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Times-Advocate, 1984-02-01, Page 26Page 26 Times -Advocate, February 11, 1984 foot in the "The present effectiveness 'of the Ontario Federation of . Agriculture towards changing governtdent policy in agriculture is comparable to s cup of sand in the Sahara. "I feel a strong allegiance to the organization but deplore the lack of action while persecution of the agricultural sector escalates. Anti -racket squads break- ing into homes when the hus- band is away to seize records is, I suppose, commendable? How about the children who stood around, wide-eyed and frightened, while an army of men rampaged through their home? "The scars hat these ac- tions have left on the in- dividuals involved and the children who watched will be puckered, ugly and fester for a long time. "Desperate situations re- quire • desperate measures. The festering will eventually erupt and may God help those •who are caught in the. spray..." A letter from an anarchist? A letter from a Communist? Nope. It is a letter from one of the most sensible articulate and attractive women in Canada. It was written by Gisele Ireland whose hus- band, Brian, is a provincial director of the OFA. Gisele has been member of the federation for 15 years. She is not a young radical out to overthrow the govern- mentand knock down prison walls. She is a hard-working farm wife, genuinely concern- ed about the agricultural pro- blems across Canada. She did Loup. M. spot., not exaggerate in her letter. The events she described were true. They happened in Ontario-ars-ario a few weeks ago. She is the author of the book, The Farmer Takes A Wife, a study by. concerned farm women, a delightful yet poignant and even sad ac- count of just how tough it is on the farm • when production costsskyrocket and commodi- ty prices drop. She wrote her letter in answer to a column I wrote deploring the methods used by the militant Canadian Farmers for Survival Association. I said I did not believe in scare tactics, in blocking farm lanes with tractors and guns, in penny auctions and the spiriting away of livestock and machinery from a farm where foreclosure was imminent. What Gisele is saying, though, is that farmers are simply fighting fire with fire. Her description of what has happened on some farms sounds not much different than what some farmers are doing in retaliation, to pre- vent goon squads from taking action. And she is concerned about the effectiveness of the federation when it refuses to resort to such tactics. When Ralph Barrie was re -elected president last fall, he said he did not believe in militancy. He ran on that platform. I agreed with Ralph. I'm a lover, not a fighter. But there are those, such as (,isele, who are wondering what can be Junior Farmer Dance Sat., Feb. 4 Hensall Community Centre D J - Partie Sound Junior Farmer or age of Majority card for admittance. 4.00 per person sa on -the -beach Dining Lounge 8 Tavern—Grand Bend Full Due to Renovations Open Fri., Sat., Sun. Menu • Lunch and Dinner with • Sunday champagne brunch Specials • Salad Bar Cross Country Skiers welcome Reservations 238-2251 Grand Bend ••••••• ••••• • • ••••••••• •4111111//11/6 • •• • ••••••••• • • ••••••••• •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ••••••••••• Gables Open Mon. - Sat. EUCHRE Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. Everyone Welcome Live Entertainment Thurs., Fri. & Sat. nights February 2, 3, 4 Vintage 238-2393 • • • • • • • • • • • ••••••••••• 444 b, ..01,x4, 11044 A4 Lew•. Q., A30 1d, done. They have seen how ef- fective the militant tactics have been and shake their heads. As an officer in, and a , charter member of the Con- cerned Farm Women, a group of women who have combined their thoughts, ideas and energy In an effort to improve the farming com- munity and the attitudes toward it, she is dedicated to the cause of agriculture in Canada. I listened to a presentation by one of the members of CFW a few weeks ago and it was impressive and profes- sional. But she was preaching to the converted, to a group of farmers. The Concerned Farm Women -- and every other agricultural organizaiton in Canada -- must get their message across to the un- converted, to the millions of people who have no idea what is happening to agricult' re. They have a tough task ahead of them and maybe . militant action is the only way to do it. Footnote: Ralph Barrie has since resigned as president of the OFA to become a member of ,a government committee formed to study and make recommendations on how to improve the marketing of red meats. Will the next president be more militant? Winter carnival St. Boniface School held its winter carnival on Tuesday. Student__ council-- organizers - Marg Hartman, Cathy Hart- man, Mary -Jo Meidinger and Janice Ducharme planned this year's event which in- cluded a deer hunt, backward races, dodgeball, volleyball, gathering nuts, tug of war, fire brigade and an obstacle course race. • Team captains were Jim Masse, Tammy Lesperance, Allan Oesch, Rosemary Regier, Dwayne Overholt, Roxanne Overholt, Dale Ducharme and Janet Mowat. Everyone got to participate in 'each activity. with a change to the next event every five minutes. After a mid-afternoon break for chocolate milk and cookies. the afternoon finished with broomball and hockey. Introduce Katimavik Salut! My name is Paul Thomson. I was imported all the way from Kitchener. I joined Katimavik to get the oppor- tunity to see Canada and learn French. I really enjoyed the first trimester in North Van- couver, and so far I'm enjoy- ing Exeter. After Katimavik I plan to go back to college and take accounting. i really enjoy sports especially hockey so if you need an extra player please contact me. During the time I'll be in Exeter I will be the "floater" which means I will be working at all of the work sites. i hope to see you in the neighbourhood. "Go Hawks go". ORD SCUBA -DIVING Sport Diver Course Ku� Commencing FEBRUARY 15, 1984 At The VANASTRA COMMUNITY CENTRE Course Length 42 Hours - 12 Weeks 5150.00 For information contact: Vanastra Community Centre 482-3544 or Sid Scroggs-482-3151. Candidates may obtain NAU1, ACUC. or CMAS Certification recognized worldwide. All aged above 15 may register. OMENROLL NOW TOTAL REGISTRATION IS LIMITED Students and unemployed targeted Katimavik launches recruiting drive More n 1,500 Y�8 Pe o- ple in Ontario - three times as many as ever before - have an opportunity this year to participate in Katimavik, Canada's unique volunteer youth program. Katimavik has launched a major participant recruit- ment drive across Ontario. Ten recruitment officers, all young people with previous Katimavik experience, will blitz more than 700 high schools, post secondary in- stitutions, community cen- tr'ee,youth employments centres apresentationsoups about Katimavik. "The 'recruitment focus is on the personal approach. We want young people to really unders- tand the Katimavik progragl and, hope to motivate them to apply,' says Elaine Sigler, the Participant Recruitment Supervisor. The recruitment officers' message, and the theme for this year's campaign is sim- ple: Katimavik, is a unique tontunity to learn, to work, Through Katimavik, Young people have the opportunity to do invaluable community ser- vice work, to travel across Canada, learn a second language and, in the course of this nine-month exPerience, discover much more about themselves, Canada and Canadians. Any 17 to 21 -year-old young adult who is a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant, can apply to the p,Fogram. Participants are selected to represent a cross-section of the Canadian population, and range from high school graduates to university students taking a break from their studies to young people who cannot find work. According to Ms. Sigler, this year's recruitment drive should prompt more than 10,000 inquiries from in- terested Ontario youth, of which 1,500 will be selected to participate in the 1984 Katimavik program. This MAKING SNOWBALLS — St. Boniface students joined heartily in the snowball relay during their winter car- nival. They hit the student holding the hulu hoop as often as they did the proper target. Rapevictims get help from Status of Women This isn't a story abou something nice happening t somebody. It's the story of a group o Perth County women and their attempt to assist victims of the henious crime of sexual assault against women. The recently formed Perth County Status of Women Ac- tion Committee is in the pro- cess of educating themselves and other women across the county about sexual assault which in the Criminal Code of Canada, includes rape. And it is a crime that takes place in Perth County. A survey of local police depart- ments shows there were 11 reported sexual assaults in Perth last year. The majority of the reported assaults took place in the City of Stratford. Of 10 cases reported in Stratford,. three were cleared as un- founded. Four were cleared "otherwise" which in legal talk could mean no charges were laid, one is still being in- vestigated and two incidents led• to charges. The remaining case in the county is still being investigated. Stratford statistics show that in previous years the number of sexual offences, a combinaton of sexual assault and other sex offences, was higher. in 1982, 16 sexual offences were reported which ended in five charges. in 1981, 24 sex- ual offences were reported and ended in seven charges. Statistics show that one in every five Canadian women is sexually -assaulted in her lifetime. Nationwide, a woman is sexually assaulted every six minutes. What happens to a woman in Perth County when she is sexually assaulted? 1 There are no support ser- i vices in Perth County, says Louise Gibson of the action u committee. The victim has to wrangle over the question of w phoning the police, and if she t does, the police usually sug; W gest she go to a hospital. • a In the hospital. a doctor has $ to go through a medical kit with the victim. This testing c can take anywhere from 1,2 in hours to three hours, says S Mrs. Gibson. Clothes have to a remain behind as evidence 27 t and unless a victim knows o this, she may have to leave in a hospital gown. t Then a trip to the police sta- tion is required. This is where the Perth County Status of Women Ac- tion Committee hopes to help Perth County women. They would like to raise funds to equip each hospital in the county (there are three - Listowel Memorial Hospital, St. Marys Memorial Hospital and Stratford General Hospital) with track suits which can be worn home by the victim. The committee would like to train enough volunteers to accompany victims to the hospital to explain why cer- tain medical procedures are done. ie, clipping of finger- nails for evidence, and to in- form the victims of their legal rights. • The committee's ultimate goal is to establish a rape crisis centre in the county, but that takes time and money. Mrs. Gibson, who is publicist for the action com- mittee, says the first step is to educate Perth women. The committee will hold informa- tion meetings throughout the county in March. These meetings will also be used to gain new members. The first meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 5 in Stratford:Other meetings will be on Tut sday, March 6 in St. Marys and Wednesday. March 7 in Listowel. The loca- tions of the meetings have not yet been determined. Mrs. Gibson says the com- mittee hopes to have a film and a guest speaker for each of the three nights. The Stratford woman stresses that the action com- mittee is working with the egal and medical profession n its attempt to get out the message of assistance to sex - al assault victims. Membership fees for omen interested in joining he Perth County Status of omen Action Committee re $5 for those employed and 2 for those 'unemployed. For further information ontact Cathy Monks -Leeson St. Marys at 284-2108 or two tratford women, Linda Page t 273-2257 or Mrs. Gibson at 1-8975. h4R"•••*- lw i - • They say if you really want to test the strength of a mar- riage, a husband and wife should wallpaper together. Well, the same holds true for any major building project - and if a couple is trying to work together, a minor pro- ject quickly becomes a major. _ When you're young and in love, you just don't think of such things. Before we were married, we were sure we could work together on any undertaking, and we naively thought we could build a bookcase together. This wasn't just any book case -- I guess it could best be described as a wall unit. Vic- tor knew I'd be moving in with a huge collection of University English texts, and of course, I had assured that I had to have all my books on hand -- I just couldn't part with one of them. (Actually, I must now admit that'll has been a few months since I've pulled the collected poems of Wordsworth, or Milton's Paradise Lost, off the shelf. OK, OK, so it's been a few years.) In any case, poor Victor feared that I would be filling every nook and cranny of his house with thick, boring books, so the best way to alleviate the situation was to build a giant bookcase just for me. But he didn't stop at that -- In the bookcase plans, he also included space for the television, stereo equipment and record albums. The plans also called for fancy trim and louvered doors and it had to be stained to match the wooden walls in our living room. As you can tell, the simple bookcase became a major project, even before the first nail was pounded. Construction began in the middle of the living room floor. We set aside a weekend to do the job. It wasn't long before the saws weren't saw- ing right, the nails weren't pounding right, and the trim wasn't staying on right. Then friends came to visit At TUG OF WAR — St. Boniface students give their all during a tug of war that was port of the school's winter carnival. Mary's musings By Mary Alderson with their two-year-old tod- dler. He soon found that a bookcase flat on the floor makes an excellent climbing toy, and he kept busy scrambling up and over each shelf. It would have been alright, except that he was wearing fuzzy blue sleepers. When it came time to sand, stain and polish the wood, we kept wondering where the. blue fuzz was coming from. Blue fuzz in a paint brush can certainly impede progress. By this time, some of the fun had worn off -- and when we were ready to stand the bookcase up, all of the fun had eroded. The project had spread over several weekends but eventually it was in place. Now Victor pro- udly shows it off to visitors, and tells them, "It took a lot of swearing to get that up." The bookcase episode was just enough to convince us that we don't need to work side by side -- when we painted the house, he did the back while I did the front. A marriage has enough ac- cidental and unexpected tests of strength -- one doesn't need to go hunting for trials. Last year, our record col- lection out -grew its place on the bookcase shelf. Victor, in his wisdom, decided to build a new bookcase just to hold our record collection. And, bless his heart, he waited un- til I went on a business trip to Manitoba to start the project. The new record album bookcase would be a smaller, matching version of the large bookcase. He described the plans over the telephone to me, and told me about pur- chasingthe lumber. I called home the next night to see how plans were pro- gressing. It was midnight in Manitoba and 1:00 a.m. in On- tario. Now, when no one answers the phone at home at 1:00 a.m. on a week night -- well, that might be just enough to test a marriage. Just as i was about to hang up, he answered. He was down in the basement, building the new bookcase, and thoroughly enjoying himself. I was thousands of miles away. I arrived home two days later to find the bookcase built, trimmed and stained to match the rest. There are three shelves to hold the records which are all neatly filed in alphabetical order by musician. And Victor is still miling -- I think there's a ;son in all this somewhere. help your VHeart Fund campaign is the largest ever honorarium. undertaken by Katimavik and "The most important thing was made pOettible by the ad- for potential participants is ditlonal funding announced - that they be committed to last spring by the Secretary of State. In 1Kt3, only 500 Ontario participants could take in the program. Thus year's campaign will concentrate on two target groups: the young unemployed, and students. "Katimavik exposes young people to many different practical work and life situa- tions, and thus helps them focus on career options they want to pursue after comple- tion of the nine-month pro- -gram," explains Ms. Sigler. "Through their volunteer work, participants are expos- ed to a variety of work skills, such as carpentry, foresty management, teaching and working with the handicap- ped. More importantly, par- ticipants leave the program with a solid understanding of the value of work." Nationally, there will be 5,000 young people working in more than 400 communities .across Canada in 1984. Each of these young people will spend three months in three different Canadian com- munities, working on non- profit projects which directly benefit the host communety. All room, board and transportation are paid for by Katimavik and participants receive a dollar a day for pocket money. On successful completion of the program, participants receive a 51.000 Exeter Minor Hockey working and learning and that they be ready for an in- tensive experience in living," says Ms. Sigler. Those interested in learning more about Katimavik can obtain information at their high school counselling office, at Canada Employment Cen- tres, or form the regional of- fice at 146 Front Street West, Suite 680, Toronto, (416) 593-4525. • Proclamation February is Heart Months The community is encouraged to sup- port this campaign for Heart Research. Town of Exeter Villages of Hensall & Zurich Townships of Usborne, Stephen .and Hay. - --Monday, February 6 Starts 8 p.m. 16 games Jackpot $200 to go , Admission $ 1.00 1 - Share the Wealth 1 - Midway Special l 12 - Regular Games One line, $10.00 Two lines, $20.00 1 - Night Owl South Huron Rec Centre Doors open at 7:00 p.m. Any senior wishing a ride call 235-1068 Licence No. 388731 rteTP "I UNCOMMON VALOR s:oo .M.oNLT •�'.�: STARTS FRIDAY FEB. 3suN. MURS. Coos Sometimes students end up bein ' the best teachers. • • WINNER Oft GOLDEN GEOOS AWARDS REST ACTRESS BEST ACTOR PARENTAL GUIDANCE MATURE LANGUAGE MICHAEL CAINE • ti • • • pG- ULIE WALTERS New gabber Bingo Lucan Arena Wednesday, February 1 Doors open'- 7:15 p.m. Early bird - 7:55 p.m. Regular games, share the wealth, standup bonanza Jackpot $1000 55 calls Single book $4, Double S7, Triple$10. Bingos each Wednesday night Proceeds for Arena Dv. 1. Mume repula bons no one vnd., 16 ,eon .1 op. wNl b. adrnnyd SOUTH ___ HURON BIG BROTHERS/BiG SISTERS Bowl for Millions Week February 6 - 12th Sponsor a bowler For Celebrity Bowl Feb. 12 (1 - 4:30 p.m.) at Town & Country Bowling Lanes, Zurich your tin)( ).1,1 1)1udgw, to ht•Ip I)()11(1?E1 thr• Bit; Br<oh,,,.. (pH 1,1t1()ri ) , R. . ,..,., ().,r r), r