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Clinton News-Record, 1984-04-04, Page 4f. • W too, 1401, mg* . . if • • • . ( rporatistp IIXTH STANDARD J. HOWARD AITKEN - Publiehee SHELleEY.McPHEE - Editor GARYITAIST - Advertising Manager MEMBER Divalev etivertiviese cotes MARY ANN HOLLENISECK OM" Manager available ell rename.. Agil bate Cond. No. 14 affective October 1, IVO. A MEMBER Thanks Doug Doug Coventry Was more than an administrator at the Clinton Public Hospital. In the 10 years that Doug served at the hospital he clearly proved that he was also a friend to the community. Our goodliurncired hospital acIministrator;-- who took -more than his share -of "short jokes" officially retired on March 30. Close to 200 associates and friends showed their appreciation for this little man at a dinner partyin his honor the next evening. Like most retirement parties, the evening included its share of complimentary speeches and presentations. Special to this retirement dinner, was the constant reminder that Doug Coventry was more than just an employee at the Clinton Public Hospital. He was dedicated worker and a good friend to the staff. Doug Coventry saw the Clinton,Hospital through the dark days of 1976 when the government threatened closure. Doug, former hospital board chairman Art Aiken and the community formed a united front to fight for the hospital. The bat- tle was a tough one, but they won. Clintonians still remember that time vividly and they still applaude the efforts of Doug Coventry and the community leaders who fought to keep our hospital alive. With that major battle under his belt, Doug went on to ensure the continued success of -the Clinton Public _Hospital by carrying...opt plan.s. to_ build_a_new emergency out-patient wing. This impressive large addition opened last year. Huron -Middlesex MPP Jack Riddell recalled those years, of extremes at the Clinton Hospital. He noted, "Doug is a person who has dedicated well over 10 years of service to the Clinton Public Hospital. We've come through come tough times, but we've come through some good times. The hospital's success was largely due to Doug." Leen Rehorst, chairman of the hospital board echoed Ridell's words in describ- ing the former hospital administrator. "It's been a great privilege to work with Doug. We worked together in.good spirit and harmony with the community, staff and doctors." Doug's final accomplishment at the hospital is still in the works. His one ambi- tion before retirement was 10 see the hospital accredited ,facility. This recognition is one of .the highest awards a medical institution can earn and our hospitol has recently be been surveyed for accreditation. Initial results of the' study. look promising and final word on the rating.will be announced in ihe'near fiiture. Doug Coventry spent over 10 years at thetlintomPublic Hospital. He was hired without an interview and started work on April Fool's Day 1973. • Hospital board members and 'staff agree.that hiring this little Scot was a gam- ble well worth taking. As Jack Riddell fondly joked, "Staff both looked up and looked down to Doug." -by S.'McPhee .15 13 top quality Behind The Scenes By Keith Roulston No fast food here It wasn't the kind of place you'd be likely to pick out to stop to eat if you were just driving down the highway but since it was right next door to the motel we were staying at and the next restaurant was miles away we tried it. • From the outside, it wasn't much: Its ear- ly 1950s packing -crate architecture didn't make the kind of impression that would stop you from passing on to the nearest golden arches if you were a stranger to the city. Neither did the appearance that sales of paint weren't soaring in this town because of this restaurant owner. It was a bleak building behind a bleak parking lot on a bleak urban sprawl strip on the .outskirts of a southern Ontario city. Inside wasn't encouraging either. The floor had tiles missing. The benches looked like they'd been reclaimed from a junked school bus. The wall decoration was mostly calendars and posters for hockey games. But it must have something going for it. The parking lot was full of pickup trucks and the vans of local carpenters and electri- cians. The stream of people coming in the door was constant. The booths were mostly full. The food? It was good solid, Canadian fare. Nothing great. Not even incredibly cheap. But after 10 minutes sitting at a table by the door it became evident why this place was popular. The owner exchanged a teas- ing banter with customers when they paid their bills. He poured a cup of coffee and took a muffin from the jar and went over and sat down with one customer, then wav- ed a sign to the waitress not to charge another customer who he owed a favour to. An old tractor pulled up in the parking lot and the owner hobbled in to the restaurant on, crutches. By the time he 'arrived the waitress had a table set and a coffee waiting for him then scolded him good-naturedly when he picked another table than the one -she'd prepared. People here on the edge of the city came here,more for the sense of community than for the food. That was the secret. There is an instinct in people that is as strong as the in- stinct to eat: an instinct to relax with people we know and enjoy being with. It's an instinct that seems almost alien in the modern world. The specialists from big businessmen sitting in front of computers figuring where the population trends say a new fast food restaurant should go to the government tax people who want to be able to reduce everything to. a computer code, seem -to rid us of this unfortunate need but people find a way to find a community anyway. It's almost like an underground society today. • The chamber of' commerce of that city won't point with pride to that shabby restaurant on the edge of town. It will point. Instead at the shining. new downtown shopp- ing mall, the huge hotel . complex on the other side of town, the strip where McDonald's and Burger King and Mother's flash their beckoning lights at potential customers. • But in that dilapidated little restaurant humanity goes on. And in a way, that's more important than anything the fancy places can offer. Genealogists can help find your heritage roots Dear Editor, It has been with great pleasure that I have seen the number of 'Letters to the Editor' in your paper from people seeking help in locating 'lost' families. Many of your readers are already. aware of the increasing "addiction" to searching for one's roots. But how often one reaches a dead end in trying to ferret out their aneestors from piles of dusty records or from the memories of elderly relatives. How often I have heard, "How do I start?", "Where do I look?", "What do I do now?". So all you new "addicts" take heart! Help has arrived! 'IOe Huron County Genealogical Society is sponsoring a "Beginners Workshop" April 7 from 2-5 p.m. at the Brussels Arena. There is no charge for this workshop and anyone wan- ting the answers to the above questions should come with pencil and paper in hand and bring all their genealogical problems. The learning experience will be unique! Thank you. Sincerely, Carole Robinson, Press Secretary and Past Chairman agar and Spice by Shelley McPhee My kid brother HAVE TO go and see my kid brother this week. I" don't have to. Nobody in his right mind has to _Iziayanything to do with his -relatiVes. From birth to death they are a pain in the arm. When a baby is born, all the eyebrows go up at the choice of name, unless it hap- pen a to be one of theirs, or that of a rich un- cle. Asked my grandboys the other day what their' second name was., Balind, "who sometimes doesn't know his anus from his elbow, promptly retored, "William." His se- cond name was the same as mine, in case I'd be pleased and leave him something. Asked the other guy who knows everything, from why Gran's crying to why Grandad is in a tearing rage. He muttered, "Chen." I'd forgotten. His parents named him that, don't ask me why, because they were on an international kick, and Chen means "first-born.' Poor little devil. His full name in Nikov Chen. Imagine what the CIA will do with that when they take over Canadian intelligence. Notice I spelled the last word without a capital. Next tirne the relatives act like Little Jack Horner is when your kids get married. Despite the fact that the couple has been liv- ing together for nine months, your blasted relatives want a church wedding, with the bride in white, a bigreception where everybody pretends that the newlyweds are virgin, there are some adolescent speeches right out of the age of Victoria, and somebody cuts a cake that nobody would eat with a 10 -foot pole. This costs roughly $5,000 to $19,000 so that the couple can go on living in sin, but with a paper to prove that they're not. • And the third occasion on which the By Bill Smiley relatives get their arms into it, right up to the elbows, is when somebody dies. This is when the real Christians emerge. "Mom always said I could have that tea service." "Weil, that's what you think. I was there the day she died and she ItiMitictly stated (arm twisted behind her back) that I could have not only the tea service but all the linen.." And so on. • I've 'seen all this, but no experienced it. . After my mother's death, my elder sister was mutually appointed arbitrator. And she arbitrated: "Two sheets for you, two for you. Two blankets for you, two for you. Two linen tablecloths for you, two for you. Two beds for you, a dining -room table for you. Everyday china for you, plus the silver cof- fee pot. Good china for you, plus the chamber -pot." And so on. It was like being at an auction, without any bids, and we all went away rather daz- ed; enriched heytond our dreams, and with only a few grudges. We were all so young and unsophisticated that we let an aunt have a beautiful chaise longue, which wound up as a period piece in, of all places, Australia. My aunt didn't want it. This hasn't much to do with going to see my kid brother, but I still think that he thinks he got screwed (he was in Paris at the time) on the family split-up, and covets the hand -carved stool my Dad made, ..which I traded off for an upright piano of dubious vintage. Maybe not. Maybe he just wants to see me. Maybe he wants to apologize for all the times he trail- ed me all over town when I was seven and he was five. I would first hiss at him, then shout at him, to go home. He'd hang on, a block behind, crying like a fire siren, stubborn as aleidoscope a hountifollOwing a fox. He's challenged me to a game of golf. This is quite understandable. R fits thepattern, I could alwaysbeat him at everything, and he wants the masochistic satisfaction of being trounced Qnce more, before he retires to that ivondOrland of golf where everybody takes a Muilligan, everybody rides an elec- tric cart to' the next hole, and everybody discusses every shot at the 19th hole. On the other hand, maybe he wants te talk about all that money I borrowed from him when he had a paper route and I was a — well, a sort of freelancer. Every Saturday night, I used to' lock him in the bathroom and -freelance about two- thirds of his weekly take, so I could go to the movies. Saw him in Germany a few years ago, and he was still keeping track. He figures 1 owe him $28,500 and some dollars ;o with com- pound interest. Perhaps he just wants to remind xne of all the girls he has taken away from me, over the years. He never took anyone of any real consequence, but he took some very fine prospectives.. On the fourth hand, maybe he just wants to rub it in to me that I'm a failure. He retired , as a Colonel with a chestful of medals. I quit as a Flight-Inot with four or five medals mouldering in the basement. He has been at the beck and call of generals, ambassadors, and such. He is divorced — fashionable. I am married — un- fashionable. He in charming, multilingual, has tasted the fleshpots of Europe. I' am a typical suburban slob. Or maybe the poor little fella just wants to =see the brother he used to pillowfight with, every Saturday morning. This is fund raising time of year, when it seems that someone's always at the door loOking for donations, • Some people find it hard to decide which worthy causes te, support and which ones to pass up, but by living a dollar or. two to several organizations, you can help many people and many causes. The Clinton Lions Club just completed their first ever Easter Seal Telethon and local organizer Steve Fraser is overwhelmed with the support to the fund raising effort, from Clinton, Bayfield, Blyth and the surrounding areas. Steve says he's exhausted from all the work, but pleased with the results from the weekend telethon and enthusiastically reports that the Clinton Lions will be involved again next year. Local fund raising continues this month with the annual drive for the Canadian Cancer Society. In conjunction with this the Daffodil Tea will be held on April 6 at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Clinton. Many area ladies' groups lend a hand to help make this luncheon a yearly success. +++ Anticipated school closures do not only affect our small rural municipalities, they too can occur in Ontario's largest urban centres. In Tuesday's Toronto Star, columnist Frank Jones wrote an article that caught my eye, entitled What's bad about small schools? It looked at a decision made by the North York school board when it recently voted to close the Anthony Street Public School. By Shelley McPhee En 1ment at the school had declined from a high f 500 students to a low of 86. Palents there are as distressed as our own Vona ra and Hensall parents are over the prospts of losing their school. One North York other noted, "...We don't send our kids to thony School to get rid of them. We send thei there to learn the same thing they learn at k�me. The teachers in that school know the at of every kid." . Frank Jots wrote, "It's not fair to blame school bowls for population trends, but here's sometnng I'd like to know: what's so bad about hating small schools? "I know scheol administrators hate them because they &II allow for vice -principals, office staff and all the job padding that makes advancement in the education business possible. inel 'I know the familiar old argument that you can't afford to provide industrial aits, music phys-ed and all the other enricflng extras of modern education. 'But for goodness lake, have they never heard of circulating teachers who can move from school to sch ol to provide these subjects? Surely now hey have computers in schools that make it 11 the easier to have schools with only 50 ch ., ren, or 20, or even 10. Because nothing is ore ,important, not audio-visual aids, no big gyms, not swimming pools, than aking those first years in school a friendl intimate bridge for children between hom and the outside world. And nothing cont b.utsesucemessorfeuiltyo tehhanildrtehne fineeelkinir that thej s ‘, ool is part of their community, the place • y play in the = evening, where mom and dad go to meetings and where the teachers are people everyone in the neighborhood knows.' -+ —+- - Clintonians,- Don't forget to bundle you old newspapers and put them out on the curb Saturday morning. The Londesboro Lions will be out and about for their monthly collection. Over in Bayfield the Lions will be out as well making their regular newspaper pick- up. What happens to all those old newspapers? This week reporter Wendy Somerville takes a look at the recycling business and how you can help the local Lions Club in their fund raising efforts. +++ On March 28 there were 11 tables of euchre in play for the last game of the season at the Knights of Columbus match held in St. Joseph's Church Hall, Clinton. Winners included: high scorers, Omerine Watkins and John Van den Elzen; low scorers, Dorothy Fleet and Martin Van Ninhuys; lone hands, Elizabeth Medd and Lonnie Matthews; lucky chair, Alvin Sharp; lucky draw, Evelyn Christensen. +++ The Clinton IOOF and Rebekah card party was held on March 30. Winners were: high scorers, Marie Gibbings and Lloyd Stewart; low scorers, Mrs. Sootheran and Elmer Trick; lone hands, Ernie Brown and Mary Trick; share the wealth, Grace White and Mary Trick. The last party of the season will be held on - April 12. floyelotir liwoo.owitommiabo Dear Editor Displeased taxpayer 4 Dear Editor: As a taxpayer in the township of Goderich I am writing to express my displeasure in the new zoning By-law for Goderich Township, and how it is being handled. Over 30 percent of the taxpayers affected by the new By-law are cottage owners who are only here seasonally, there has been no effort made by our council members to give proper notice to out-of-town residents so that we might be included in the open houses which have been held to discuss the impact of such a By-law. It seems clear to me that the council must see us as second class citizens because little effort has been made in order to accom- modate us, for example; After receiving in the mail a 163 page document, which would take a law degree to understand. on Tues- day, we are expected to drop everything and drive to a open house in Holanesville that followingSaturday. The second meeting that was held on Wednesday Feb. 21,1984 at 9:00 PM, notified taxpayers on page 9 of the Clinton News - Record six days prior to its meeting. Contrary to what our council members must think, a couple days notice to drive to a meeting held on a wintery Wednesday night from London, Sarnia or Toronto takes a bit more planning. - - It seems clear to me that the council must have something to hide because they insist on having meetings without giving sufficient notice, thus preventing the chance for assembly, the council must be trying to pass something that the majority of people do not want! Emily Nielsen London, Ontario Immersion costs. Dear Editor: I would 'like °to express my views on French Immersion schools being set up in -Huron ai-unty, and-the-cliniatteefetrittaili---- ing opportunities in French- only. The com- mittee says it won't cost the people too mucb. as the Federal and the Provincial Govern- ments supply considerable funding, they are really right there. It cost the Davis Government $88 million last year for French schools, then we have the French law courts and other French ser- vices which I'll bet will put it up over the $100 million. This is a Province 95 or 94 per- cent English, 1 percent of the French that can't speak English. I would say that is . stupid : English taxpayer paying 95 percent Of the cost. Here is another -reason Why.- English Canada should not be teaching French period. A year ago raitTNOVehibti.et-A 4982 Secretary. of State' Serge Joyal made a big speech to a big gathering of French in • Halifax, after thanking all the people for be- ing responsible for the meeting he starts off with telling them that this is their country and not to forget that, he went on to tell them that he was going to make Canada a French state not only in Quebec but all across Canada, he also said that he was talking to Ontario Minister of. Education, Betty. Stevenson and he was going to take a good look at French College and Universities. , When he was first elected to his job reporters asked him what he was going to do now that he was Secretary Of State he replied to strengthen the status of Fran- cophoner. Our English members didn't complain. Here is another reason why we shouldn't be teaching French at all. The minister of State Serge Joyal sent out his minority rights granted to the minority groups across the country. The French speaking people in. Quebec amounted to only $1,520,070. for 1,131,390 or $1.34 per person, while grants to mother. tongue, French outside Quebec amounted to $14,457;703. fot. Only 941,995 peo- ple or $15.35 per person that has been going on for years. Here is another good reason why we should not be teaching French. In Quebec your mother tongue has got to be English or you can't send your children to an English school,- you can't put up an English sign even On your own property or you will be fin- ed if you don't take it down, not even a Bil- ingual sign, they got rid of English being of- ficial you can't see any English any place in Quebec. They got rid of Our English as being official, can't see an English sign any place with the blessing of the Federal Govern- ment, no complaints from our English members while our English members pass- ed their Bilingual bill forcing the English to learn French or they don't get a good job, discrimates everybody but French, that's all it's good for, they passed the language bill costing millions in translations, they did that for 941990.people a:s Ftenelitanebec has no English and the worst that they did was get rid of our B.N.A. constitution which had in it one working language English. Equal Rights to all, special privileges to none. If we had all the money that it has cost us for this French stuff and its the English tax- payer has paid at least 90 percent of it, it would sure put a big hole in our deficit, billions and billions of money for a language we did not need at all. With the help of about 90 percent of our English nlembers of government, Serge Joyal won't have much trouble making a French state out of Canada. Our English members have let the Engligh people down badly, a dirty shame. Mr. Asa Deeves, Hensall, Ontario. Thank you Clinton Dear Editor: On behalf of the Clinton Beta Sigma Phi, I would like to thank everyone who helped to make the daffodil campaign for the Cancer Society a success this year. Special thanks goes to Percy Pugh for storing the daffodils and to all the people who either sold or took orders, Mrs. Marguerite Falconer, Chairperson Service Committee, Xi Epsilon, Beta Simla Phi. - •