Times Advocate, 1993-07-21, Page 23r
4iisa Craig
Gala Days
You mast Cas1llly dry off the klrofalti I iwtfe, here
with his _racer, Greg Tye =registers °his turtle 'Emity Anne"
along with 400 others et Saturday 'aftemoon's Turtle
races. Despite the -bond between :_turtle and racer, -the
Ailsa Craig Turtle _Crew -releases the turtles . back into -the
wild when the -races are :over.
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Times -Advocate, July 21,1993
Page 23
Who is to blame for thinking that way?
The grade 2 class had a terrific last day of school planned. Their teach-
er had arranged for a picnic lunch in the park at Kirkton followed by an
hour swim in the pool. You know what they say about the best laid
plans of mice and men...well, read on.
When the day arrived, the weather didn't look _too
co-operative but we headed up to Kirkton anyways.
We had our picnic and the kids were happily playing
when the lifeguards came over with some bad news.
Despite their best efforts, the pool had too much al-
gae in it and the health inspector had just handed
down the decision that it was not quite clean enough.
The teacher and I looked at each other hopelessly.
It wasn't going to be easy telling 19 kids' that they
coytdn't go swimming.
The reactions varied from acceptance to indiffer-
ence to downright anger. It was interesting watching
all the different ways they reacted. In general, they
were quite disappointed to start with.
Then, tete to the form of the miniature adults with-
in them, some thought of demanding their money
back (which is fine), others decided to go and check
the pool for themselves.
Some started to clamour around 'the fence and
chant, "Let us swim! Let us swim!"
Some were even ready to stage a campout in protest until they were al-
lowed in. These are things that the children have learned from watching
the world around them in the seven or eight years they've, lived through
so far.
There was another reaction I haven't mentioned yet.
While some of them accepted the pool closure as "one of those things
that couldn't be helped," a small group of them were determined to pin
the blame on someone. They weren't going to be satisfied until they dis-
covered whose fault it was.
The teacher was the fust likely candidate, seeing as they had heard the
bad news from her.
"It's her fault! Why did she close the pool?"
"Now, watt a minute," I said. "She didn't close the pool. It was the
health inspector who made that decision."
"Well then it's his fault!"
"What's a health inspector anyway?"
I tried to explain that it was his job to make sure the water is clean
enough so that the people who swim in it stay healthy.
1 told them that he has rules he has to follow and that he was just doing
his job. The lifeguards were next in line to be blamed.
"Why didn't they. get it cleaned in time?", the kids wanted to know. I
was running out of answers but tried to defend the lifeguards by saying
that they had worked really hard to try and have the pool ready but
sometimes the weather makes the algae grow more.
This handful of once militant kids seemed to accept most of these ex-
planations and the anger subsided a little. They managed to havefun
anyway when someone discovered an outdoor -tap and began spraying
people.
So, a culprit to blame is never tacked down, but, I got thinking after-
wards that yes, there was a culprit, not a person, but a way .of ;thinking
that unfortunately has become very common.
It has todo with insurance and the fear of being sued.T%teday could
have been saved except for thaL
The lifeguards offered.the pool in their backyard, not very far away.
The pool was clean and the kids would be watchedby the same qualified
people. They even offered to do it for no charge.
The decision was up to the teacher, who was just as disappointed as
the kids, but she had to say no because of insurance rea-
sons.
umn
She was worried that if something happened, the insu-
rance wouldn't cover it because it was at a different loca-
tion. She made the right decision. It's unfortunate but legali-
ties are legalities.
With people suing people at the drop of a hat these days,
and getting away with it, the days of taking chances are
gone. I can't believe some of the things people arc sued
over.
For example, the person who sued the cigarette company
when he got lung cancer, claiming that he hadn't been ade-
quately warned that smoking is hazardous to one' s health.
Where was he for the past 20 years or so? How much
more proof or warning does a person need?
Then there's the fellow Who was going to sue the school
board because his son had been expelled for wearing a hat
in school.
Instead of making his son obey the rules, he jumps on the
rights and freedom bandwagon.
What's the sense of teaching kids that they can do what-
ever they like by using a lawsuit as a threat? lust take the darn hat off,
kid, what's the big deal? If I was a lawyer, I'd feel like a fool represent-
ing these people with their ridiculous claims.
Wearing a hat in school is not a life threatening issue, although I agree
that they should not be worn, but many kids are using the lawsuit threat
as a way of getting away with violence and as a way of escaping much
needed discipline.
There are kids in school and on school buses who continually bully
other children and when the teacher or bus driver tries to intervene, the
kid hollers, "Don't tell me what to do! And don't lay a hand on me or my
parents will sue you!"
So the kid goes on being a bully, learns to be violent, and is disliked or
even hated by other kids.
Is this what the parents of this child wants?
It must be, or else they wouldn't have planted the idea of suing in his
or her head in the first place.
The whole idea of defending so-called rights and suing has gotten way
out of hand. People are confusing rights with privileges.
In simpler times, the Grade 2 class could have gone to another pool
and had a great time without any worries.
I suppose it they really warned to blame someone, they can blame the
people, lawyers, judicial system and law makers who continue to support
silly claims, and society in general for allowing this way of thinking to
be accepted.
They can blame anyone who uses a lawsuit as a threat, so much so that
the fear of being sued can even prevent children from enjoying a swim in
an available.pool.
It's too bad, isn't it?
These kids can scarcely understand the concept of msarance and suing,
but they will learn it someday. They are still yotmg enough that no one
thought pf suing someone for taking away their "right to swim" or their
"right to enjoy the last day of school."
Hoe's hopingthat they never start thinking that way.
Sitting pretty is
three month old
Julian rItawiiik,
daughter:of Jody
-Glanville. Julian was
.a first -place winner
at -the .baby contest
held on
Saturday
in -Ailsa Craig.
Turtle races are the focus
of Ailsa Craig Gala Days
By Erin Lobb
T•A Staff
AILSA CRAIG - If the thought of
turtle races doesn't conjure up imag-
es of large crowds wild with excite-
ment then you weren't at the Ailsa
Craig Gala Days and Turtle Races
this weekend.
With a turnout of three to four
thousand people, the Ailsa Craig
event was indeed a success as chil-
dren of all ages participated in two
days of fun. Though turtle races re-
mained the highlight of the excite-
ment, a spelling bee, pet show,
baby contest, and tug-of-war were a
few other points of interest for visi-
tors.
For the eleventh and final year
Evelyn McNaughton ran the chil-
drens Spelling Bee,which has .1)e -
come a tradition at the Gala Days.
Glen Baillie. chairperson for the
weekend festivities, says she will be
missed as she has been the organiz-
er of the event snipe it's first year.
According to Glen Baillie the
19th annual Turtle races had about
400 turtles entered, with some rac-
ers coming from Michigan, Alberta,
Toronto, and London. However,
Baillie streaaed that there were no
professional ,turtles allowed in the
event.
Besides dictating that no snap-
ping wed to enter, race
Wes - , Lvin.;IDrder to
maintain the safety and well being
of the turtles, turtles were not to be
returned to the racer, but must be re-
leased back into ponds and rivers by
the turtle crew who had been briefed
by the Humane Society on the prop-
er handling.
When asked if any new features
would be added next year, Baillie
.said he had some ideas, but was
leaving them as a surprise for next
year.
Lucan
Community
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Wed., July 21
Bingo starts 7:30 p.m.
Regular Games
$41•01)0
:tMt'�e
SVCsUsor Jess $2a0 bonus
Total prizes
82800
Due to thelicence regulations,
no one under 18 allowed to play
Licence 0537495
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Home Appointments
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228-6733
Presents
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Saturday, July 24, Entry fee 810.
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We)gtlt,Clastio&
Men's right 0 •150lbs.
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