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Zurich Citizens News, 1978-06-22, Page 13Page 14 Citizens News, June 22, 147$ Visitor from Ceylon enjoys Ontario stay By ALICEGIBB Saliya; Tennekoon, 18, of Colombo, Sri Lanka, has already seen a cross section of life in Ontario that many of the province's residents never see in a lifetime. The young man, who is part of the Crossroads ex- change program, has spent a day at the Ontario Science Centre, visited Queens Park and sat in on a session of parliament, toured the sights of Niagara Falls, the Oak- ville Ford plant, attended a cattle sale in Hensall and visited the University of Guelph and various farms in Huron County. Tennekoon, who stayed with -the Ian McAllister family,R.R.1 Zurich, is part of an exchange program which operates to acquaint Canadians with the Third World countries and to bring young people from those - countries to Canada. An important part of Saliya's stay in Canada has been telling Canadians something of the history and life of Sri Lanka, a country which is 20 miles off the southeastern coast of India. Sri Lanka Until 1972, The Republic of Sri Lanka was known as Ceylon, a country famous for its exports of tea, rubber and spices, as well as precious stones such as diamonds and rubies. Until 1948, the country was under British rule and today, English is still spoken by many Sri Lankans as their second language. Tennekoon, who recently spent a day talking to students at Zurich Public School about his country,. said there are five major groups living in his country, the Sinhalese, who make up two-thirds of the population, the Tamils, the next largest language group and the Moors, Burghers and Veddahs. Saliya was selected to come to Canada through his involvement with the Y.M.C.A. in Sri Lanka. An 18 year 'old,. he is the youngest Crossroader on this year's exchange. Tennekoon, who graduated from St. Benedict's College, a Catholic private school in Colombo, the country's capital city, studied athletics, drama and Sinhalese classical singing while a student, interests which led to his work with rural _ development camps and camps for un- derprivileged children, both sponsored by the Y.M.C.A. The rural development camps, for children from 12 to 18 years old, try to in- troduce smaller villages to group and fellowship ac- tivities, drama, singsong and teach students the basics of sports like badminton, basketball, gymnastics and judo. Ceylon However, on his return to Sri Lanka, which Tennekoon still calls Ceylon, .he will be working with a rural development project which will focus on one small village of 125 families. Here workers from the Y.M.C.A. will be presenting youth programs teaching home gardening and gradually establishing a community centre which will house a public library and handicraft centre. After three or four years, the centre will be turned over to the village to manage, and the staff from the Y.1VI.C.A. will move on to another village. A similar kind of project is ,also being tested in Sri Lanka's urban centres. Saliya finds one of the major differences between life in Sri Lanka and life in our country is the pace it's faster here. In his country there is only one major four lane high- way, called the Canadian Friendship Road, built with the assistance of the Canadian government. Although much of Sri Lanka is rural, the farming carriedon there is very different,from that in Huron County. Many farmers used to grow rice, and although this is gradually changing, farms in Sri Lanka always tend to be smaller than in Canada. Dairy With the creation of a National Milk Board, many farmers are keeping dairy cows. The smaller operations milk their cows by hand, and the milk is collected by milk board wagons. However, the government has opened a number of its own dairy farms which operate on a much larger scale and with modern equipment. Another type of farm is the tea plantations or estates, where Sri Lanka's most famous export is grown. Tennekoon said recently many of these estates have also been taken over by the government and some are now run by a tea plantation board. During his stay in Canada, Tennekoon has met fellow Crossroaders from around the world. One - hostess was Margie Whyte of Seaforth herself a former Crossroader, who took Mr. Tennekoon on a tour of the University of Guelph and her family's poultry farm. Following his stay on the Seaforth area farm, the young man from Ceylon spent three weeks at the farm of Mr. & Mrs. Ian McAllister of R.R. 1 Zurich. Prior to his departure for the Ken Campbell farm in McKillop township, Saliya returned to Zurich public and enthralled the youngsters with a masterful display of pantomime and performed a few songs on the bongo drums that are popular in his homeland. This year, eight Canadians will visit Sri Lanka art of the Crossroads 'exchange and they've already met Tennekoon and his two fellow Sri Larikans for a briefing. When he returns to Sri Lanka, Saliya knows he'll be in demand to give talks on life in Canada since , "now they have a witness." Jl if irTf i1111ff $lliilf 1i11111111111111111111111f 1111111111111i1i1 ii11iI1111111111iI1111t11111111111111tI111tt1In11L' PANTOMIME POSE — One of the highlights for students at Zurich Public School has to be the visits of Saliya Tennikoon of Sri Lanka who until recently, had been staying at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ian McAllister of RR 1, Zurich. At his final visit to the school, Saliya gave a demonstration of pantomime to the students. Staff photo DASHWOOD MAN COMPETES — One of the area com- petitors in the Hensall Oldtime Fiddler's contest held in Hen- sall over the weekend was Willis Desjardine of Dashwood. The local resident finished second in the 35 to 55 age group of the competition. Staff photo "KADENZA" A Versatile 3 Pc. Band NOW AVAILABLE FOR RECEPTIONS AND DANCES Featuring "DON HARVEY" on Electronic Keyboards Call 235-2192 fall WIlIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIM11111111111111111111111111111111111111111UII1I11111111111111111111NN111111111111Nh r Reception & Dance for CATHY JEFFREY and BRAD GREGUS (bridal couple) Sat.June 24 (9-1) SOUTH HURON RECREATION CENTRE EXETER Music By THE CAVALIERS Everyone Welcome Lunch Provided Annual conference will attract 4-H'ers Dimensions -- that's what 200 girls will be talking about at a 4-H Homemaking Club conference to be held at the University of Guelph from June 20 to 23, From •effective -speaking to folk dancing and taspestry, there will be a different facet for every delegate to explore, The 23rd annual Homemaking Club con- ference will attract senior 4- H representatives, 16 to 19 years of age, from each On- tario county and district. "Quite often, they are girls who have taken leadership roles in their clubs," says Lorraine Holding, Regional Supervisor of Home Economists at Guelph and conference chairperson. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture._ and Food spon- sors this unique opportunity for rural girls to meet other members from across the province and share ideas and activities. "It's a chance for the girls to look to the future for a broader scope in careers, education an -d fitness," says Miss Holding. The university setting offers backup expertise in many areas of discussion. Dr. Richard Barham, chair- man of the Department of Family Studies, will set the tone of the conference in his address called "Dimen- sions". A panel made up of a female police sergeant, hairdresser, foods service supervisor and personnel director will discuss careers on the horizon. "Consumerism - It's Up To You" will inform delegates of their respon- sibilities and rights as con- sumers. A session on "Dimensions - All About Me" focuses again on the conference theme. . The conference, led by Home Economics branch staff, will close with a semi- formal evening banquet and program. Dimensions will give the girls plenty to talk about at this conference. CRAFT SUPPLIES Chair caning; Macrame; Fun Fur; Rowney Art Supplies; Beads of all types; Instruction Books. M & M -STORE Queen and. Water Streets St. Marys Open seven days 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. 51:52 VANASTRA CENTRE SUMMER PROGRAM 1978 July 3rd to September 9th REGISTER NOW! - - AQUATICS FEE 4824544 YOUTH. $12-10 WEEKS NON -SWIMMER Monday 5:00 - 5:30 p.m. 6:00 - 6:30 p.m. ,. Saturday 2:00 - 2:30 p.m. BEGINNER 1 Monday 5:30 - 6:00 n.m. 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. Saturday 1:30 - 2:00 p.m. BEGINNER 2 Tuesday 5:30. 6:00 p.m. Saturday 1:00 - 1:30 p.m. BEGINNER 3 Tuesday 6_00 - 6:30 p.m. Saturday 1007;1:00 p.m. BEGINNER 4 Tuesday 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. Saturday 12:00 - 12:30 p.m. JUNIOR 1 Wednesday 5:00 5:30 p.m. Saturday 11:30 - 12:00 p.m. JUNIOR 2 Wednesday 5:30 - 6:00 p.m. Saturday 11:30 - 12:00 p.m.' FITNESS PEE: _ $20.00 10 WEEKS Ladies Keep Fit + Sauna & Swim Wednesday 11:00 - 12:30 p.m.. Co -Ed Keep Fit + Sauna & Swim Tuesday 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. JUNIOR 3 Wednesday 6:00 - 6:30 p.m. , Saturday 11:30 - 12:00 p.m. INTERMEDIATE 1 Thursday 5:30 - 6:00 p.m. INTERMEDIATE 2 Thursday 6:00 - 6:30 p.m. SENIOR Thursday 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. TEEN - BEGINNER Friday 6:00 - 6:30 p.m. TEEN - ADVANCED Friday 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. RLSS BRONZE Mon. & Fri. 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. COMPETITIVE SWIM CLUB Tues. & Thurs 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. Free: $15.00/session POOL FEE Child .25: Student .50' Adult $1.00 RECREATION SWIMS Mon. to Fri. 12:00 - Tuesday 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. Thursday 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. OPEN Mon. to Fri. 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. (July & August only) Ladies Health Spa, Sauna, Swim Monday 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. Tuesday 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. Tues, Thurs., Fri. 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Co -Ed Health Spa, Sauna, Swim Sat. & Sun. 3:00-: 4:30 p.m. Wednesday Wednesday 8:00 - 9:30 p.m. FAMILY ONLY . Sunday . 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. LADIES Aquafit - Tuesday 9:30 - 10:00 a.m. Advanced - Tuesday 10:00 - 10:30 a.m. Beginner 2 - Thursday 9:30 - 10:00 a.m. Beginner 1 - Thursday 10:00 - 10:30 a.m. Non -Swimmer - Thursday 10:30 - 11:00 a.m. Evening Parent & Tot - Monday 7:00 - 7:30 p.m. Parent & Tot - Wednesday 10:00 - 10:30 a.m. Kinder Gym - Wednesday 10:00'- 10:30 a.m. Kinder Swim - Wednesday 10:30 - 11:00 a.m_ CO-ED ADULT Non -Swimmer - Wednesday 7:30- 8:00 p.m. Beginner - Wednesday 8:00 8:30 p.m. Advanced • Wednesday 8:30 - 9:00 p.m. ASK ABOUT OU Low cost Family or Single Membarships Tennis Membership • 6 Courts Tennis Instruction Hall Rental R:. Pool Rental - - Bingo - Tuesday evenings Sauna Health Spa