The Goderich Signal-Star, 1980-06-11, Page 19•
dave
sykes
He ,was called Mr.' Hockey and Mr.
Elbows and for most of his 32 years in
professional hockey he dominated the
sport.
Last week, Gordon Lowe announced
his retirement from a career that
began with the Detroit Red Wings in
1948 and ended with the Hartford
Whalers at the age of 52.
He could do it all. His hockey prowess
led to numerous statistical records and
he was revered as the man who .could
rearrange an opposing player's profile
with a few deft flicks of the elbow.
Howe was hockey.
And with his retirement last week,
Howe stories began pouring out of the
woodwork. Every sportswriter and
radio and television broadcaster came
forth with an amusing little anecdote
that began: "I remember one night I
was out with Gordie..."
Well, folks, this sumptuous scribe is
not to be outdone in the embellished
fables department, so, let me set the
�- stage and rattle off a few funnies about
the
ciench-
those precious moments with my good
buddy O ordo.
Oh, there's been so many where do I
begin? Ali yes, one is coming to mind
now so sample the following.
When your callous correspondent
was about 12 years of age, I made a trip
to Winnipeg with my father by train to
visit an ailing grandmother. We stayed
with an aunt and uncle in Winnipeg who
were relatively boring and seemed
ancient at the time.My Uncle worked
for Carlings and heavily eandorsed his
work whenever possible.
So the Winnipeg vacation was
somewhat dull and my days were spent
hammering a golf ball around a
strange neighbourhood and playing
catch with the side of the house.
Then one day my aunt thought it -
would be a large time if we went
shopping in downtown Winnipeg. I
played along cause she wasn't bad for
an old broad. After entering Eatons I
suggested ,we split up and meet later.
Being a cautious woman, she relented
with,reservation and addedtthat I
should not talk to any strangers. What
the•hekl, everyone was a stranger.
It was in Eatons that I noticed a large
crowd in the sporting goods section and
depicted to check it out.
There was a rather large line and
there at the end, behind a small table,
was Gordie Howe.
„ I nearly filled my pants. -
I mean at the age of 12 I suspected
there was no life beyond hockey and
baseball. And hockey players were at
the top of the list, not just men, but
heroes who attained a boyhood dream.
The wait in line was torture but I
never took my eyes of the legend as he
signed autograph after autograph for
adoring little guys. Every move looked
important.
Then it was my turn. I was face to
face with The Man and my mouth just
kind of hung open, my eyes were wide
and I was unable to say anything. He
signed a piece of paper and as he
handed it to me, looked up, smiled and
said; "There you go."
There you go. Ile actually talked to
me. My lis and tongue moved for
several seconds .before, words" carme
from my mouth; "Thanks G'rordle.-
That piece of paper never left my
breast pocket and I checked about
every 30 seconds to make sure it was
still there.
I floated for days and couldn't wait to
return home, knowing the guys would
be salivating Ever the autograph. I
would be king of the neighbourhood and
naturally the story got played up a bit.
"Oh, ya I always look in on Gordie
when I go West. e try to keep in touch
in the off-season."
The autograph hung on my bedroom
wall for years before being scrapped
with other memories, that suddenly
seem childish.
But I often wonder how many times
in 32 years Gordie brightened up a
youngsters day through those gruelling
autograph sessions.
And do you suppose he still
remembers me?
IGNAL STAR
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 1980
SECOND SECTION
Tells kids to keep plugging
Rose Sheardown of' the Legion Ladies' Auxiliary baits a hook for war veteran Ed
Barnard. Forty-two 'war veterans from the Westminster Campus of Victoria
Hospital, London came to Goderich last Wednesday for their annual fishing ex-
cursion. They were fed lunch and supper by the auxiliary and they were also
awar,'veteranhave-been-comiragto-Goder-leh-to--fish for mare -than -
30 years now. (Photo by Joanne Buchanan)
How many people can
remember their first
summer jobs and the
anxiety that was a part of
looking for them? Each
person's situation seems
unique at the time when
he is sitting in the outer
office waiting for the
interviewer to appear.
Surely the other ap-
plicants have more ex-
perience for this job. And
no orie has said that this
employer .is looking for
workers at all. Perhaps
he would be too busy to be
disturbed and...
The reasons ,for
poning that
door or that telephone
post -
call are " endless and
sometimes sound logical
as well. But if a person
enjoys roller skating,
eating, dancing, driving a
car, seeing a movie or
supporting any enjoyable
habits, there is one other
consideration that must
be recognized. It all takes
money.
• And having money
means finding a job.
Which isn't' so difficult,
as Signal-St„r discovered
by talking to a few of the
leaders of the com-
munity. We asked them
about their first summer
•. -got then,
of em -
availability
HARRY BOSNELL
ELSA HAYDON
CHIEF PAT KING
MAYOR WORSELL
Carpentry just
for the fun of it
It is a hard, hard thing I do, but it has
to be done. There's no more putting it
off. Before old Blue Bonnie bites the big
one, she has to go in for a tune-up.
Today is the big day and I must
admit, there was quite the scene when I
broke the news to her that I am going to
leave her in the shop.
"But why?" she cried out pitifully.
The tone of her voice almost made me
forget about the whole thing, but I did
not waver my stand.
"All carshave to have a tune-up once
in a while B.B., and you are not as
young as you used to be. Face it, old
cars have to be looked after." I was
being cruel but fair.
Blue B. sniffed haughtily. "Hmph. I
certainly don't look my age. Just ask
the other cars. I had a body job a few
years ago, you know."
"Looks can be deceiving, B. Bonnie."
She stalled rudely. "Are you im-
The G.D.C.I. Grade 11 woodworking class is building creative
playground equipment at Robertson Memorial Public School. The
playground equipment was designed by Cinda Jerry of Discount
Dave's. Money for the materials was raised by Robertson students
through various projects such as the selling of Christmas cards. The
labor is being provided for free by the high school students. These
. students have also taken on other projects including the renovating of
the high school barn for the storage of track equipment. (Photo by
Joanne Buchanan)
plying that my insides aren't what they
used to be?"
That was the bait that your cunning
columnist was waiting for. "Ha. Your
insides aren't what they were three and
a half months ago when I bought you. I
thought you were perfect B.B. Then
slowly, bit by bit, you began to let me
down. I found out that you had to have
gas regularly. Oh, I grudgingly
obliged. I mean, if you need gas you
need gas, that's all there is to it. But
admit it, you've been using more
lately, haven't you?"
She stammered. "Well, if you resent
it so much, why don't you just..." She
hit mevith the old guilt trip.
"Now now. It isn't that I resent
buying all that gas for you. You know'I
appreciate all that you do for me. It's
just that if you had a tune-up, maybe
you wouldn't use as much gas."
"Maybe I wouldn't use as much gas if
you took some of this junk out of my
back seat," Blue Bonnie- whined. "I
really don't think you need to be
carrying three mittens, your winter
boots, and snowmobile suit around in
June." .
Blue B. had a point there. I agreed to
remove all the flotsam and jetsam, but
not without some arguement. "You are
bigger than my apartment, B. Ronnie.
I've got nowhere to put it all."
"Most of it's just garbage, bozo. Do
you really think you need to keep 29
film cannisters, that branch off a
willow tree, four lunch bags. and all
those empty pop bottles?"
Blue Bonnie was getting the upper
hand of this discussion, which was
turning out to be a list of all my faults,
"Alright alright alright! I will remove,
all the crap from you if'you promise to
go quietly yin for your tune-up." It was
time for hands -or,, -the -table bargaining.
"What about the dice?" she said.
ployment and other
related issues and,
surprisingly, many of the
details were similar.
What wasnot sur-
prising was the advice
each person interviewed
had for student job -
hunters. It was agreed,
unanimously, that
students should not ex-
pect a high paying job
with fringe benefits or a
company car, nor that
they be afraid of hard
work. Girls should not
limit themselves to 'type'
jobs, such as waitressing
or babysitting but seek
employment where they
can be useful or be a
positive addition to that
job. .
Most of all, -students
should not be discouraged.
if the first few prospects
turn sour. That has
happened to everybody,
including Goderich
Police Chief Pat King.
In the summer of '42,
Chief King was . a page
boy at a theatre in Dover,
England. He happened to
find that job through a
friend who was working
there at the time and he
earned about one dollar
per week for helping
people find their seats or
assisting the theatre
goers in any way.
At the age of 13, young
Pat King.became a cadet,
continuing an age-old
family ra iteen ire the
army and for the next few
years bounced back and
forth between the army
and school.
In the summers of
1943,44 and 1945, he found
employment in the Naval
Stores Department. The
Chief remembers that
jobs were fairly
prevalent then, due to the
war, and that his pay rate
had elevated to about one
pound a week, which is
the equivalent of four
dollars ,in Canada at that
time.
While working for the
Naval Stores in 1944,
Chief King recalls an
American sailor coming
to collect stores and
asking for the'head-'. And
the American must have
looked twice as this
junior member pointed to
his foreman for, un-
beknownst to King, 'head'
is an American Naval
term meaning 'toilet'.
Having had an
assortment of part-time
jobs, Chief King em-
phasizes , two important
points: "When going for
an interview, be
presentable. First im-
pressions are so im-
portant. Just be yourself.
Another thing, don't be
afraid to make enquiries
and keep plodding."
Elsa Haydon grew up in
Estonia, 'w lci^i` iirrihe
northern part of Europe.
Adolescent lifestyles are
very much different there
than here, and as a result,
her job -hunting days
dawned only upon
arriving in Canada.
Although she knew
nothing of cooking or
Canadian life, Elsa's first
job was as a domestic for
a family in Toronto. In
fulfillment of her con-
tract to come to Canada,
she worked with the
family for one year. '
After that she applied
for a secretarial job that
was adver).ised in
Toronto. She says that
she may have been lucky
in getting that job but the
position- required
someone who was fluent
in 'German and Mrs.
Haydon fit the bill.
Elsa Haydon feels that
every job has merit. No
matter what the nature of
the work, it is always
enhanced by the per-
sonalities involved. For
this reason, she en-
courages students to try
any job with the outlook
that 'it will be an in-
teresting experience.
Harry Bosnell, the
curator *f the Huron
Historic Jail, had his first
part-time job in Goderich
at Baechlor's Lumber
Yard during the Roaring
T venties.
Although that era
brings to mind images of
wealth and affluence, Mr.
Bosnell recalls that jobs
were scarce. When -this
man says that a student
job -hunter in 1980 must '
not be too choosy, he
speaks from experience.
When he was but a boy
of ten years, Bosnell
worked at the lumber
yard, to earn enough
money' to buy his books
for high school. His job
was to pile cords of wood,
a cord measuring four -
feet by four feet by eight
feet, and his pay was 25
cents for each cord piled.
A work day for him
began at seven a.m. and
lasted until- six p.m., and
throughout the duration
of that job he also had a
weekend paper route.
Asked his opinion of
student workers of today,
Bosnell says, "Students
are more willing to work,
(now) than fifty years
ago."
He reiterates that
employment seekers
cannot expect maximum
pay, nor can ,hey be too
particular about where
they work because there
are not enough jobs to
pick and choose like that.
But it is ..certain that
Turin to page 2A •
.4
ever so quietly. Blue Bonnie had played
her ace in the,hole. "Do' you think it
makes me feel dignified running
around town with those red fuzzy things
hanging from my rearview mirror? It's
no wonder I'm using more and more
gas these days. It's to forget those dice!
Those young cars are laughing at me.
Imagine, dice at my age. And now I
hear that you're looking for one of those
dogs whose head bounces around to put
on my back dash: How dare you? And
now you have the nerve to ask me to
expose myself to a mechanic with
greasy hands! How would you like it?"
I refused to entertain the idea. I told
B.B. that she was going in for a tune-up
and that was that. I turned off her
ignition,. announcing I did not want to
hear another word from her.
The old bomb ran on i"or another 30
seconds. That car always has the last
word.
cath
wooden