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Clinton News-Record, 1985-6-19, Page 4Page 4—CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19,1985 The Clinton News-Rocord 69 published each Wednesday at P.Q. Box 39. Clinton. Ontario. Canada. NOM 11.0. TM.: 482.3443. Subscription Roam Canada - 519.75 Sr. Citizen - 516.75 per year U.S.A. foreign. 555.00 per year Clinton Ne:\ 09 is registered as second clams mail by the post office under the permit number 0817. The Nowa-Record Incorporated In 1924 the Huron News -Record, founded in 1881, and Tho Clinton News Era, Bounded In 1865. Total press runs 3,700. s -Record Incorporating �THE RLXTH STANDARD J. HOWARD AITKEN - Publisher SHELLEY McPHEE - Editor GARY HAIST - Advertising Manager MARY ANN HOLLENISECK - Office Manager GGNA 4. •CNA MEMBER MEMBER Display advertising rates available on request. Ask for Rote Cord No. 15 effective October 1, 1984. Rec chairman replies to letter Dear Editor: '1'he following letter was received by me on Monday, ,June 17. As you will note, the let- ter is unsigned. The -envelope also bore no return address. It was mailed in the Town ilf Clinton. The letiter reads: Dear Sir: Don't be surprised if a determined effort is made within the next few days to have you removed from holding office on the recrea- tion committee. A small group of people, business and others, is very certain that you have a bad case of conflict of interest. As long as your daughter continues working for the recrea- tion and, you remain a member of that com- mittee. our legal advice is that this con- stitutes a blatant conflict of interest and that you can and should he removed from office. If the situation is not corrected very shortly you -will certainly he challenged in the courts. Would the school board easily con- done this kind of publicity about one of their school principals'? You must know that many people in the town also believe that recreation is already costing far too much and some real effort has to be niade to bring it under control. :Maybe with you and some of the other teachers off the committee Clinton can get back to something we need and can afford. I hope that it will be the election issue that some .think it. should be.this fall. We are giv- ing you an opportunity to bow out'graceful- ly, without a lot of had publicity for your self and family. We hope you take the -opportuni- ty. provided. . Although it hardly: deserves a response, there are a few points that 1 would like to mirkc. My daughter, Sutian,• is beginning her seventh year as an employee of the recrea- tion c•onunittce. I have been on that same committee for the past nine years, Why, all of a sudcle't, has this become 0 conflict of,in- terest:' Susan is employed as the pool super- visor because she has the aquatic qualifica-• tioe and the organizing ability necessary for the job. I did not attend the interviews or get in- volved in the hiring procedure lest I should influence the capable people who undertook that task. Incidentally, my daughter Audra also sub- mitted an application for swruner employ- ment with the rec. committee. She is still looking for work. So much fur the influence of my position. Your point about school teachers being members of the committee is laughable. We advertise annually, in the local paper, for people interested in sitting on the recreation conunittee. The response has been less than overwhelming. Without people willing to volunteer time, energy and -effort, regardless of occupation, this town would have a lot less going for it than it presently' has. Personally, I coached minor baseball for 12 years during the 1960s and early '70s. i have coached a minor hockey team for the past nine years, while also a member of the Minor .Hockey Executive. I have been a member of the hair Board and rec conunit- tee for the past nine years. All of this has been as a volunteer. I have given to (Clinton far more than I have ever taken. A question for the writer( s e of the letter - What have you dune, as a volunteer, for this town? Ifyou, the authorise of the above letter, think for a second, that I will bow to such scare tactics as an anonymous letter, please reconsider. As you can see, the publicity does not scare me. Take me to court, as you suggest, at least we will meet face to face and I will know who you are. The town will know who you are and no longer will you be able to assume the cowardly position of hiding behind a letter that you didn't have the courage or decency to sign. Yours truly, Icon McKay, Chairman of Clinton Recreation conunittee.. "Conte Home to Ripley in '85" '1'o the Editor: Ten y ears ago this suminer, families and friends gathered together to 're -kindle friendships and remember the 'good old Once again "Ripley's Alive in '85." Many will remember the highlights of the last reunion such as the mamrnoth parade, dancing nightly, beard growing contest, the Shirt 'fail Par'acie, just to mention a few. It will all happen again this year plus much, much more. Be sure to set the.week-end of August 1-5, '1985 aside and plan to "Come Home to Ripley in '85." Consider this your personal invitation to join. in the celebrations...."Ripley's Alive in '85," Yours ruly, ,Janet'I'ra r, Publicity Committee, 1985 Ripley -Huron Committee %initial "Flower of Hope" campaign Dear Editor: 'Phis year in conjuction with our annual '•l' lowers of Hope" campaign we are giving local businesses the oportunity to contribute as well. In the past the campaign has been limited to private homes in the area. it has been decided that this will he our one major fund raising activity for the year ann win cover u,e whole conuuwrity. As your friend andneighbor in this com- munity we solicit your support. Your donation stays in the area and pro- vides service and equipment not covered by Government grants. Thank you for sharing in this vital service to our community. The Flowers of Hope Committee. Victor Knip and Anne Kikkert. Behind The Scenes By Keith Rainton Remembering and forgetting It is ironic that Ronald Reagan. who has made confrontation arid hatred the centre of nearly all , his decisions since becoming president of the United States should get in- to his biggest scrape yet for a gesture of set- ting past hatreds aside There is little doubt that Reagan was sincere in his desire to show a reconciliation with the German people when he laid a wreath at the Bithurg cemetery in Germany on the 40th anniversary of the end of World War II. He misjudged the mood of his own people however when, led by veterans and Jewish groups. they protested the move because of the presence of 49 graves of members of the hated SS among the 2000 graves. The incident shows again the dilernrna the world faces in its faltering attempts to find the lasting peace: what should you remember and what forget. The saying that those who forget history are' doomed to repeat it has proved too true. And yet.at the. same time we are plagued with conflicts around the wiirld where one group of people tries to revenge past injustices. Catholics and Protestants battle in the streets of Nor- thern Ireland. in Beirut everybody seems to fight everybody. Armenians are still fighting a battle lost in 1916 to the Turks. Sikhs and Hindu still bat- tle in India, each not forgiving the other for past atrocities. There is a case in saying that if there is ever to be peace, somebody has to be willing to, if not forget, at least forgive. Somebody has to turn the other cheek and resist the urge for revenge of the other side's attempt at revenge. If not, the vicious circle goes on forever. But our memories are selective. Ronald Reagan preaches that we cannot forget the evils of the Soviet Union around the world. Yet our convenient memory lapses prevent us from understanding that the Soviets ac- tions are motivated not always by a drive to conquer the world but from a fear for their own security. What have the Soviets to fear from us? We're a peace -loving people who .would never think of invading Russia, right? But ink 1917 the young revolution in the Soviet Union was threatened by an invasion of 300,000 troops from Canada, the U.S., Britain, France, Japan, Italy, Australia and many other nations. Many of the troops were sent there by our governments against their will. They thought they should be fighting Ger- mans, not Russians. Canadians actually mutinied, demanding to go homer , Yet how many of us know about that inva- tion today? in a visit to Los Angeles in September, 1959 Nikita Kruschev said • • Never nave any of our soldiers been on American soil, but your soldiers were on Russian soil." Few knew what he was talk- ing about. Indeed at one time one of the ma- jor encyclo edias in the U.S. denied that American troops had taken part in that aborted invasion. Forgetting history like this can be dangerous to world peace. Not forgetting other parts of history can lead to continued conflict. Perhaps the answer is the forgive but not forget. 1 Kaleid SC0pQ "The history of our villages is the history of our country in small pieces." - Victor Hugo. Alison Lobb is dedicated to this preserva- tion of the past. She is among the dozens of Goderich Township residents who are work- ing to commemmorate the municipality's 150 year history through writing and pic- tures in specially produced history books. The first volume of this book has proven to 14e an overwhelming success. The second book promises to be equally as irppressive. It will tell the stories of the pioneers who settled in the township more than a century ago. It will also tell of the people who live there today, who have made Goderich Township a successful community. The stories are fascinating. They tell of long cross -Atlantic voyages from countries like England, Germany, Holland, France, Yugoslavia, Poland ... They tell of orpharl boys who came to Canada, of widows and children looking for a new life, of war brides and young men searching for new oppor- tunities and success ... They tell of the set- tlement in the township, about the painstaking work to clear the land, to built a home. An exerpt from a story that appeared in the 1929 issue of The Clinton News -Record, entitled Some Pioneer Reminiscences from Goderich Township recounts one story: -- "Two youngsters with a basket of fresh produce from the farm of 'Robert Baker, an Irish gentleman and early pioneer in Goderich Township, trudged from the farm to the town of Goderich, a distance of 12 miles with only a blazed trail to follow. It was evening when the lads returned along the same blazed trail, covering 24 miles in all and carrying each a brand new hoe over By Shelley McPhee the shoulder to assist their father in farm- ing " The history of Goderich Township Volume II will illustrate how the times have changed through personal stories and biographies. More than 300 families have submitted ac- counts of their history, both those of more than 100 years ago and of younger families who are equally interested in their heritage. Editor Alison Lobb welcomes more stories. The final deadline for submission is the week of July 1. Plans are to have a rough draft of the n'i'aterial ready for people to pro- of read during the township's Sesquicenten- nial celebrations, July 15-21. Photos to ac- company the stories must be in by August 1. Since there are still some' families who have expressed' an interest in having their family included, but have not yet submitted stories, two days have been set aside (June 29th and July 2nd) to help these families completre their histories. Alison Lobb and some of her committee will be on hand (by appointment only) to work with the in- dividuals to prepare copy. Please bring along any rough notes or scrapbook clipp- ings which include pertinent dates! Also, br- ing along any photos you are considering in- cluding. Phone 482-7167 for an appointment. "We do not want to eliminate anybody's story from our book, yet a deadline has been set since we must have all submissions in and typed onto the computer before 'we know exactly how many pages of copy we have. Until this is done we cannot get a final price from our publisher! We want a firm commitment before July 15 so that copies of the book may be sold in advance," Alison notes. She hopes that the book will be ready for delivery before Christ -mac 148.5, but this will depend entirely upon how many changes or additions people request on the July rought draft. A 9 x 11" book, hard cover, 300 pages has been proposed and, IF this is the final size, the likely cost (FOR ADVANCE SALES) will be $30. (plus postage, if necessary). However, that is ONLY if they can afford to print 1,000 copies! The number printed will depend entirely upon the number of copies presold, so make sure you take the oppor- tunity to get your name on the patron's list during the July celebrations! The patron's list will not be limited to township residents this time. People who buy their book by September 1 will be have their name included, and an address (city, town, township OR Lot and Con. if they, live in the township). If they were born in Goderich Township an asterick will be plac- ed by their name. If you want YOUR family story included in this book and are not sure how to go about putting your information down on paper, give Alison Lobb ( 482-7167) a call and take advantage of the assistance available from this 1-5-0 Committee! Preparing the book is an ambitious pro- ject, but one that will prove its worth for generations to come. Be sure to be a part of it! Marjorie Snellgrove of Vanastra took part in a special reunion in Ottawa on the weekend of June 14-19. She was among the more than 1,200 members of the Royal Canadian Air Force Women's Division to at- tend the reunion. Women from around the world attended this event which commem- morated the 40th anniversary of the end of World War II. The next reunion will be held in Calgary in 1988. 5' Headin' hone By Anne Narejko Sugar and Spice The golden years 13y the time this appears in print, i'll be - 'hold it now: don't faint; don't have a heart attack: it's not a suicide note; it's worse than that - I'll he a Senior Citizen. What a moment. On the second of ,June, in the year of Our Lord 1985, in the, reign of our sovereign, Elizabeth II, under the domain of a jumped-up Irishman, I shall be 65, and enter the golden years. Oh, yes, I'll be rich. The old ale pension and the Canada Pension Plan will come flowing in, and at the end of a year, I'll pro- bably owe only $3,000 income tax on them. But. I'll be able to go to the movies at half - rate every second Tuesday. I'll be able to shop for groceries at five per cent off every third Thursday, as long as I have my birth certificate, passport., and driver's. license handy. I'll be able to get on a bus, if there are no other passengers, at half-price. I've been waiting enviously for this. Many of my friends are senior citizens, and have joshed me jocularly about being so young. "Why don't you become a senior citizen? It's great. Free medical care. Half price on shrouds. The hatred of the Yuppies, who have to pay taxes to keep us going." One friend of mine has a pass that enables him to ride the tranait system of his home city all day, free. He hasn't done it yet, but it's pret- ty intriguing, if you have nothing better to do than ride buses. Mind you, I don't mind all these perks pouring in, but there's a graver side. Rather a stiff proposition, as they say around the cemetery. You've used up most of your three score and ten. By Bill Smiley However, I have no regrets, except a few hundred. It's been a, good life, and I'm ready to face my Maker, or even the President of the Senior Citizens Club, with a terrified face. I had a remarkably happy childhood, thanks to a kind, rather inarticulate father, who slapped my ear only once, and for very good reasons. I had a wonderful, • warm mother, who only heat me with a yardstick or tly-swatter when she was going out of her mind with my antics. My siblings were about as good as you come across, in the average lifetime. I loved sports and books. And girls. Played a fair game of football and baseball, lousy hockey. Read everything in the town library by the time 1 was fourteen. 'Fell in love, deeply, at least eighteen times. Wish I had a few of those old loves right now, to comfort me, like Kind David, and help out with their old age pensions. Wherever they are, I hope they're kissing their grandchildren, instead of me. i was a poor student in high school. Took seven years go get through. Not stupid. Just uninterested, like most other kids. And I had a summer job, which began in April, which didn't help. That summer job was one of the most gruelling, and happy, times of my life. Worked my way up from night porter (cleaning lavatories and polishing brass) to day porter, doing same, to linen -man, con- trolling all the linen on board: towels, sheets, napkins, etc. A position of great power, possibly next tb the captain and chief engineer. Went to college, thanks to my principal, who discerned some light amid the murky depths. Almost failed my first year, thanks to Sylvia, a beautiful Brazilian from Rio. Went to war, thanks to the RCAF. Wasn't killed, as obvious. But was shot down and spent the. rest of the war behind barbed wire. It wasn't bad, in retrospect. Hungry but not hopeless. Back to college, fairly sceptical, if not cynical. Met my truelove, married her, and spent a year in the sanatorium, with suspected tuberculosis, while my wife had a bun in the oven, as we crude and licentious soldiery used to say. Graduated, somehow, in honour English. Fell into the weekly newspaper business by accident (death of a brother-in-law). Spent 11 years there, learning the fascination of wedding and funeral reports. Switched into high school teaching, learn- ing the fascination of 12 jaws out of twenty, chewing gum, ruminating like cows. Retired at 63, to the great glee of my English staff, who (a) thought I was senile; (b) thought I wasn't tough enough with the people they didn't like; (c) thought there should be a firm hand at the tiller. Well, that's about it. By the way, this is not an obituary. That will be much grander. It's already written. It's just a brief history of an ordinary Canadian who stumbled from one pit -hole to another: work, war, marriage; bringing up two kids during the drug days, and trying to keep his head on straight. •