Zurich Citizens News, 1977-11-10, Page 4Page 4
Citizens News, November 10, 1977
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"You fool — you mean to tell me you've been exchanging our perfectly good
counterfeit dollars for Canadian dollars?"
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Good Life on Declines
The annual Couchiching Conference
usually gives many of this country's most
prominent thinkers and decision -makers
something to chew on and leaves the rest to
the country with more questions than
answers. The 1977 conference, however,
left many delegates facing such an array of
problems that they might well be pardoned
for chucking it all up and returning to the
vapid unreality emanating from our televi-
sion sets.
Inflation, unemployment and economic
growth are problems "beyond solutions by
the institutions that we have now and the
way they work now," Walter Pitman,
historian and president of Ryerson
Polytechnical Institute told the concluding
session of the Thinkers' Conference at Lake
Couchiching in Ontario.
Canada is in desperate trouble —
socially, politically, economically — and
all its problems are interconnected, the
consensus at Couchiching seemed to be.
Pitman, obviously deeply troubled, said
that this was the first conference in 46
years when "people were seriously con-
sidering that in fact we may be looking at
the breakdown of the decent life as we
know it."
Without wishing to bye cynical, we must
ask why it took the thinkers so long to
recognize something that many elements in
Canadian and international society have
known for years. The poor know it and so do
deserted mothers. Indians have been aware
for years that the system was unresponsive
to their needs and so are the victims of
regional disparity in the Maritimes. Just
ask any Cape Bretoner around Sidney and
Glace Bay; the aged on fixed incomes or
the residents of rural areas engulfed by
stupefying poverty.,
Go to Bangladesh or the Sahel area of
Africa and ask the Bengalis and Desert
Nomads if the decent life has ever reached
them. What about the victims of mercury
poisoning in Japan and Northern Ontario?
Has the system ever worked for them?
We sympathize with Dr. Pitman and
the others at Couchiching and we don't
have the answers either but the place to
start, we suggest, is at a point where no
person should be entitled to the decent life
until all can enjoy its benefits.
We are still our brother's keeper.
Dogs on the run
Citizens of Zurich are reminded that
they are in contravention of a village bylaw
if they do not have their dogs tied up.
A citizen dropped in to the Citizens
News office to tell us that her family's year
oldminiature•beagle had been killed by two
other dogs.
It just makes good sense for the owner
and for the people of Zurich to obey this
bylaw. Better we do it now than to hear of
some small child who has been injured by.a
dog or dogs.
FIRST WITH LOCAL NEWS
Published Each Wednesday 13y J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd.
eN.
Member:
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Ontario Weekly Newspapers Association
Second Class Mail Registration Number 1385
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Miscellaneous .
R ulimblings
By
TOM CREECH
Mope
"Turn left when you see the propane sign...its either the
road fight across from there or the one just down the road a
bit. If Uncle ,Herb was horrm;,J could have him stand on the
corner andflag you in...but he isn't."
Well, Uncle Herb wasn't there and I took the first road;
no hall. Its gotta be the second road. I travel west for about
a mile and lo and behold, there it is ; a large white building
on the north side of the road with two signs: "Alhambra
Hall" and "Huron Hope School."
Camera and clipboard in hand, I open the doors, turn to
the left and take a look through the window; memories of
kindergarten flash through my mind.
Chairs with backs that are as high as my knee, the day's
itinerary spelled out in block letters on the blackboard,
large cupboards at the back of the room and last but not
least the twangy sound of a zither accompanied by the
straining voices of young children.
"It looks like they're pretty busy; I came here unan-
nounced; maybe I should make an appointment with Don,"
I say to myself.
Halfway back to my car I hear a voice saying "Can I
help you?"
I turn around, walk back and explain that I'm from the
Citizen's News and the Times Advocate and intend on doing
a story on the Huron Hope Nursery School.
"Come on in•and join our circle," she says. Once again I
enter the premises and take my seat at the far end of the
circle. Both the children and the volunteers sing the same
songs that we all sang when we were in the early years of
our formal education.
11 a.m: and Circle Time is over; time for the mid mor-
ning snack but this morning is something special, its Chris's
birthday.
One of the volunteers that is not here this morning bak-
ed a cake that's about eight inches by eight inches, covered
in white icing and decorated with different colours of Smar-
ties. Five candles are fetched, the chairs moved around the
table and the volunteers and children seated.
Wishes are made and the candles which are now aglow,
are extinguished by the force of 26 lungs. Chris, who does
not usually like cake, is doing his fair share to ensure that
there won't be any stale cake left lying around in this part
of Bosanquet township.
The children leave the table either to play or in most
cases, to take a nap.
I sit around with the volunteers and staff, an interesting
cross section of people. Two people with a professional
background ih childcare, a minister's wife, a taxidriver
turned zither player, a grandmother whose grandson is one
of the children and two ladies are interested in the well-
being of learning -handicapped youngsters.
All these people have one common bond: they care for
the children, they have the hope that these kids can some-
day play a meaningful role in today's world.
I took my leave and as I was going, they told me to
come back whenever I was in the neighborhood.
I think I will.
40.4€w,ir*: gM:mAA:*%4ci�CA.+i 4,af•:e: d$ .4 :9riit
10 YEARS AGO
November, 1967
Any number of volunteer
painters, and four or five men
who have a slight knowledge of
carpentry work, are needed at
the Zurich arena and community
centre tonight. (Thursday).
Since this could easily be about
the last work bee, as many as
possible are urged to come out
and help.
Wet and snowy weather con-
tinues to hamper outdoor fall
work on the farm. Hope is fading
concerning the quality of , un-
harvested white beans.
A considerable acreage of
grain corn remains to be
harvested.
Vs
Tears
Ago...
Most beef cattle are still out on
pasture.
The council of the Village of
Zurich, at their regular monthly
meeting last week heard a report
from the Ontario Water
Resources Commission regar-
ding a sewage system for the
village. The report advised coun-
cil that all preliminary engineer-
ing has been completed, and that
soil tests have been taken
throughout the village,
Council accepted the tender of
Arrow Petroleums, through their
local agent, Robert N. McKinley,
for the supply of fuel oil for all
the village buildings. The Arrow
bid was for 15 cents a gallon, on a
guaranteed rate for one full year.
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