Clinton News-Record, 1979-01-04, Page 3•
•
People in Profile
Sam win :keep 'em
tied up in knots
by Shelley McPhee
One could say that Sam Castle is all
tied up. His seemingly endless supply
of hobbies keep him busy, winter and
summer, but one particular interest
really keeps this man in knots.
Since he was a boy Sam, now 69 years
old, has been interested in roping and
knotting. Despite interest in gardening,
paint4ng, skiing, cooking, fishing,
hunting, bird watching and the out-
doors in general, making knots and
doing tricks with ropes will always be
his favorite pltime.
Sam was practically born with a rope
in his hand. As a boy, when his father
owned the butcher shop in Clinton,
young Sam was sent to the farms to
' bring the animals in for slaughter. This
was done by going out into the field and
roping the animal, and taking it to
town.
Along with picking up roping skills,
Sam was involved in Boy Scouts for 20
years, from ,a scout himself to
becoming the District Scout Master.
Learning different knots is a skill
taught at Scouts, and Sam easily
mastered that, in fact .today he knows
100 different twists and turns of the
rope.
"I couldn't do them all in one day,"
Sam explained.
Knots, like the square lashing take 20
minutes to complete, and they are
usually used in a series, for something
like the construction of a makeshift
bridge.
Knotting as well as roping is more
than just a time consuming hobby._Qam °
readily -insisted that each knot tas—a
purpose and can be used in many
situations.
He remetnbered one example where
his knowledge of roping was in-
valuable. In 1933, he recalled, a man
a; drowned at the bottom of a well and
" couldn't be lifted out. Sam tied together
a series of knots and was able to lift the
body.
Sam, and his wife Grace use different
knots in their home as well. Sam
illustrated this, by bundling up a pile of,
newspapers, with a packer or fikilre-8
knot with several half hitches. •
Each knot has a different name and
there are many different ropes a -s- well.
Sam rhymed off names such as heel
trap rope, heading rope, piggingstring,
steer tie down, rope halter as well as a
bull whip.
Sam has nine different ropes which
he uses for a number of tricks as well
as practicing on Ferdanand, his
homemade, wooden steer.
Sam has a real affection for Western
life and his idol is, none other than, Will
Rogers.
"They called him the roping fool. He
practised roping eight hours a day,"
Sam explained.
Sam grew up with his love for the
West. At the age of -10 he remembers
seeing a travelling cowboy who per=
formed rope tricks in the Clinton Town
Hall one night.
1'My next exposure to cowboys
wasn't so glamorous,"--. Sam recalled.
"They were rough, tough, dirty,
smelly, hard workers. They had
brought a carload of wild horses from
out west to Londesboro."
Sam and his wife have travelled
through Texas and Oklahoma and have
been to many rodeos, includin.g the
Calgary Stampede. Both are outfitted
with the complete Western getup.
Despite his interest in cowboys and
roping, Sam still likes Ontario best and
has no intentions of becoming a ran-
cher.
Along with his other interests Sam's
main objective in life is just to keep
busy. -
"I've got to do something. I couldn't
sit here and twiddle ray thumbs," he
said as he made an overhand knot. '
•
Tuckersmith council
• from page 1
McDonald who has been accused of
harboring a pack of stray dogs, which
have been responsible for loss of seven
geese owned by a neighbor. Council has
ordered Mr. McDonald to destroy the
dogs.
Mr. Allan noted he would assist Mr.
McDoriald_ln, doing this. He also said
that he was sure Mr. McDonald did not
realize that when. he fed the strays,
then the dogs are considered to be his
responsibility.
Council passed a ,by' --law • increasing
the dog tag fees in the township. For
the first male the new fee will be $6,
raised from, $5; a first female dog from
$10 to $12; second male to remain the
same at $20; second female to be raised
from $25 to $30 and an additional
number of males over two to remain
the same at $30 each and for additional
females to be raised from $30 to $50.
Council passed a by-law rezoning lots
6 to 15 on plan 2 and 7 in Harper Hay on
concession 1 in Tuckersmith., Then a
motel may be constructed on the site.
The rezoning is subject to approval by
the Ontario Ministry of Housing.
Road Superintendent Allan
Nicholson reported he is getting some
new -complaints about the color and
odor of the water, in Egmondville, but
said that some of the problems have
now cleared up on their own.
Councillor William Bram suggested
that it should be investigated, and
perhaps a purifier should be put on the
township. well- if the problem persists..
All tests on the.water so far have shown .;
that it is suitable for consumption, with
no contamination.
Jack Bell was reappointed to the
committee of adjustment for another
three year term. Other members ictithe—''
committee are Elgin Thompson and
Cleave Coombes.
Council passed the following by-law
for $600,000 to meet current ex-
penditures until taxes are collected.
Passed for payment were the
following accounts, totalling $33,241.48:
Vanastra Day Care Centre, $3,916.31;
Vanastra Recreation Centre, $6,670.94;
roads, $14,506,54; general accounts,
$8,147.69.
The readers write
Dear Editor:
Those who "were called Christians
first at Antioch" were worshippers of
"the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ", The God f`vvhose name alone is
Jehovah", "the most high over all the
earth." This was in full harmony with
Jesus' own declaration: "You , must
love Jehovah your God with your whole
heart and with your whole soul and
with your whole mind."
However, in time a change took place
when, in the year 325 A.D. at the call
and direction of the pagan Roman
emperor Constantine, the Council of
Nicea adopted the Trinity "dogma."
Consequently, my `challenger' states
in his letter: "Not someone less th4n
God, but God himself ... God identified
himself with our situation by becoming
man." During the 331/2 years the man
Jesus was on earth multitudes beheld
him with their. natural, human eyes.
Does anyone doubt this?
How many common -people realize
that John 1:18 tells us in 12 different
versions: "No man has ever seen God
at any time"; "No one has ever seen
God"; "No human eye has ever seen
God." Whose "preconceived notions"
or "schemes" from what
"headquarters" was John here
presenting?
Sincerely yours,
C. F. Barney,
Clinton.
CLINTON NEWS -RECOUP, THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 1979.. -.PAGE 3 • a
SPORTSWEAR
WERE *26. TO *65.
SALE PRICED $
18.
tr
TO 111,45
PANTS. SKIRTS - BLAZERS - VESTS - SHIRTS'- SWEATERS - ETC.
STAN
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COATS
Sam Castle demonstrates theliii'e art of roping with his lasso; which is really a
summer sport, and known by few people anymore. Sam also knows how to tie
100 other knots using nine different kinds of ropes..(NeWs-Record photo)
stuck in
the middle
• _
WERE 185 TO '375
SALE PRICED $
STAN
JONES.
145.To$325.
It's hard to believe that it's over. By Boxing Day, the Christmas
Within 24 hours, months of planning television specials are over and the
and preparing were.almost instantly radio) stations are° back -playing the
demolished or devoured as top 40 hits, the seasonal music store,d
Christmas carne to a quick end. away for another year.
It's not that I'm greedy, I wouldn't
have wanted any 'more gifts and I
surely don't need any more food, but
it would be nice if Christmas.could
last a little longer.
It seems to be such an anti-
climax, compared to the tremen-
dous 'buildup and attention that is
given to the international
celebration beforehand.
This excitable kid starts planning
for the big day in October, by looking
at prospective gifts and trying to
budget some of the meager funds
that quickly dwindle when gifts are
bought.
Christmas commercialism starts
late in the fall and entices,. many
people and children to look1orward
to the big event with -more zest.
. After the gifts are bought, hours
are spent wrapping them and
placing, them under the carefully
decorated tree. Meanwhile, mom
has spent hours over the hot stove
creating culinary delights and
teasing the senses with the mouth-
watering smell of the turkey
roasting in the oven.
Then, in .what seems to be a
moment's notice, the presents are
quickly ripped open and the once
beautiful scene by the Christmas
tree looks like a ravaged disaster
zone. The dinner bell is rung, and the
race begins as hungry mouths soon
remove all evidence that a feast had
been laid out only moments before.
Shoppe
LIMITED, -
Perhaps the fact that I work
prevents me giving my
wholehearted attention- to my
favorite celebration of the year.
It also seems that the older I get,
the faster time races by me.
As a kid, Christmas Day seemed
to last forever and the holiday from
school was entirely' too long. By the
27th I'd be bared with my new gifts
and would want to return to School to
see what my friends had received
from Santa.
As a youngster, I disliked the day
when the Christmas tree had to
come down. The 'tree had been in the
house for two weeks or so and had
become a ' comforting decoration
especially at night when its lights
glowed., When removed, the
livingroom always seemed so bare
and empty. With the tree gone, it
was a true sign that Christmas was
over, finished for another year.
Still in 1978, I mean '79, I'm faced
with the same dilemma. I'm sup-
posed to dismantle my itty bitty
artificial tree and face the fact that
Christmas is over. So far, I haven't
been able to bring myself%round to
taking it down and instead,
religiously turn on its li-ghts each
night and enjoy its friendly
presence,
I wonder if artificial trees are dust
collectors. I may just leave it up a
little while longer.
THIS WEEK
WEDNESDAY - OPEN ALL DAY
FRIDAY - OPEN TILL 9 P.M.
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Franklin... a Quality Name in Automatic Watering Equipment
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RON G. CARTER
P.O.BOX 255 BLYTH, ONTARIO
NOM 1H0
Phone. 357-1268
Um the Evenin]
PHONE FOR AN APPOINTMENT
TODAY
• • with our expert stylists - Bqnfllo Strong,
Marlette! Yeo, and Misfile Carroll.
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