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Clinton News-Record, 1985-4-24, Page 4Page 4—CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 1985 The Clinton News -Record Is published each Wudnomdoy at P.O. Boa 39, Clinton, Ontario, Canada. NOM 11.0. Tel.: 482-3443. Subscription Rate: Canada - 519.75 Sr. Citizen - 516.75 per year U.S.A. foreign - 555.00 per your H Es registered as second class moil by t,ho poet office &molar the permit number 6617. Tho News -Record Incorporated in 1924 the Huron News -Record, founded In 1881, and The Clinton News Eco, founded in 1865. Total press runs 3,700. Kaleidosco Q Incorporating (TIIE BLYTH STANDARD) J. HOWARD AITKEN - Publisher SHELLEY McPHEE - Editor GARY HAIST - Advertising Manager MARY ANN HOLLENBECK - Office Manager CCN4 A MEMBER MEMBER Display advertising rates available on request. Asci for Rote Cord No. 15 effective October 1. 1981. Red Cross helps Africa Dear Editor: Face to face with famine, Canadians reach deeply to help. Radio CKNX launched a fund raising campaign netting more than $44,000 and The Sun newspapers in Toronto, Edmonton and Calgary raised almost $1 - million from readers who read about the drought victims. Red Cross provided advice, assistance and information to fund raising groups. But inost important it provided them with an assured method of directly channelling the funds raised, to the famine victims, through a respected, experienced and accountable international aid agency. Every cent raised in Canada and chan- nelled through the Canadian Red Cross is sent directly to the International Red Cross for the purchase of necessary relief sup- plies. They purchase food and medical sup- plies at the best possible price and forward there by ship or chartered plane to Ethiopia and other African nations where the unloading and distribution is supervised closely by International Red Cross representatives and Red Cross delegates. All. aid programs are subject to regular audits and financial reports. Even in relief camps, feeding is supervis- ed to ensue .IIno one carries food away until all are fed and distribution of rehabilitation supplies' started. 1)r. Schilling, Under Secretary General, of the League of the Red Cross is in the for- tunate situation of knowing that the relief gets through to those for whom it is destin- ed. The league sends all its goods to the Na- tional Red Cross in the country concerned or • to our delegation on the spot. Red Cross relief is never addressed to governinents or anybody outside the Red Cross. Unlike many other relief agencies, the Canadian Red Cross deducts no ad- ministrative fires of expenses from any funds donated to the society for interna- tional relief, including the •current Ethiopia and African relief funds: • It is able to do this only because of the sup- port it receives annually from Canadians through local United Way and Red Cross campaigns. These funds support the Red Cross services in Canada, but also make it possible for the Canadian Red Cross to res- pond immediately and effectively to inter- national disasters. Donations to Red Cross campaigns help keep Red Cross ready to help in Ontario, in Canada and around the world. Sincerely. Bess Fingland, Clinton Foolish blindness Dear. Editor: - Congratulations to Keith Roulston for pro- ducing such an insightful editorial last week. Of all the reactions to David Suzuki's series on CBC that I've seen and heard,, not one has come even close to Mr. Roulston's trenchant thinking. If the human race can discard the outmod- ed idea that unbridled competition is a good thing it may yet mean that our children and grandchildren will survive to tell their children and grandchildren all about the foolish blindness.to 20th Century man. Sincerely, Alexander McAlister Bayfield Space recalls Dear Editor: • I read in the London paper the American astronauts cannot awaken the 'sleeping $85-. million satellite andhad to abandon same as useless junk. Baloney.' The answer is very simple, call in General Motors Engineers!. They are used to lots of recalls. Frederick H. Jackson, (Clinton I . Bravo Clinton • on job well done Dear Editor: 1 am a fairly new resident of the town of Clinton who became a very proud resident of,this town last weekend. - 1 I attended the Four County Arts Training Seminar on April 12,13 and 14 at. our newly renovated Town Hall Complex. This facility was ideal for our three day confereace, such a pleasant comfortable setting. The people who attended from the four countries of Huron, Bruce, Perth and 'Grey all commented most positively on our beautiful new addition to our town. We are so fortunate to have had the people involved in this project to make dreams come to reality. Let's appreciate and use this facility' to it's utmost. 1 would also like to add Kevin i)uguay uur Recreation Director was a very active member of the Four County Arts Committee who did a super job welcoming newcomers to our town. He was a very busy man at this event and a terrific Arnbassador.of Clinton. Congratulations Clinton and Kevin on a fob WELL DONE ! Sincerely: Liz Herrman Clinton Dear Editor: . I would like to convey to the people of the town of Clinton my admiration for their ob- vious pride of their town. This was evident to me when 'I •attended the Four County Arts Seminar held at the Town Hall r April 12 - 141. I was struck by the attractive building's comfort arid tastefulness.. Your town certainly set an 'example for other towns. Sincerely, Susan. Rankin, President - I )urharn Art Gallery Behind The Scenes A visit to the Clinton School on Wheels is always a special event. The hospitality, the history and the dedication involved in the story of the old railway car and the people who are restoring it is uplifting. Each time I visit the School 'Car I learn a little more about the extraordinara Slornan family, their lives and their work u, nor- thern Ontario, and I'm able to see the ex- citing renovation work that is taking place at the school car. An event held at the School Car last week was no exception. The quiet ceremony was held to present a plaque, in recognition of the Gold Spike ceremony that took place at the School Car last fall. An inscription on the plaque reads, "When fully restored the School on Wheels will once again stand proudly to salute a very important chapter of Ontario's history and at the same time, pay tribute to the dedication, commitment and adven- turesome spirit of Mr. and Mrs. Sloman." That inscription was best illustrated by a slide presentation shown that evening. The extraordinary old black and white photographs clearly depict life on the rails in nothern Ontario where the Sloman family lived and worked for 39 years. The slides show the desolation of the cold, northern country and the warmth anal friendship brought to the isolated families. Pictures show children trudging through snow to reach the school car. They travelled across rivers, through woods and down miles of tracks. In the wild northern country the school children and their teachers con- tended with snow and bitter cold, blackflies and sandflies in summer and wild animals. Pictures show the children engrossed in their studies in the little old school' car.. Every inch of the walls in the classroom were covered with pictures and knick knacks, . maps and bookshelves. The children delighted in seeing these new and special treasures where ever they looked. There were Christmas parties and birth- day parties, . ice fishing expeditions, toboganning on cardboard and skin the cat competitions. • There are photographs of Mr. and Mrs. By Shelley McPhee loman, their Lave children and their extend - e family, the students and their parents. Treasured pictures show Mr. and Mrs. Sloman sharing a cup of tea, wash day, the family preparing their old car for a summer journey to Clinton, Mr. Sloman shovelling coal, and the King of the Hobos, proudly decked out in his coat of buttons. Love of children took the Sloman family to northern Ontario. For close to four decades they willingly gave up many comforts and necessities that we enjoy. The Slomans devoted their lives to educating more than 1,000 children. The family lived in the con- fines of an 80 foot railway coach that doubl- ed as school room and home for the family of seven. They knew no permanent residence, had little privacy and knew no division between home life and work. Many of us couldn't make the kind of sacrifices that the Sloman family did. They look back on that time in their lives with fond memories, affection and pride. Perhaps the greatest tribute to the Slomans is the restoration of the School on Wheels. Bought by the Town of Clinton, the crippled, neglected railway car was brought to Clinton in 1982. The car was dilapidated beyond recogni- tion. When the abandoned car was first discovered in Mississauga it had a tree growing out one window. It had been ravag- ed by fire. When Mrs. Sloman first saw the car she remarked, "That's not our car. It can't be our car." In October 1982 the School Car arrived in Clinton. It wasn't the wonderful old railway coach that everyone envisioned it would be. Some said it was beyond repair. A dedicated group of volunteers took on the mammoth task to restore the car to its original state. Renovations are now past the half Way mark and the improvements are outstanding. The cost of : estoration to date has been over $5,000. The money that has been raised through donations and membership fees, CNR has supplied many authentic -materials and old school room items have been donated by many, people. At this point the School on Wheels bank book is empty and further restoration hinges on additional funding. While provin- cial grants have been applied for, the local contributions of people in the area will pro- vide the strong backbone for the future of the school car. Memberships to the School on Wheels available for only $5. Over 200 people ha pledged their support to this special project through memberships. Please consider making a contribution, $5 or more, to this worthwhile venture. Membership Chairman Clarence Denomme of Clinton is the man to see. The future of the School Cards promising. This summer it will have official visiting hours, starting May 19, from 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to dusk. This fall the Ontario Heritage Foundation will unveil a provincial historic plaque in honor of the Sloman family and the school car. Another special happening is a 10 part television series called "And The'Miles Go On." Gordon Pinsent is involved as an actor and writer in this project which is loosely based on the Sloman story. CNR School on Wheels No. 15089 has found and loving home in Clinton. Be sure to visit the school car this sum- mer. Support the restoration work and take time to learn the story behind this old railway coach and the people who made it home and school. It's an exciting and enlightening experience. + + + It's cookie time - Girl Guide Cookie time. The young ladies will be holding a Cookie Blitz, downtown Clinton this Friday night from 4-6 p.m. Be sure to buy a box. + + The first sign of- summer comes tie weekend. On Sunday, April 28 at 2 a.m. the annual switch from Standard Time to Daylight Savings time takes place. Be sure to turn your clocks back an hour. It means we lose an hour's sleep, but it also means more time in the gardens, at the baseball diamond, or just sitting on the back porch. It's time for summer pleasures. At the School Car Sugar and Spice by Shelley JVIcPhee By Keith Roulston A gruesoiiie winter Trouble,' Ia(e vs, id] tlill(t They showed the old movie ofthe great happening at Woodstock New York the other night and in shilwing it; they illustrated just how much things we think are so important today, can seem so trivial in a few years time. The Woodstock concerts, that drew hurl- 'clreds of thousands to a faun near the small town of Woodstock, New York in 1969, became sort of a symbol of the era of the late 1960's and early 1970's, a tirne of youthful rebellion. of protest against the U.S. involvement in Viet Nam. ,1 Vietnam. the generation gap, rebellion, they dominated our news at the time. The concerned young worried about the con- .;cience of their nation and the elders wandered about the morality of their young. it went on and on and on until we thought it would never end. Rut it did. Looking back at films or old newspaper clippings of the time it seems as foreign as if we were looking at something from the French Revolution) The war in Vietnam is over and forgotten. Those who worried about America's pride now see a new president in the White House who is busy restoring American pride by beating up oil Grenada and Nicaragua. The young protesters of Woodstock era are now the af- fluent, materialistic mainstream of society and if their consciences are hurting, it's hard to see from their support for Ronald Reagan We-ve had our own examples of how ma- jor crisis can ,look so small in retrospect. Canadians agonized tor 2)) years about whether they could 'keep Quebec in con- federation. Was the separatist movement going to cut Canada in half by taking the huge hunk of Quebec nut'' At times it seem- ed the break was inevitable as the voters of Quebec first elected -a separatist govern- ment, then re-elected there and then seemed ready • to support Rene Levesque in a referendum to decide if negotiations for a break should start. Today we have the sight of I,i:vesque re- nouncing separatist in order to have evert .1 chance of winning the next election. Separatism, at least for the moment, is a dead issue in Quebec. in the summer of 1967. while Canadians celebrated the ii love of nation as never before, thi•, terror of the race riots seemed real for the first time to us in this part of the country when the flames of Detroit's burn- ing downtown could be seen across the river in Canada. Put together with the riots in Watts iii Los Angeles and elsewhere, and one wondered if the U.S. really faced violent insurrection of the black population. Before that it was the constant struggle for access to schools and public• institutions in the U.S. south that led to constant stories of civil rights marches and confrontations between the national guard and adament local bigots: Could there ever he peace? To- day, it's hard to remember those days. The lesson to be learned is that no matter how had our troubles, they will seem smaller with the perspective of passing years. IN many ways, it has been a rather gruesome winter. T. begin with the little things, around 'our neck of the woods, we had about 14 feet of snow in about 10 weeks, beginning on New Year's Eve. That creates a survival course, all by itself. But that's nothing to an old, retired guy like me. in fact, it gave me something to do: just getting myself i'n and -out of the house, and my car in and out of the garage. On real- ly had days, there was a tendency to just lie in bed with a gond book; take an occasional glance through the window at the white whirlwind outside, and hope your neighbor, with the snowblower would have you dug out in a couple of days. My only problem was a short but fierce battle between my car and my garage, won by a knockout in the first round by the garage. And the ice backing up on the roof, creating a spooky stain on my bedroom ceil- ing and some sagging plaster here and there. And two nearly broken elbows when f took the garbage out one night, g¢lt one leg up to the hip in•a drift, couldn't move, and fell on some stones because I wouldn't let go of the garbage. The only moral to this is, "What does it profit a man if he clings to the garbage can and breaks both elbows?" But any,,)ed-bloodied veteran of a Cana- dian winter can hack this sort of stuff. Do we not live in the "temperate zone," according to the old geography lessons" No, it wasn't this type of minor misery that made the winter of 1985 a sour one. There was the continuing war between Iraq and Iran, with two Moslem neighbors fighting a four-year conflict with no sign of peace, and a quarter of a million casualties, about something we in the West, don't begin By Bill Smiley to understand. Sick. There was the dreadful Bhc.;i J disaster in India, with thousands killed or poisoned due to a failure in "technology," our latest god. Sick. There was the concurrent horror of Beirut, in Lebanon, where everybody, regardless of religion, common sense, or economics, wants to kill someone else. Sick. There was the on-going fighting in Central America, with thousands of innocent bystanders killed, or burned out. Sick. There were the endless pictures of children in Africa, with bloated bellies and flies crawling over their faces, dying in a world where we Canadians debate whether we'll have chicken or steak or "bh, no, Mom, not hamburg again." Sick. Of course, that was a media mecca. The starvation had been going on for years. Sud- denly it was NEWS. And almost as suddenly (i'll swear I saw the same baby with the same flies and same swollen belly twenty times) it almost ceased, though millions of conscience-stricken North Americans con- tributed millions of dollars for relief, which was like spitting in the ocean. Sick. Rack home, despite our comparative lux- ury, we had trouble with ( what else?) the Canadian dollar. Every day we were told breathlessly that the dollar had "plunged" to a new low, or "surged" to a new high, compared with yesterday. The dollar never dropped slightly, or rose a quarter of a cent. Sick. Before the last election, the cry from all parties was "Jobs" as first priority. Seen any drop in the unemployment figures? Nope. Only warnings of cuts in this or that program or of increases in expenditures for this or that, a euphemism for higher taxes. Sick. We have a new ' government, with a tremendous majority, and a mandate to make some major, courageous chap What has it done in six months? Cosied - .f Ronald Reagan, put out some trial balloons about slashing social securities, and spent millions on patronage, bigger everything in Ottawa, and a general feeling that the new Tories are the same old gang we've had for 50 years, with a different label. Sick. And speaking of sick, I've almost thrown up by the media coverage of a couple of little 411 twerps who have captured much of this .winter's news in this country. One is Dr. Henry Morgenthaler, strutting like a banty rooster toward his next battle with the courts, with qrdinary, sensible Canadians booing or cheering, much to his gratification, as he strives to set up more abortion clinics. The other is Ernst Zundel, the blatant Nazi, who says Hitler was a gentle man and the holocaust was a hoax. He was convicted of something or other, appealed the convic- tion, and looked like the proverbial cat who swallowed the canary as he left court, Sur- rounded by his hard-hat goons. Best publici- ty he could have hoped for, for his warped views. Sick. If I could be a dictator for a day, I'd deport Morgenthaler to Ethiopia to set up his clinics. Too many babies there. And I'd deport Zundel to Israel, give him a 50 yar start, and devil take the hindmost. Sick winter. Never mind. Easter is coming, and we can all go to church, our annual visit.