Huron Expositor, 2002-03-06, Page 7March 7, 2001
Si
(includes GST)
In brief
Huron
farmers
to join
Mar. 14
protest
Local farmers are
planning to join a
province -wide protest over
inadequate safety net
funding for agriculture in
Ottawa, Guelph and on the.;
roadways in between ne
Wednesday, says Pact
Nairn, Ontario Federati • _'
of Agriculture service `'
for Huron and Pertlii'
Counties.
"There's a frustration,,
locally that the federt
government didn't seem t+
show a commitment to
• agriculture when'
Americans seem to want
to invest in their fanners,"
says Nairn.'
The $500. million
recently announced for
Canadian farmers by the
federal government is half
of what fanners asked for
to level the playing field
between Canadian and
U.S. farmers.
While it's too soonto
say how many local
fanners might participate,
Nairn says he's received a
number of calls at the
Huron Federation of
Agriculture office from
farmers wanting to take
action.
It's not been determined
yet whether local farmers
will go to Guelph or take
their farm machinery to
the 40.1.
"They have concerns
about the long term and.
are wondering if they can
take another year like last
year." he says.
Huron Central
federation director Wayne
Hamilton says he's
hoping for 1,000 local
farmers to participate in
next Wednesday's protest.
"We're expecting a
fairly large response," he
says.
Hamilton says at
roughly $65 an acre,
Huron County's economy
could really benefit from
the federal government
assistance the farmers are
asking for.
"People forget how
much agriculture impacts
on the Local economy.
There's ripple effect
when you support
farmers."
By Susan Hundertmark
nNI 60•
World Day of
Prayer..
Page 5
Susan Hunderimark photo
Winter Carnival
Grade 12 student.Dean Wood, above,
heads for the goal line during a touch
football game at Seaforth District High
School"s winter carnival last Thursday
afternoon. Also pictured at left is Curtis
Wilson, Grade 12, who serves during a
volleyball game.
Agricultural school idea
pitched again to board
By Stew Slater
Special to The Expositor
students who would like to pursue post-
secondary opportunities in agriculture and
agribusiness.
Members of the group which successfully "Two years ago, when we proposed this
challenged last year's Avon Maitland District idea as a way of attracting more students to
School Board decision to close Seaforth SDHS, our former trustee (Abby Armstrong)
District High School (SDHS) have formally said the board would need more of a concrete
presented plans for an agricultural education plan from us before it could decide whether
program they believe could save the school or not to proceed," Doig said. "Well, now we
from further closure threats. have that plan."
Carol Anne Doig and Maureen Agar, both Agar urged the board to consider the plan
members of this year's SDHS school council, as a way of increasing enrolment in one Avon
made a delegation to the board at its regular Maitland school without threatening the
meeting, Tuesday, Feb. 27. viability of neighbouring schools.
They presented plans for a program called "It is very difficult if not impossible to go
Stepping Stones, which would offer hands- any further without the support and
on, immersion -like programs to non -rural See AG SCHOOL, Page 2
Marathon
runners to raise
funds for SCH
while at Boston
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Staff
Three Seaforth-area women who are running in this
April's Boston Marathon are asking for sponsors to raise
money for the Seaforth Community Hospital's centres of
excellence project.
"It's pretty unique to have three local women running in
the Boston Marathon. It was Dr. (Carolin) Shepherd's idea to
use the marathon to fundraise since all three women have a
personal interest in health care," says Seaforth ,hospital
foundation fundraising coordinator Selena Anderson.
Shepherd will join Faye Murray and Lynn Devereaux
when they run the Boston Marathon On April 16. The three
qualified to go to Boston at different local marathons during
the past year.
Murray qualified during the Mother's Day Marathon in
London, Ont. last spring. While going to the Boston
Marathon was not Murray's goal initially, when she
discovered she'd run the marathon in a qualifying time, she
challenged other local women she runs with to try and
qualify too. A group of five Seaforth-area women have been
running together for sfgveral years.
Devereaux qualified during October at a race in Niagara
Falls and Shepherd, who said earlier that she wouldn't
attempt the Boston Marathon until her children are grown,
changed her mind after Murray asked her to go to Boston if,
for any reason, Devereaux had to cancel. Shepherd qualified
during the same race Murray qualified on Mother's Day.
"I think we all talked each other into it. We're going for
the fun and the challenge of it and it's probably an
opportunity that won't present itself again," says Shepherd.
Because the Boston Marathon is 26 miles long (or 42
kilometres), the hospital foundation will be using the number
26 in its fundraising efforts, asking local people to sponsor
one runner for $26, two runners for $52 or all three for $78.
"You'll be seeing the number 26 all over town soon," says
Anderson.
Anderson is hoping to meet with local school councils
soon to see if schools can participate in a send-off run at the
beginning of April. During a final training day, students
could be invited to run along with the three women as a
family event to wish them luck at the Boston.
Murray says the three of them have each been training in
their own way during weekdays but are meeting most
weekends for a 30 -kilometre run.
"We're getting the miles in but it's been a tough winter to
train because the weather's been so bad," says Murray.
She says she's been out running in snow storms when the
grader operator has stopped and asked her what she was
doing out in the weather.
See RUNNERS, Page 2
These little piggies live at Ina Finlayson's house
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Staff
With a collection of 400
pigs and still counting, Ina
Finlayson, of Seaforth, is
known by some of her
friends as Mrs. Piggy.
"I keep saying I'm going
to stop collecting now, but
how can I? Many of the pigs
I have now remind me of the
people who gave them to me
and there are so many pig
things in gift shops that I just
can't resist," she says.
In every room of
Finlayson's house, pigs are
displayed on walls, shelves
and counters, with a pig
bathing beauty lounging on
the floor, smiling at visitors
as they walk in the front
door.
Raised on a mixed farm
near Cromarty that included
cows, chickens, horses and
100 pigs, Finlayson didn't
begin collecting pigs until
1971 when she and her
husband Reg owned a
livestock trucking business
in Staffa.
On a trip to Nashville, she
bought a pig sugar bowl and
creamer and the collection
was born.
"My husband hates the
pigs. He said to me, 'We
truck those stupid things and
here you are collecting
them,"' she says.
Her latest acquisition is a
stuffed pig that recites This
Little Piggy Went to Market
when you press different
buttons on its body, which
sits in a doll's highchair in
the living room.
She also has pig jewelry,
including earrings, necklaces
and a watch with piglets
travelling around the dial on
the second hand, pig mugs,
clothing, trays, clocks,
serviette holders, teapots,
toilet paper holders, spoon
holders, magnets, puzzles,
toothpick holders, figurines,
wind chimes and lawn
ornaments.
"They're all my favourites.
I try to walk away from them
in stores but somehow I just
can't," she says.
Finlayson says about a
quarter of her collection is at
her trailer at Paul Bunyon
Camp in Bayfield.
When she and her husband
moved to Seaforth about 10
years ago, a visiting friend
looked around and counted
about 100 pigs.
Suson Hundertmark photo
Ina Finlayson displays the first two pieces of her collection of more than 400 pigs.
"She said to me, 'You sure Arizona. which bus they're riding.
did bring the country into "People are never at a loss A school bus driver for 30
town with you,' after looking about what to get for me," years, Finlayson has also
been collecting pigs for the
same length of time.
"My husband was hoping
I'd stop collecting pigs when
we stopped trucking
livestock but it didn't
happen. I think I'm going to
be collecting them as long as
I'm around," she says.
at all my pigs," she says.
Much of her collection she
received as gifts from friends
who either made pig crafts
for her, couldn't resist a
stuffed pig doll at a church
bazaar for her or picked up a
pig ornament during a trip to
somewhere like Mexico or
she says.
And, by coincidence,
during a change in route of
the school bus she drives,
Finlayson recently acquired
the bus with the pig symbol.
Local school buses have
animal symbols on them to
help children remember
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