have the
Firemen's Association meet
in Seaforth in 1924, and if
successful it is thc intention
to hold an Old Home Boys
Week in connection with the
Firemen.
- Mr. Ross. Sproat. one of
the members of the local Fire
Brigade, while in Oshawa,
met with a very serious acci-
dent on Wednesday. While
responding to an alarm he
attempted to jump on the Fire
Truck, but missed his footing
and thc heavy truck passed
over one foot, breaking sev-
eral bones. At present he is
confined to the hospital in
Oshawa, but a host of friends
here hope there will be no
serious results from the acci-
dent, and that his recovery
will be rapid.
New Collegiate Teachers -
Mr. M.J. O'Neill, formerly
principal of Omemee High
School and Morrisburg
Collegiate Institute, has been
appointed Principal of the
Seaforth Collegiate Institute
to succeed Mr. J.F. Ross, who
resigned to take the principal-
ship of the new Technical
School at Sault Ste. Marie.
Mr. O'Neill is•a highly quali-
fied teacher and comes to
Seaforth with an excellent
teaching record. Theposition
of Moderns teacher, made
vacant by the resignation of
Miss Laing, has also been
filled by Mrs. Jenkins, of
Streetsville, but the position
of science teacher, to fill the
vacancy caused by Mr.
Hazzcn's resignation, has not
yet been made.
AUGUST 15,1947
St. Columban footballers
took the .Huron Football
League title at Walton
Monday evening when they
defeated Walton 2-0 in a
hard-fought game in which
referee F. Kemp had his
hands full keeping the rough
play at a minimum and pre-
venting threatened fisticuffs
from breaking out into a gen-
eral melee.
St. Columban scored the
opening counter on a penalty
kick early in the filet half and
while Walton made a valiant
attempt to even the count,
most of the attackers' shots
were fired from long range
and they to find the net. St.
Columban put the champi-
onship away with their sec-
ond goal in the last half.
***
Installation of Seaforth's
long awaited blinker light at
the corner of Main and
Goderich Streets, came a step
closer this week with the
arrival of the two steel poles.
The installation was
approved by council and an
order placed early in the
spring. after repeated efforts
had been made to 'have the
Department of Highways
provide the installation.
* * *
Weekly visits of
Unemployment Insurance
Commission officials to
Seaforth are being terminated
this ,week, it was announced
by R.N. Watt, in charge of
the Stratford office.
In announcing thc change
in policy, Mr. Watt said his
office will continue its
employee relation work, but
in future this will be carried