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The Times Advocate, 2006-05-24, Page 5Wednesday, May 24, 2006 Exeter Times—Advocate 5 Opinion Forum News ROSS HAUGH BACK IN TIME I 0 YEARS AGO May 22, 1996 - Receiving Gold Medals at the recent "Years of Service" ceremony at the Exeter Legion for 50 years service were Lee Webber, Stan Frayne, Ray Wuerth, Howard Holtzmann, Jim Hamilton, Doug Wedlake, Elmer Bell, Len McKnight and Warren May. 20YEARS AGO May 21, 1986 - Exeter was invaded this past weekend by more than 270 camping units from all parts of Ontario and the United States as the local Ausable River Nomads sponsored an Ontario Association of National Hikers and Campers jam- boree. There will be a page from Exeter history involved in a planned change of the name of Massey -Ferguson Ltd.The company will become known as the Verity Corp., a variation of the Verity Plow Co., which Massey purchased nearly 100 years ago. Massey Ferguson's predecessor, the Massey -Harris Co. bought the Verity Plow Co. of Exeter in 1982 . 35 YEARS AGO May 27, 1971 - Five young people whose aver- age age is 23 recently purchased a 50 acre farm from Mac Hodgert in Usborne township and are in the process of getting the property into shape for a home for eight boys who do not have normal homes. The five all have experience in dealing with young boys and are naming their private pro- ject, "Erwood I". Backing a suggestion from police chief Ted Day , Exeter council will once again try to convince the Department of Transport of the need for traffic lights at the corner of Main and Sanders streets. Eight boats from the Grand Bend fishing fleet became stuck in the ice as they started back into the harbour on May 14. It took them two hours to battle their way home in the ice, some of which was eight feet thick. As it may be expected it was one of the latest days on record for ice on the lake in the Grand Bend area. 45 YEARS AGO May 27, 1961 - A new $15,360 fire truck to serve Exeter, Usborne, Stephen and Hay was ordered Tuesday following negotiations for the purchase. Oliver Jaques of Hensall was elected Associate Deputy Grand Master at the convention of Royal Black Knights of Orangemen in Windsor last week. 50YEARS AGO May 21, 1956 - OPP Constable Elmer Zimmerman who has been in charge of the Exeter OPP detachment since 1949 has been promoted to Corporal and transferred to Guelph. At the AOTS supper in James Street United Church, Monday, Mervyn Cudmore was elected president to succeed the charter president Dr. Harvey Cowen. At least six farmers in McGillivray township suf- fered severe damage to buildings Friday when a short-lived tornado ripped through about three miles of farm land, south of Crediton. Disaster struck twice on the farm of Erle Hamilton, Wednesday night a fire destroyed the farm home and Friday, the tornado ripped off part of the barn roof. 60YEARS AGO May 20, 1946 - Exeter will this year celebrate the first peace -time May 24 since World War II. All returned men are being entertained the previous evening. Dr. W.S. Stanbury, a native of Exeter, arrived in Canada recently from England to take charge of the Red Cross Society's national blood transfusion service. Mr. John Thomson has sold his farm at Eden to Mr. John McAllister, a returned veteran. Mr. and Mrs. Thomson will move to Exeter into the home recently purchased from Mr. Harold Whyte. 85 YEARS AGO May 21, 1921 - Mr. Cunningham is moving into Mrs. James Taylor's house this week. Mr. James Weekes is moving back to his own home being vacated by Cunningham. The Women's Missionary Society of the Methodist Church of the Exeter district held their 25th annual convention in Crediton recently. In attendance, interest and enthusiasm the conven- tion was a decided success. Seniors' Perspective By Jim Bearss ADULT ACTIVITIES COORDINATOR AdultsTrade Fair & Information Expo: Less than a month left until the trade Fair. June 7, at the Rec. Centre 94 Victoria Street Exeter, ON. This excit- ing event goes from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Good food, food samples, and exciting entertainment to keep you enter- tained for the day. Around 50 vendors will be in atten- dance with lots of new ideas and information for you. You will have a chance to talk to Jay Campbell, A Channel Weather Expert. For more information about general information get in touch with: Jim Bearss 235- 0310 x 239 or Donna Clarke at 228-6800 and for volun- teer information contact Ann Wernham at 235-1969. Watch for this column the next upcoming issues for lists of vendors and entertainers attending this spectacular event. Special Day in Centralia: Centralia United Church Women are sponsoring their Annual Yard & Bake Sale on Sat., May 27 from 8 a.m. to 12 noon. Lots of good homemade baking, household and hard to find items are available for you to purchase. Tell your friends to come to the Centralia United Church grounds on Victoria Street, Centralia. For more informa- tion contact: Dave Elliott 228-6235. Life After Death: VON Palliative Volunteer Program is sponsoring a monthly Bereavement Support Program for Widows and Widowers. You can spend precious time with others who are learning to live and cope after the death of a spouse. Come to the Exeter United Church on the last Monday of the month, beginning May 29 at 7 p.m. — 9 p.m. For more information contact Kim @ 235-2510 Life AfterWork: The Complete Retirement Workshop — it's not just about the money! Join Jen Denys of The Right Path Consulting Group and Paul Ciufo of Godbolt, Ciufo Insurance & Financial Services Inc. as they present the 6 pieces of the Retirement Puzzle: Health, Marriage & Family, Friends, Moving, Work and Money. Two sessions to choose from: 2 — 4 p.m. or 7 — 9 p.m., Thurs., June 15 upstairs at Hansen's Independent Grocer, Exeter. Reserve your spot by calling: 519-235- 2740. $20 per person door prizes and refreshments - Jen Denys, B.A., CHRP The Right Path Consulting Group Phone - 519.294.6345 Fax - 519.294.0061 Web - www.rightpathconsulting. com Hensall CommunityYard Sale Sat., May 27: Join your friends and neighbours in attending this annual event. Hensall residents want to welcome you to attend. Go for the good food, bargains and hospitality. The Alzheimer Society of Huron County is seeking Board members. Please contact Cathy at 481-1482 for more information. The Alzheimer Society also needs volunteers to help with our annual tag days which will be on June 3 and 4 and call 481-1482 and ask for Theresa or Karla. Contact: Cathy Ritsema, Executive Director, Alzheimer Society of Huron County, 317 Huron Rd., P.O. Box 639 Clinton, Ontario NOM 1L0 519-482-1482 cathy@alzheimerhuron.on.ca Indiana's Amish Acres and Shipshewana Markets Bus Trip: Pack your bag and go Highway & Byway Cruising with Marion Foster. Trip dates are June 26 — 28, 2006. Bus pickup areas are Kirkton, Exeter and Lucan. For more information about this trip and others contact Marion Foster (519) 229-8718 or e-mail marion@cruiseselloffs.com or Cruise Sell Offs (519) 227-0444 117 Main Street Lucan ON NOM 2J0. Stephen Township Fireman's Breakfast: This is an early notice for you to plan to attend this great breakfast. Please come to this event very hungry! Come to the Crediton Ball park on Sat., June 3 - 7 to 11 a.m. For more information contact Doug Lightfoot at 234-6287. Cost of breakfast is adults $6 and children under 12, $4. Huron OPP and Huron Road Watch Join Together to CombatTraffic Speeding Problems: Is speed really a problem? YES Speeding reduces the time drivers have to avoid crashes and lengthens stop- ping distances, increasing both the likelihood of crashing and the severity of the crashes that do occur. According to National Traffic Safety speeding is one of the most prevalent reported factors associated with crashes. Speeding is a factor in 31 per cent of all fatal crashes affecting many Canadians' lives every month, but also the economic cost to society which is in the billions each year In a high-speed crash, a passenger vehicle is sub- jected to forces so severe that the vehicle structure can't withstand the force of the crash and thus can't sufficient- ly protect occupants from serious injury. Likewise, the performance of the restraint system such as an air bag and safety belts are compromised in high-speed crashes. This is also true of roadside hardware and safety fea- tures such as barriers, crash cushions and bridge rails, which are designed to reduce crash severity by absorb- ing crash energy or redirecting errant impacts, but they can't provide adequate protection for people in vehicles traveling at very high rates of speed. Higher truck speeds bring additional problems including increased tire tread wear, a rise in tire weakening, operation tem- perature, longer stopping distances, and increased brake wear. Roadway design factors, including how far ahead a driver can see, are compromised if vehicles travel faster than circumstances warrant. Speeding drivers put other vehicles and pedestrians at risk whose distances they may not be able to judge accurately. Drivers who run red lights are likely to be speeding and motorcyclists who crash with other vehicles making left turns are like- ly to be speeding. The Huron OPP and Huron Road watch will be provid- ing a Community Speed sign at designated areas viewed to have aggressive drivers and speeders. The sign will be located in the community for two days providing plenty of warning for aggressive drivers. Then OPP officers in Huron County will be out in full force with specific emphasis on seatbelts, alcohol and aggressive driving. Ten Digits Dialing Arriving in June: Ten digits telephone dialing is just around the corner. Starting June 17 telephone users will be required to dial a 10 -digit number, which includes area code and the even -digit number being called. It will be a trial period leading up to the official launch of the new system on October 14. Those dialing the regular seven digits will hear an explanation of the new dialing system and a request for them to dial the 10 -digit number. Callers dialing the (7) seven -digit number after October 14 will find their call will not go through. The June start will give phone users time to adjust to the new system. The system is being brought to accommodate the increasing sales of wireless phones and specialty phone service being offered by cable companies. Dialing of long distance calls will remain the same. Lest We Forget: I sat in my seat of the Boeing 767 waiting for everyone to hurry and stow their carry -on and grab a seat so we could start what I was sure to be a long, uneventful flight home. With the huge capacity and slow moving people taking their time to stuff luggage far too big for the overhead and never paying much attention to holding up the grow- ing line behind them, I simply shook my head knowing that this flight was not starting out very well. I was anx- ious to get home to see my loved ones so I was focused on my issues and just felt like standing up and yelling for some of these clowns to get their act together. I knew I couldn't say a word so I just thumbed thru the "Sky Mall" magazine from the seat pocket in front of me. You know it's really getting rough when you resort to the over priced, useless sky mall crap to break the monoto- ny. With everyone finally seated, we just sat there with the cabin door open and no one in any hurry to get us going although we were well past the scheduled take off time. No wonder the airline industry is in trouble, I told myself. Just then, the attendant came on the intercom to inform us all that we were being delayed. The entire plane let out a collective groan! She resumed speaking to say "We are holding the aircraft for some very special people who are on their way to the plane and the delay shouldn't be more than five minutes. The word came after wait- ing six times as long as we were promised that I was finally going to be on my way home. Why the hoopla over "these" folks? I was expecting some celebrity or sport figure to be the reason for the hold up ... Just get their butts in a seat and let's hit the gas I thought. The attendant came back on the speaker to announce in a loud and excited voice that several Canadian Soldiers returning home from Afghanistan were joining us!!! Just as they walked on board, the entire plane erupted into applause. The men were a bit taken by surprise by the 340 people cheering for them as they searched for their seats. They were having their hands shook and touched by almost everyone who was within an arm's distance of them as they passed down the aisle. One elderly woman kissed the hand of one of the soldiers as he passed by her. The applause, whistles and cheering didn't stop for a long time. When we were finally air- borne, I was not the only civilian checking his conscience as to the delays in "me" getting home, finding my easy chair, a cold beverage and the remote in my hand. These Jim Bearss See PERSPECTIVE page 6