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Times-Advocate, 1984-04-18, Page 5t• Pogo 4 TImss.Advacata, April 18, 1984 dvocate Times Established 1873 Serving South Huron, North Middlesex Advocate Established 1881 • & North Lambton Since 1873 Amalgamated 1924 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited LORNE EEDY Publisher JIM BECKETT. Advertising Manager BILI- BATFEN ROSS HAUGH Editor Assistant Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager DICK JONGKIND Business Manager Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $22.00 Per year; U.S.A. $60.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' and 'ABC' Are you missing out? Despite the fact greed appears to be one of the ma- jor motivational factors in society, it is interesting to stop and realize that there are still a large number of people who enjoy doing something for nothing. They are volunteers and it is estimated that in this country they contribute some 374 million people -hours a year in a wide variety of activities. • This is Volunteer Week (April 18 to 25) and a time to pay tribute and extend thanks to those who con- tribute of their time and talent in so many ways to their communities. Certainly this area can boast of the ef- forts of its volunteers although much of their work may be taken for granted. Perhaps Volunteer Week would have more significance if it was designated as a time that volunteers could rest. Then people would see the great void in their communities and would better understand 11 ggri1a.a +CNA BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1980 8t UE RIBBON AWARE) 1981 the debt of gratitude that is owed to those who give so freely for the benefit -of all. While voluntary activity does benefit the com- munity as a whole, it brings rewards also to volunteers and partially explains their motivation. A government study determined that many volunteers tend to place less emphasis on charitable motivation and frankly ad- mit that their involvement arises from their need for self-expression, self -development and self-protection. In short, they- strive to make themselves better people and their communities better places for their families to live. Perhaps that too is a form of greed, but it is cer- tainly a very positive form. If you're not getting your share of the benefits of being a volunteer, check -around and you'll find plenty of areas where your time and talent can be used to help yourself :.and your community. Negates safety hats Canada's contribution to the Challenger space shuttle has come through with 'flying colors again as the mechanical arm snatched an ailing satellite and brought it into a cargo bay on the shuttle for repairs. An attempt by one of the astronauts to snare the satellite had failed earlier and the Canadarm was the last chance to save the $77 million Solar Max satellite. Experts now point out that the .successful manoeuvre should end the era of disposable space hardware. Shuttle crews can be sent to bring home wrecked machinery or fix satellites that may have outlived their usefulness or have malfunctioned. The cost saving is obviously enormous in view of the price tags- on some of those satellites. The added benefit is that those of us on the ground won't have to worry about being in the path of those satellies when they come hurtling out of space on their return to earth. Inform the kids Nothing is more frightening to a parent. than violent death of a child. When the body of a five-year- old boy was found 25 miles from Seaforth two days after be was abducted last week, local parents were shocked into thinking about what could happen to their children. The incident prompted parents to once again warn, children about the dangers of accompanying strange adults and to teach their children how to react to peo- ple who could harm them. It also reminded both parents and children of Seaforth's approximately 35 Block Parents whose red and white signs signal a haven for children in trouble. Now is a .good time to point out the locations of Block Parents in town so children know where to go in an emergency. Knock on the door and introduce your child to the Block Parent on his/her way home from school; it may be easier to ask for help from a familiar acid friendly face. It is also the right time to consider becoming a Block Parent. Co-ordinator Marion Clark says while 35 Block Parents is a good number, there is always a need for more. "It doesn't hurt to have a lot of people involved,'' she says. Talking about child molesters may be frightening to both parents and children but it's a topic that must be discussed. Nothing you say or do can guarantee your child will never be harmed but by preparing your children you are putting the odds in their favor. • Huron Expositor It's also a humbling experience Among the more ominous phrases is "I hardly know where to begin''. Experience has probably proven to mast people that they should immediately jump up and shout, "Well, then don't begin at all". Such action would be a safeguard against the, oftep lengthy and boring tirade to which they are subjected by peo- ple who think they have sormuch good in- formation to pass along that it creates a difficulty in finding an appropriate star- ting point. Generally. their audiences all too soon realize that it was in fact a proper ter- mination point with which "the speaker should have been more concerned. Well, after 11 weeks on the sidelines, i find that it is indeed difficult to know where to start in penning this first column after a lengthy absence. All the great ideas which have crossed my mind in those several weeks now ap- pear to have become meshed into an in- comprehensible blob. So you see that nothing has really changed and getting back into the swing of things is easier than anticipated. • • • * * • Putting first things first, it is im- perative that the writer strive in some manner to thank those of you who displayed a keen sense of caring and sharing. Over the years, I've had occasion to help people write the cards of thanks which appear in this newspaper, and now realize why people are always so ap- preciative of having someone else com- pose their expression of thanks. In reali- ty, it is almost impossible to Heel you have done a satisfactory job in relation to the kindnesses received. It is certainly mast humbling to realize so many people are thinking about you 4 and it is also a bit disconcerting when you stop to consider the fact you have not been so deserving in view of your own track record in that regard. The "(aids, visits and inquiries were most appreciated, and it is difficult to think of the superlative to convey thanks - to the Arthurs, Fullers and Haughs for BATT'N AROUND with the editor providing a pair of pyjamas so I didn't have to continually worry about exposing the. bare buttocks which those crazy hospital gowns are disigned to show. Former hospital patients will recognize the value of such a gift as they will in knowing how my surroundings were brightened up by the flowers so kindly sent along by the T -A staff, Minor Hockey, the Mayor and his family, Bill and Grate, council and the rec centre board members and staff. While i have few complaints about the hospital meals, the baskets of treats supplies by Edith and her family and the Exeter Hawks were also thoroughly enjoyed. Of course, ma came through with her usual flying colors and the boats were more supportive than even a proud father could have anticipated. Of course, the shepherd gets a special mention as well. . • • • • • For those who may think the thanks are belated, I'll have to agree, but by the same token must point out it was a heart problem I was getting fixed and not my brain. The latter was working well enough to realize that once you make private or public declarations of your thanks, peo- ple will come to- the conclusion you're back to normal and their aid- is no longer required. Well. a fellow would have to be a damn fool to cut off the supply of baking and other goodies which staff members Barb and Yvonne kept dropping off at the door and even though I realized i should let them know it wasn't necessary, such ac tion would have been taken at the,peril of physical ramifications from other household members. Even though I'm back on the job I still try to get across the impression that my physical capabilities are such that baking is out of the question. * • • * • While the writer is most appreciative to so many for their kindnesses and con- cerns, it is difficult to extend the same thoughts towards my cohorts who displayed such obvious effort and dedica- tion in proving the editor to be dispensable. The least they could have done was look haggered on occasion to suggest that the editor's absence was being felt. Failing that, a major goof would have been welcomed. But no, they had to carry on as though I wasn't even being missed. That's rather disconcerting, especially when I' kept wondering what two people they had found to fill the void created by my absence. it certainly does tend to shorten one's recuperating time! "We didn't know what real economic prosperity was till the Liberals were . elected — then it was too late!" Tickled the funnybone Heard something on the street the other day that really, tickled my fun- nybone. Just,as I walked past thjese two little boys about "eight years 'old, f_ heard 'one say: !If `you gotta die, why go to col- lege?" So help me, that's •what he said. I don't know whether they were talking about reincarnation or the increase in university fees, but it shook me rigid. Why go to college, in- deed? Especially if ya got- ta die. I went to college. And went and went and went. I started right after high school, and what with one thing and another, I was a married than with a child by the time I got a degree, nine years later. Nobody can tell me you have to go to college to get into that predicament. The first year i was there, I learned three things: One was how to shoot a pretty fair game of pea how to say" I love e you" iwan Portuguese so I could con- verse with a babe 1 met from Brazil. .(I think it goes "Eu to Arno" I . The third was that i wasn't go- ing to pass my exams, so, with a sudden burst of patriotism, I joined the Air Force just before exam time. Returning after the war, I was a lot older, sadder and wiser. i was determin- ed to get down to business, and make every minute count. It was during this period of intense study that I learned some things that have stood rite in good stead during the years since. The:Grst was how to sleep during; a lecture;, Willi my eyes open. This has proved invaluable at the folks at home on the farm. Why, your Dad pro- bably won't even know the names of the French romantic wets.. And your mother, who has.beeatry- ing to give you the impres- sion that she knows more Sugar and Spice Dispensed By Smiley church, political meetings, and the many after-dinner speeches in- flicted on a weekly editor. "This period also gave me my first lesson in sim- ple economics. I had quite a bankroll when I was discharged. My pay had built up While Iwas behind the barbed wire. Well, sir, within a few months I had discovered that you can- not live indefinitely on your capital. Within a year i had learned that two absolutely cannot live as cheaply as one, unless one of them doesn't eat. Despite the fact that all 1 picked up at college was a family and a few bad habits, i would strongly recommend it to any young 'person. You'll be am4ze 1 t how quickly the learning seeps into you. The very -first time you're un holidays, you'll see how far you've outdistanced than you, won't even be able to discuss intelligent- ly the basic causes behind the French revolution. Your home -town girl friend will swoon with delight as you puff your new pipe with an air and tell her emphatically that Schopenhauer's philospohy puts women in their proper place - mere vessels for the perpetua- tion of the race. Trouble is nowadays, going to college is becom- • ing so expensive that about the only way you can get there is to have rich parents, and make such a hellion of yourself around town that they'll be glad to ship you off. for four years. If your parents aren't rich, next best thing is to look over your elderly uncles and aunts: Find one who's a little shaky on the pins or has a bad heart. Take out a large insurance policy on auntie, with yourself as the beneficiary. Some day. when she's, up on, the lad-;= der, painting, the kitchen ceiling„bZ4 A' up a,pa bag and burst it. If this doesn't do the trick, get her to go for a walk with you along the edge of a cliff. If she's too nimble, and doesn't go over when" you trip her,you'll have to figure something out for yourself. Perhaps the richest reward of those college years is the wonderful friendships you'll make. One fellow I knew very well at college is a big stage and television star now. But do you think he's forgotten his old friends? Not a bit of it. When I was in Toronto last fall; I went around to see him backstage one night. He shook hands with me, pleased as punch. You'd think a big, important chap like that wouldn't have time to ' bother with a small-town. editor. Not him. And he's going to pay me back that $25 her borrowed just as soon as he gets that big Broadway role. He even gave me his autograph, without me having to ask. That's the sort of real, lasting friendships you build in college. Maybe the kid who started all this. reminiscence was really saying: "If ya wanta pie, I'd go to Mollie's." Need nuclear accident ' What this world needs is a nice little nuclear acci- dent. Better yet two simultaneous ones, one in a small town about 500 miles away from Washington, D.C. and another about the same distance from Moscow.. it's unfortunate, but no people in this generation remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki and those fellows in power seem to have forgotten the effects of nuclear holocausts in those two cities. Somewhere around a thousand people dying in each accident would pro- bably do the trick nicely. Granted there would be a lot of residual radiation that would make ` thousands more badly burned or sterile or homeless but think of the benefits resulting from their sacrifice. All their families who survived increasing weapons budgets. Probably we would no longer have a debate about nuclear Perspectives would be fairly bitter about the whole ex- perience and would create ,lust a little stink in the respective capitals. The odd newspaper would ex- press some concern and more than one politician would think twice about By Syd Fletcher freeze because the freeze would very quickly be in effect. Artificial situations like the movie "The Day After" certainly raise a lot of concern. Give us a little old nuclear meltdown in a local reactor and people would be faced with something very real and nasty and in the long run steps would be taken to stop it from happening again. Similarly I doubt very much that Ronald Reagan will worry himself very much about acid rain un- til his favourite horse drops dead after drinking some water from a polluted stream. The whole issue just doesn't 'hit him where he lives' as the kids say. Maybe someday people, will wake up to the danger, that is sitting around us in the rockets that line our frontiers, pointing both ways. Let's hope that that awakening comes before it's too late. t