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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1980-05-21, Page 13On Tuesday of this week, after this scribbler had pounded out this paltry prose, the people of Quebec voted on the referendum. Quebec's more than 4 millioneligible voters were asked to vote yes or no to the Quebec government's request for a mandate to negotiate sovereignty association with the rest of Canada. The ballot says thatthe government of Quebec has made public its proposal to negotiate a new agreement with the rest of Canada, based on the equality of nations; this agreement would enable Quebec to acquire the exclusive power to make its laws, levy its taxes and establish relations aborad -in other words- sovereignty- and at the same time mainatain an economic association with Canada including a common currency. No change in political status would result from the negotiations without approval from the people through another referendum. Now, should the yes side have Highway 21 south to be resurfaced Transportation and, Communications Minister James Snow has announced the award of a contract for Highway 21 in Stratford district. The contract is for resurfacing on Highway 21 from Bayfield south limits northerly to 0.3 km south of Goderich south limits for 19.3 km. This contract is part of a continuing program to upgrade Highway 21 to present Ministry stan- dards. The work will include updating of side road and commercial entrances, drainage improvements and the addition or improvement of intersection tapers and or radii where warran- ted. Work on the project is scheduled to begin in June 1980, with com- pletion set for early fall, 1980. The contract is awarded to Cox Con- struction Limited or Guelph, Ontario at a cost of $493,525. emerged victorious froifi Tuesdays °referendum, it would have some serious ramifications and profound effects on Quebec's relations with the rSt of the country. 'For example: The people of Quebec would no longer be subjected to the toothy grin of Knowlton Nash as he signs off the National with a cheery good night. The people of Quebec may have to suffer with a new postal system that guarantees delivery in the same month without the threat of strike action. The Montreal Allouettes of the Canadian Football League won't have the Toronto Argonauts to kick around any more thereby eliminating an easy 'four to six points the club counted on each season. Quebecers from Montreal to the Gaspe can enjoy their morning cereal without having to sift through any English on the corn flake box. -The Montreal Canadians and Quebec Nordiques would represent the third country in the National Hockey League and play in a division with Edmonton and new franchise, Calgary, who will by then be representing the oil republic of Alberta. The Quebec government would be forced to find employment for about 70 Liberal MPs who have never ex- perienced any gainful employment. The people of Quebec would have to dig deep and try to survive -life without King of Kensington and Beachcomber re -runs on. television. The players of the Montreal Expos basebal team of the National League would 'have to learn to swear at um- pires in french and speak in broken English when appearing on talk shows in American cities. Anyone vacationing in Quebec ;or Quebecers taking a trip into foreign Ontario would require a series of shots and vaccines as well as visas and passports. the derich 1 Bill Hewitt would be required to broadcast Maple Leaf-Canadier_y games in French or at least take a stab at some French colorer in his immaculate style. Guy Lafleur would be a unanimous choice as Ambassador to Ontario. Rene Levesque and Jacques Parizeau would be• forced to smoke Quebec made cigarettes. .Quebec junior hockey players will, no longer be drafted by National_Hockey- League clubs but instead, will enter the television commercial market as free agents and advertise Monte Carlos for a living. It is evident. the referendum will have a profound effect on the lives of all Canadians and the voting , no doubt, was watched with keen interest. Perhaps everyone has a right to self determination and perhaps, in our own narrow-minded regionalsim, the referendum doesn't make much dif- ference. NAL- STAR 132 YEAR -21 WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 1980 Funny hats, big.. hearts BY JOANNE BUCHANAN On . May 31 ap- proximately 2,000 men wearing.- funny looking hats will descend upon the towns of Goderich and Clinton for a special ceremonial and parades. Don't be alarmed. These men are members of the world's greatest philanthropic fraternity -- the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine --and there is a lot more to their organization than funny looking hats. The Shriners operate 18 hospitals - for crippled children and three burns institutes throughout North America, providing the finest in medical care to children of all races and religions at no cost to them or their. families. In the more than 57 years since the first Shrine Hospital - opened in Louisianna, more than 210,000 children have been cured or substantially helped: Through the research and techniques developed at Shrine Burns Institutes, the severely burned child's chances for survival has nearly doubled since the Institues opened in the mid -sixties. • Shrine or- thopedic units are currently expanding their research facilities doing significant investigations in cerebralpalsy, juvenile arthritis and the causes of crippling. This year the Shriners hospital budget is $55,500,000. The Ancient Arabic Order of the Noblesofthe 'Mystic Shrine was of- ficially formed on Sep- tember 26, 1872 by a group of 12 Masons who had been gathering in a favorite New, York restaurant since 1870,. There they discused the idea of developing a Fraternity of ` Masons where good fellowship and good times would be stressed more than ritual. One of the Masons, an actor by the name of William J. Florence, had witnessed an Arabian entertainment while on a European tour and came home with the idea of using that as the vehicle for the new fraternity. Another Mason, Dr. Walter M. Fleming, developed the idea into a ritual and structure and the first meeting was held --thus the near - eastern flavor of the. Shrine as people know it today, evidenced in its name, its fezzes (hats), costumes, pageantry and ceremonials. By the turn of the century, the Shrine had 55,000 members throughout the United States and Canada. While Shrine Temples had always had local philanthropic projects, there was a growing sentiment that the Shrine should develop an official fraternal philanthropy. It was then that it was decided to establish a network of Shriners Hospitals for Crippled Children. Today there are nearly one million Shriners with more than 181 Temples in cities in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Panama Canal Zone and the Shrine Hospital network has become the world's greatest philanthropy. Many Shrine activities are centered around Shrine Hospitals. Since_ the Shriners themselves are responsible for providing all the funds to both build and operate these ' hospitals, they conduct. 'fund raising events ranging in scope from the East-West Shrine Football Game and the Shrine Circus to local Temple paper sales. Most of the revenue for the hospitals comes from the income provided by Shriners Hospitals for Crippled Children Endowment Fund. This fund is supported by the gifts and bequests of Shriners, their families and the general public. Other revenue comes from Shriners annual hospital assessments. Shriners also support their hospitals by en- tertaining patients, transporting patients -and staging food caravans to the hospitals. Fun and fellowship are also as much a part of the Shrine today as they -were when it started in 1872. A wide range of social events and activities are staged. There are no strangers in Shrinedom. Every Shriner is a Mason. Having obtained the third or Master Mason degree at his Blue Lodge, he has gone on through the York or Scottish Rite becoming either a Knights Templar or 32 degree Mason before becoming eligible for Shrinedom. Each Shrine Temple has a wide range of units through . which Shriners _can become actively involved in their fraternity. Parade units dress in a great variety of costumes. There are special vehicle units, horse patrols, bands, choruses and even art occasional camel unit. Other Temple units in- clude Hospital Com- mittees which help patients at Shriners Hospitals become ad- mitted, get tran- sportation or be en- tertained. • Here in Canada there are ten Shrine Temples with 25,000 Shriners. The closest Shrine hospitals in this area are located in Erie, Pennsylvania and Montreal with the closest Burns Institute being in Cincinnati. Mocha Temple takes in all of southwestern Ontario. Illustrious Potentate of the Temple is Spence Cummings of Clinton. The Temple includes 18 clubs with 15 parade units, This im- mediate area's club is known as the Bluewater Shrine Club and it has a fire brigade parade unit consisting of a 1925 LaFrance Fire Truck purchased from the city of London for $25 in 1960; a fire truck donated by the town of Goderich in 1969; and six miniature fire engines. The Bluewater Shrine Club was ,officially established and inaugurated on Sep- tember 2, 1959 with John Parker as charter president. In its fledgling year, the club donated $300 to the Shrine Hospitals. In 1969 the first crip- pled child from this area was looked after and that year, the Bluewater Shrine Club donated $1,400 for the hospitals. The following year, the club sent two local children to the Montreal Shrine Hospital and realized over $11,000 through various projects such as a Sp6rts Night conducted with the Knights of Columbus. From 1971 to 1975 the club gave nearly $9,000 to the Shrine Hospitals, spent $4,400 transporting children to the treatment centres and donated $500 to the Mocha Temple Building Fund. During the period of 1976 to the present, Bluewater Shriners have contributed $7.,000 to the hospitals; over $2,000 for transport%ng,children and $5,500 tri ,,the Temple Building. Fund.. - In 1977 they helped to"bring a boy from St. Kitts in the. West Indies to the Erie Hospital. He was able to go home much improved after a year of treatment and several operations. From a charter roll of 97 with an average meeting.attendance of 30, the membership in the Bluewater Shrine Club has grown to 176 with an average attendance of 77. The club encompasses an area of 1,200 square miles and in 21 years has spent a total of $8,000 tran- sporting children, $40,000 for the hospitals and $6,000 for the building fund. This year's club president is John McKeown of Goderich. Every year the Mocha - Temple holds a spring and fall ceremonial to induct new members. The last time the Bluewater Club hosted such a ceremonial was in 1963 when John Parker•oif Clinton was Illustrious Potentate of the Mocha Temple. At that time parades were held in Goderich, Clinton and Grand Bend. On May 31 the Bluewater Club is playing' host again and 150 Masons will be inducted into the Mocha Temple during a two part secret turn to page 2A• SECOND SECTION The Bluewater Shrine Club's fire trucks will be part of two parades, one in Goderich and one in Clinton, on May 31 when approximately 2,000 Shriners will. descend upon the area . for a special ceremonial to induct 150 Masons into the Mocha Temple. The.. Bluewater Club is playing host and the committees have spent 18 months preparing for the event. (Photo courtesty of Stan Wheeler) This float belonging to the Woodstock Shrine Club was featured in Goderich's Sesquicentennial Parade. On May 31 many such floats will appear in Goderich again as 2,000 Shriners and their wives descend upon the town for a special ceremonial to Induct 150 Masons into the Mocha Temple. (Photo by Campbell's of Goderich) Never mind about Canada falling apart. I'm having trouble enough keeping my own self together. Did you ever get trapped in one of those extended moods when you are afraid to take a shower in case you happen to go down the drain with the water? When your doodling no longer 1, fills only the margins? And no matter how many lists you make of 'things to do' in a day, you are still running around in circles? Or when you ask yourself a question and answer, "Pardon me? I didn't hear,"? Just one of those downright schizo -type moods when the world turns too fast, your mind moves too slow, and there's never milk in the fridge or change to do the laundry. Well, my own particularly neurotic bio -rhythm has been below sea -level for several days now and is sledding straight for Death Valley on a toboggan. Though I don't know how things could get much worse. (I could get run over by a train. That would be worse;) Your confused correspondent isn't sure just to what to attribute her general disability to concentrate. She can't keep her mind on it long enough to come up with any answers. About the only thing I can dwell upon for longer than it takes to read the daily Herman comic are totally pointless. The other morning, I spent two hours cutting individual letters out of various newspapers and magazines and con- structing a ransom note to send to no one in particular. I went to London on Saturday and forgot to buy anything. Actually I just avoided making the decision to buy anything. And I"don't dare confront myself with a restaurant menu. The spectrum of culinary delights would be too wide and I would either hive 'to order just everything or stagger out, exhausted and sweating from an un- successful attemptto choose. I fear that the ramifications of my strange behaviour are going to catch up with, me eventually. One cannot go on peering through the wrong end of the binnoculars forever. Somebody is bound to come along and turn them around. Probably guys wearing white coats and inviting me to try one on. Only the sleeves will be too long. If only I could determine the cause of all this fruit loop activity. If I knew the source of the problem I could nip it in the bud. I've been considering a few possibilities, but they have failed when I apply logic to them. I thought it might be the result of the foghorn down at the harbor. You have to admit that, when it echoes in that wierd way at night, it sounds like the spitting image of a loon. Perhaps the sound enters my subconscious when I am asleep. When 1 emerge from my ,nocturnal slumber, I too have become loony. The flaw is this: why isn't everybody else in Goderich loony also? Maybe they are and nobody's saying anything. And of course the fog itself may he the root of all my mental meanderings and graspings for reality. Everbody knows that fog enters the ears and messes up the brain. But again, how do other people manage to avoid this root rot? I do not see them flitting about wearing earplugs. No, I fear these externals have nothing to do with it all. I must have faith in my bio -rhythm and horroscope. Maybe my moons are mixed up. Perhaps when Jupiter gets out of the way of Pluto and Mars moves over things will look brighter. Then I will be able to get my carpet shampooed, my laundry done, my stereo fixed so that I can have music again, and that terribly distressing leak in my gas tank patched. , cath wooden