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The Huron Expositor, 1983-12-07, Page 2t+' d• • 9. Sancti 1860, iServ}hq,tll bV}: e(pat►rp�A.flrrpl 4.: iru;.5��14 )i11M1biSt;'1 Ptiliijelied at 8EAPOR1'H ONTA111O:eyer'y. W Seism .White, Managing Editor • Jocelyn A. Shrl.r, ;.ublishar • MafnberCanadlanCor)irhuolfj ,M.wapapgr,Aa.P4:'• Otltarlo Con mun(ty„N4lvapap.r0esocliplon azul :Agott Bureau01 C'►(g►r etIQR A' merhberol the QrttarI Pala ua*ll ' Subicription as t,' s P' Canada;i18'.75a"y r(Inedyan }r Outal_de.Canada 183t ' a.}r3ak (�ttad cp) Single Cop! lark ce ire each' SEAFORTH:, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, .DECEMBER 1, 1911 • Second cissa mail reglatratign er Numb0890 . �� . - ` SniaIl to*l _ a' enrages, One advantage (and sometImesadisadva dage).of living Ina small town is that everybody knows everybody on a fir$t name basis and if they don!' know, they will soon find out. • And, that means 0 somebody has a problem, neighbours and friends are there to help out. Whether 0 be a fire, car accident ora death, people give a helping hand. Two incidents, one In Seaforth and another in Walton has seen country and,itown folk rally together. John Jew, a Chinese born, Canadian resident for, the last 33 y = = rs 1s trying to'get his mother over from Hong Kong. Up until a few mont ago, he thought everything was approved and was ready to send her a • ane ticket. • But government red:tape ended ati that. The C. adia -'Igh' Commission in Korea turned down John's application to'spons r his mother as a landed immigrant because there is no proof the two are mother and son. John is over 50 and his mother is 75. They haven't seen each other since 1950. People who have talked tt,,John have no doubt that the lady Is. his mother. ', Because; John is respected in the community and has helped out when help was needed, the favor is being returned. Over300 people have written to John Roberts, Minister of Employment and Immigratibn Canada, supporting John's. bid to sponsor his mother. Over 40 people have signed a petition and more people are'signing and writing letters daily. Nobody was.more surprised at the public response than 'John himself. The support was overwhelming; support he never- expected. John was, hoping for 50 people at the most to write letters. Seaforth is optimistic the immigration .department will review their decision and allow mother and son to be reunited. n Though John may not see his mother before Ohristmas, a Walton family will have reason to celebrate Christmas this year. The Jim Carter family, of Walton probably .wouldn't be celebrating' Christmas if it wasn't for friends and neighbours. Mr. Carter, a welder, was injured in a truck -tractor accident four weeks ago. He remains in Seaforth hospital in a coma. . Walton and.Brussels people are collecting money to support the family until insurance cheques arrive, probably not until January. The best gift for the family is the return of a husband and father. But a burden will be eased because::gf,thpccarea(tttrthoughtfulness of -others. '•wThat's life in a small town^and it sounds great, doesy't it? - R.W. Don't blame victims SUZUKi METHOD—About 16 MU; dents of 8eaforth',PublloSchool are. taking violin lessons from Elizabeth Fraser Monday afternoons. Tha class Includes Brent Whitmore, Melissa Whitmore, Kevin ,McLlwaln, Chris Storey, David Kennedy. and Andrew Kennedy. ' (Hundertmark photo) A 20 -year-old woman spent five days in an Ottawa jail last week. Because she feared for the lives of herself and her family, she refused to testify against two men who allegedly raped her. She was jailed for contempt of court. The supreme court judge said that he must respect the principles of the justice system though he may have great personal sympathy for the victim. It's a sad commentary on a justice system when victims go to jail and alleged law -breakers go free. Liberal leader David Peterson 'told the Attorney -General the situation lavas "bizarre" and "clearly an injustice." In his attempt to encourage women to testify against alleged rapists, the judge may be achieving the opposite. There are already enough deterrents to keep rape victims from testifying. The one in 10 women who report they have been raped, face lawyers and judges who consider a woman's sexual history as testimony relevant to the case. "In sexual offence cases where the victim has been traumatized, the criminal proceedings adds to the suffering of a victim or witness, which is especially the case with rape situations - a particularly vicious offence," says Jack Riddell, MPP. Society is also a harsh judge of rape victims, eager to denounce them as bad women or women -"who didn't stay out of unsafe sf'tuatiens. Attorney -General Roy McMurtry's comments that the Ottawa woman had, after all, associated with members of a motorcycle gang and once been a prostitute, demonstrate the tendency to blame the victim. Does her past forfeit her right to say "no", to have control over her own body? Rape leaves deep scars on a the fear, shame a d loss of s reporting rape a - primaril court ordeal, of acquitted," say And now, it a Peter • war already hu risk of being victi" •y To put rapists behind b But, justice will never be s victims. - S.H. rept' - s by Riddell. pears rape the Attorn traum- man's psyche - it takes years to get over -confidence it causes. "Reasons for not of publicity, of not being believed, of the assailant, that the offender will be s must -also fear imprisonment. David -General that other rape victims, who are ed and fearful, will believe they also run the being sent to jail. s, it's obvious that rape victims must testify. ed if we continue to try and sentence the I need help to names this column As most of you have realized, Susan Whitemmrm has taken a year's leave of absence from the Expositor. Susan; husband Andy and daugh- ter Gaby are participating in an exchange prow. am wit;t a New Zealand family. The Whi etes-are en -route to New Zealand and 'are nowprobably-lyin .on the beach lit Fiji. The Berkhans of New Zealand arrived in Seaforth last week, experiencing their first winter storm, cold weather and snow. Susan's absence from the Expositor has resulted in a few changes, the major being her cblumn on this page. Though she has promised to keep us informed of her new home and lifestyle, i have been designated to fill Susan's spot on the editorial page. BACKGRO I have met many people in the Seaforth, Hensall, Dublin, Walton, Brussels areas and most pee le know who Ron Wassink (that's me) is. This is especially true for our' local schools whose hallways are well known to this "roving reporter". Recently a school teacher said, ' Oh, you're back ''a ain. Maybe we should get a cot for you." (Fran, (my wife) is probably saying the same thing.) Don't get the impression that I'm at the schools every day, or every week for that matter. But fair those who don't know me that well, by Raft W©malink involved in weekly newtpapers for nine years, going on 10 next April. I was born in Newmarket and raised on a dairy farm near Harriston. . Working in Seaforth the past -two years has been a great experience. The people are friendly, the town is aggressive, lively y and is always improving and looking for new ideas. Seaforth qualifies as one of the best small towns in Ontario. And of my involvement in four weekly newspapers, The Huron Exposi- tor is among the best weeklies in Ontario. or at all, here's a bit of ,trivia• i'Le tieen' "Semethfng f6'sdyy'G, beCiiitfe-ittehetsl fi only • she is, iden tified With•it14 ''°Barri ;s +a, 1 thought "Nothingto Say" 4000'660i • approprlateheadingfrmy column, butlwill have something to say most weeks, Another idea was '"Viewwppoint ' but this heading is so. overused by columnists that it's boring. "From the press box" is totally unaccept- able. Anyone who would want to be stuck with this handle is probably in a box. And, 1 don't like boxes; they confine and close in rather than display. DEAD END After serious consideration, i mentioned my problem to'co-workers and asked for their input. Some ideas were cute - "Tall tales", or, 'Sweet and Sour" and some others were unfit to print. Once again, I was at a dead end. The best idea the staff came up with was question marks. i had to do something; i was desperate fora heading. Right then and there 1 decided to let Expositor readers have a go at it. But, there are a w restrictions. Getting back to this column, you will have noticed there was no title on my column, only a row of question marks. I have a problem. I don't know what to name my, column and that's where I want your help. I've spent many a sleepless night search- ingfor a name and so far I haven't come up with anything that suits. Sure I've come up with several, but they're common, boring titles. i can't use Susan's column name, Marriage g Television is filled with a lot of shows that are so bad, to my taste, that I wish the video tape the shows are recorded on would self-destruct. But there's one show that, even if I seldom watch it myself, 1 hope finds a popular audience and sticks around forever. i can't say Hart to Hart is a •television show I would give up an important engagement to stay home and watch. It's no worse than a dozen other television action shows but not necessarily that much better either. But it is unique. When was the last time you saw a husband and wife on television or in the movies who were good looking, sexy and happily married. If you happen to be happily married (even if you dont manage the good-looking and sexy part) it is heartening to see Robert Wagner and Stephanie Powers having a great time cavorting around the television screen, one small reassurance that perhaps we haven't missed the boat altogether. Waiting is over In the year 1982, following my defeat as candidate for Reeve of Hensall, i borrowed a quote from Milton on his blindness "They also serve who only stand and wait'. Now the waiting is over. g Durin a6 my eleven years on council, with ei t as councillor and three as reeve, 1 never - oat sight of the fact that the people e had elected me and was there to serve them and not myself. i at all times to save money and to do what i believed in the best interests of the people of Hensall. 1 have read a few "horror" sfories but none quite so shocking as the tine our present council has been planning. The people of Hensa6 receive very little for their tax dollar as it is, there is scarcely a decent sidewalk to walk on and the local govern- ment bklieves it necessary to "whip a dead horse" to see if it can run. The town hall was condemned many years ago for dancing; it is not so many years old but it is in very poor condition and certainly not worth the cost of the plans • outlined by the press in the account of the council meeting. If council needs more room, there are many alternatives, room to rent at the arena for one solution. There was no mention made of the building which would have to be erected for the works superintendent (if they can get an easement into their lot), such building would cost many thousand dollars. 1 have been asked by many ratepayers if i can help them and if I am able 1 certainly intend to. 1 suggest the council remember our position; very little to attract people to town; the distinction of being half way between Exeter and Zurich and several vacant business places. The first question asked is "where can we get a ant?" Guess who pays for all the grants? John Q. Public of course; in this time of restraint 1 sagest council remem- ber jest that. i have been told (on good authority) that there have been as many as six special meetings in one month. Do you (Please turn to page 3) WAITING "lr"ustof all, the title must be three words or loss (and not too long). it can be unusual, simple or humorous. I'm not looking for a heidi¢ that's derogatory or offensive. Any id e ' l sideredt.l�Rd,aa e,i.5nob e Ma •illy dent 'boodles cap th . something. ' FREE PAPER But here's the best part. There is a prize for the winning entry, If I receive any ideas (I'm hoping), the winner will receive a free one year gift subscription tothe Expositor. This is a prize with a twist. The winner must give it away.'Expositor staff is excluded. What better Christmas gift can you think of? Students can give the gift subscription to fsrents, grandparents, uncles, aunts or a riend: Parents can win a gift for their kids, relatives or friends. 1'11 even throw in a gift subscription card which can' be presented on Christmas morning. I'm looking for a gift, a heading for my column. In return, I'm giving you a gift. isn; t • that what Christmas is all about? When you send in your submission, please include your name, address and phone number. furl hoping this is the las4week for question marks. The deadline is Friday, Dec. 9, (and please write). ts,a bad name in the movies a@GAnd oc@ n1@o 6y/ C3@Ilio L°3om0now Happily married people have never fared too well in story telling. Oh, it sounded good in those early fairy tales when true love and justice prevailed and people lived "happily ever.after" but even then the falling in love was the interesting part and nobody ever showed anybody living happily ever after. Back when i was growing up, movies were filed with bachelors for whom getting married was like being told they read terminal cancer. Life was over on that fateful day the bells tolled. Marriage was a trap that meant the end to all the good things in life. It meant settling ,for one woman where there were all those gorgeous creatures out there, settling for a home and order instead of freedom. it was a terrible putdown of women that it should look so terrible to have to spend a lifetime with one. But women have had their revenge with the coming of the women's movement to literature. The most common woman hero these days gets fed up with the listless family life, abandons the husband and kids to fend for themselves and goes off to a cabin in the woods of northern Ontario (or Alberta, B.C.) to get lost and "find" herself. Part of the problem of the poor image of -'marriage in story telling comes down to the nuts and bolts of drama. As a writer I know that putting two people on stage who are completely happy with each other is boring (unless they're to completely happy with each other they're doing things which require few costumes). In our personal lives we all seek a stability, a status quo. When we read a story or watch a play or movies, however, we'd get bored seeing the status quo. There must be conflict, one person acting, the other person restating, to make things interesting. Thus the mating dance is interesting but the life after it about as exciting as watching porridge cook. Thus marriages we see in stories are often marriages in trouble, people bickering, fighting. breaking up. The trouble is, does life imitate art? We constantly hear from women's groups that we need' to see strong feminine role models on television if women are -to feel confident. Can it work the other way? Could it be, that when people see unhappy marriages on television, and people dreading to get married in movies, that they think marriages are supposed to be that way? Come on, Jennifer and Jonathan Hart. Polish the linage of us old married folks. Malls give small town merchants nightmares Glad I'm not a small-town, down -town merchant these days. I'd probably be developing an ulcer and not sleeping too well at nights. Bane of the small-town merchant used to be the big town or small city not too far away, where there was more variety for the customer. Despite the most rigorous attempts of the s/t d/t merchant to educate the people, in their arbitary fashion, went sashaying off to the larger centre on a Saturday to spend their shekels. They still do. But another bogey, three times as fearsome, has come out of the woods to give the s/t d/t merchant nightmares and cold sweats. It began as the supermarket, usually built m the edge of town, where taxes were much less, and there was lots of room for parking. The supermarket bit heavily into the sales of grocery stores, drug stores and hardware stores, to mention a few of those afflicted, selling everything from toothpaste to lawn Mind yyooua, the supermarket didn't give the personalized service, the follownp on repairs or returns that the little merchant did. But it Sugg end of*@ by ©80N &FAN y • was kind of exciting: lots of pele to gawk at, a veritable cornucopia of g... s to choose from, easy parking. Fighting what, in many cases, was a tear -guard battle, the family business, the small merchant, modernized his store, joined with his fellows in sprucing up the downtown area (helped by government grants), and finally realized that he had to advertise, after years of believing there was no need, that everybody knew where he was and what he sold. in many cases, and in many small towns, it was .too late. Despite what became desperate efforts to fight the trend, there began a sort of rot downtown: a big turnover of small businesses that lasted only a short time; the closing up of old family businesses as theft owners saw the light: the "for sale" signs on downtown property. it was rather sad. Then came the real crusher: the develop- ment of malls. Every small town or village with any self-respect suddenly acquired -a "mom" At first these were neighbourhood affairs: just an acre or so with half a dozen shops, A drug store, a dry-cleaning outfit, a take-out food restaurant, and two or three other service shops, Then the big boys moved in. Sniffing the wind, they knew a golden -egg goose when they smelled one. They bought, or leased, huge chunks of land just outside the town, where taxes were minimal. Often it was bush or tough, useless land. in came the bulldozers; down went the trees. The big paving machines followed, and virgin territory became a vast expanse of asphalt. As the downtown merchants shivered in their boots, the wheelers and dealers, the mall -builders, lined up customers who would rent or lease space in the "grand, new mail." Within an incredibly short time, the jerry-built edifices went up, the mall blossomed into a combination of the old Saturday night in a sinall town, and a fall fair, and many a down caner experienced the kiss of death.- What is the attractio of a mall? Why do hundreds, then thous ds of shoppers pour into the malls, like cattle betgi led to the slaughterhouse? Weil, they have something for every taste. Video games for the kids. A place to meet and ramble and shoplift for the teenagers. The heavy scent of hot junk food in the air. A certain excitement at being part of a moving mob. Arid of course, a huge grocery store, dozens of small boutiques, and vast chain department stores where you can buy almost anything, and which can undercut the small merchant on prices, because of their volume b g t Add to this easy parking, where even the most maladroit inotorist can find a space. Even though the shopper must walk a quarter of a mile from his car through rain or snow'. (Please turn to page 3) A