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The Huron Expositor, 1983-12-28, Page 2r1ii , Y 4 (fxpositor Since 1860, Serving the Community first Incorporating ?.BrtoseIs Post founded 1872 • 12 Main St. r' 527-0240 t Published at SEAFORTH, ONTARIO every Wednesday morning Susan White, Managing Editor Jocelyn A. Shrler, Publisher Member Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc Ontario Community Newspaper Association and .Audit Bureau Circulation A member 01 the Ontar ' 'rem Council Subscription rates. Canada $18.75 a year (in adv& ) Outside Canada $55.00 a year (In adv .ice) Single Copies - 50 tents each VEJ SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1983 Second class mall registration Number 0696 1903 was Indeed &good year for the Seaforth area. One of the major .events was the opening of the new Seaforth and District Community Centres. For the past 52 weeks, the pages of the Huron Expositor have been grated . by photos depicting all major happenings In and around town. Top left represents the opening of the community centres. fop middle shows that students were Involved in Christmas concerts. Mike Park was at Clderfest, bottom left and Sportaftist was the major sporting event In Seaforth, bottom centre. Fall fain are always popular as was the five-year-old at right who was at the Belgrave School Fair, (WassInk photos) The deed is all Community spirit is a heartening thing to behold. It is that attitude of caring, the sacrifice of personal time and effort, that turns a municipality from being jtist a place where people live and go about their individual business into a place of warmth and co-operation. In small localities this thing called community spirit is evident — so evident that sometimes it appears to be taken for granted. Indeed, sometimes the very people involved in community works can lose sight of the true valuend reason for their generous deeds. When this happens it can quite overshadow the giving and the caring that went into the good deed in the first place. Usually when people lose sight of what the doing of good deeds is all about, their resulting action takes the form of a complaint. They complain to individuals organizing a particular event that their efforts aren't appreciated. They complain to the press that their particular effort hasn't been adequately recognized. They complain to anyone who will listen that their good works are being ignored — all because they haven't been publicly praised. There is of course spme value in their complaint if their good deed has been done as the member of a service club or community organization. These groups to some extent depend upon public support'and the most convenient way to get public support is to keep the public informed of projects and causes which are undertaken. However, if there has been a single service club that has discontinued its good works because of the lack of publicity, we've yet to hear about it. Some of us in our Tess thoughtful moments, which seem to coincidewith getting the kind of complaints mentioned above, have a name for people who seek attention for their good deeds — glory -seekers. It isn't a good d or fair description. When it comes to the doing of good deeds, the German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) probably put it as well as anyone is ever going to. "The deed is all, and not the glory," wrote Goethe. There's another thing about good deeds. They have a way of being found out- ' `Deeds, not words shall speak me," wrote English writer John Fletcher (1579-1625). It's a declaration we of this publicity -hungry generation could take to heart. The organizers of community events do their best to express their appreciation to those who participate. If they miss one or two it is understandable. These organizers are usually the busiest do-gooders of all. The press for all its faults also tries to cover community events on a regular basis. The press makes no attempt to name or photograph every person or organization involved in such events. It shouldn't be expected to do so for the function of the press is not to act as a public relations officer for any individual or organization. -From the Listowel Banner We need sensitivity To do their jobs well, reporters must sometimes ask hard questions about topics most people would rather not talk about. In the interest of promoting fairness, righting wrongs and relaying information, we ask questions about sensitive topics such as sex, religion and politics and sometimes risk losing popularity at the same time. But, sometimes, over -zealous reporters step beyond the bounds of good reporting to sensationalism in the race for a story. A CBC cameraman who was assaulted while trying to film the widow of a murdered mobster in Toronto crossed that fine line into sensationalism. At the funeral of Paul Volpe, a mobster who was shot to death and found in the trunk of a car, cameramen crowded around a limousine to film the grief-stricken widow within. Volpe's brother, Joseph kneed the CBC cameraman twice in the groin as he filmed people coming out of the funeral He was recently fined $500 for the assault. �s the judge pointed out at the trial, the cameraman "showed complete indifference to the rights of decent human beings", to mourn their dead. Volpe may have been a known criminal, but he was still mourned by his family who should have been able to do so in peace. -There are more compassionate and discreet ways to gather information than ramming a camera down someone's throat. Assaulting a cameraman is no way to protest the actions of the press, either. Volpe deserved to be and was punished. But, if the cameraman had shown a little more sensitivity, he may not have found himself a victim of assault, - S.H. here were we in '83? Fro pade MARCH 23 Seaforth Lions aim to raise 53000 in the local Easter Seal campaign headed by Stewart Whitmore. Two Junior Farmers, Jeff Allan and Jim McNichol return from an exchange trip to Australia and New Zealand. Prune Minister of yartiaica, Edward Seaga contributes 5100 to Seaforth's Community Centres. He was returning a favor made by Seaforth to a Jamaican high school 15 years ago when students sent proceeds from a walk-a-thon to the school. Huron -Perth Separate School Board teach- ers get a five per cent raise in accordance• with the provincial anti-inflation restraint act. MARCH 30 Dr. Paul Brady retires after working as county coroner for 16 years. Now practising at the Seaforth Medical Clinic, he is wen -known for his crusade for snowmobile safety. Secondary school teaching positions in Huron County are on the decline for the year. Heather and Jeff McGavin sell rabbits for Easter presents. The Queen's Hotel gets approval from the Liquor Licence Board of Ontario to open an outdoor patio dining lounge. APRIL 6 The Van Egmond Foundation plans to burn it's "mortgage" at the annual general meeting after raising money for 12 years to preserve and restore the house. Huron County council approves a study on the feasibility of a computer for the county. Names of those who give 51000 or more to the Seaforth and District Community Centres get thefr'nanies on a plaque. 'uckersmith Municipal Telephone System okays private phone Imes. APRIL 13 Bruce Shaw has mixed feelings when he transfers principalship from Seaforth Dis- trict High School to South Huron District High School in Exeter. The new Seaforth principal is Harry Scott. The five municipalities which own and operate the Seaforth and District Community Centres agree on the 1983 budget. ' Seaforth's PUC and the union represent- ing four outside employees sign a two year contract. Bluewater Centre for the Developmentally Handicapped sets a closure date of Oct. 31. APRIL 20 Mary Jane Nigh. an active participant in Seaforth sports, is hired as coordinator of Sportsfest. Brussels ratepayers want dam repairs made after they hear a report on alternatives to -save the dam at a public meeting. , Orville Oke, postmaster in Seaforth for 19 years, dies in Universit Hospital in London Seaforth police department receives five or six complaints about obseene,phone calls• in the area. (A small delegation complains to Seaforth council about neighbours keeping horses inside town limits. APRIL 27 The Town of Seaforth ends 1982 with a deficit of S49,350. A major outbreak of rabies in the summer concerns the Seaforth Veterinary Clinic. A new conflict of interest law is explained to municipal politicians in Huron Connty. Chairman of the Association of Municipali- ties in Ontario says the legislation is nothing to be hysterical about. A carriage house is under construction at the Van Egmond House. MAY 4 Grades two and three of St. James Separate School tour the Genesco shoe factory to learn how shoes are made. Officer Eric Gosse of Goderich OPP tells grades seven and eight Students at St. Columban Separate School about the dangers of alcohol and peer pressure. The Seaforth police department gets four new Roger's Bose gun holders to replace the old. flap styli holsters. The new ones are safer, says chief Claus. MAY 11 Meals on Wheels begins in Brussels with four volunteer drivers and three helpers. Grey township receives a grant to hire three students for the summer. They will be painting fences. planting trees and arrang- ing a card system for the Cranbrook and Mount Pleasant cemeteries. The Huron County Pioneer Museum opens after repairs costing 5350 are made. Neighbours object to a Seaforth land- owner s plan to build a house and'a garage on the corner of Ann and James St. The owner applied for a variance to reduce the required front yard from 25 to 15 feet. A sex education film shown to grade 12 students at South Huron Secondary School in - Exeter called "Caring and Sharing" has several parents upset. MAY 18 A skip-a-thon is held at Seaforth District High School to raise money for the Ontario Heart Fund. Over 5600 is raised. A men's ball hockey leagd$ is introduced in Seaforth with four teams or 60 players. Huron County's first Health Fair is held in Clinton and displays more than 25 health and educational services available to the public. Attendance is good -in the morning but disappointing in the afternoon. say organizers. Seaforth PUC agrees to a 58.500 study on the town's water system including a structural analysis of the water tower. Please see WHERE on page A3 had enough dad -gummed snow Christmas 1983 i )'ll not soon be forgotten. For southwestern Ontario resi- dents it sure wasn't a green.Christmas. It was white, very white, so white that most people spent a quiet Christmas at home. Even church services were cancelled on Christmas morning. But there were a few who didn't have so quiet a holiday. In fact. some sat down to their usual turkey dinner only to find unexpected guests at their front door. The guests we -e road weary travellers. stranded by the snow storm that hit the area the day before Christmas and continued into Boxing Day. Radio reports advised motorists to stay home. not to travel unless it was absolutely necessary. But people are creatures of habit. If Christmas means travelling to a relatives' home Iib kilometers away. they will try to get there. even in a blizzard. Personally. my wife and 1 always spend Christmas eve at her brother's home. We have never missed a Christmas. This year we did. Like all prospective travellers. we had our ear glued to the local radio station to listen to up-to-date weather reports. Sure. we heard @W�@ ©arid VICVMC@MC@ by Qon WcaoilrfalI1 visibility was poor and driving conditions hazardous. But it has to be one heck of a storm td keep me off the roads. Next came the report that all snowplows had been pulled off major highways. But 1 continued clearing my driveway with my trusty old tractor and blower. At 7:00 p.m., we decided to drive to the highway and if conditions didn't look good. we'd turn around and go home. For once. weather an4road imports were accurate. The roads w a mess and visibility was nil. We were only a mile from home, but it's the longest mile I've ever driven. 1 even managed to drive off the road on the way home. but luckily 1 managed to push my car out of a snow bank. Home again. the brother-in-law was called and told that Christmas eve at his house would have to go on without us. 1t was probably mo; a than luck. It was common sense that told us to stay home. But for many, lbristn:as we turneu tutu a kind of nightmare. Motorists didn't heed the Warnings and snow or no snow, they were going to celebrate a joyous. Christmas away from home. And that's exactly what they did but it wasn't that joyous. Away from home meant being stranded on the middle of the highway or in a town where everyone was a stranger. Most were fortunate to find lodging for the night in Seaforth and area farm homes. But some were determined to drive on. Barri- cades were erected on the outskirts, of town. but these were easily skirted. One motorist managed to make it to St. Columban only to be met by an angry OPP officer. The driver was forced to turn back. This winter has been unlike any other. Snow banks are unusually high. The tightest breeze can cut visibility in half and a decent storm reduces it to nothing. Christmas or no Christmas, we motorists have to realize that it's gaffer to he hnm, than stuck in the middle of nowhere. Why do we continue to disregard the warnings? Many times. people are overhead to say that roads were drifted in "but we had enough speed up to make it through." The only problem with this type of thinking and driving is the unknown. What about the car stalled on the other side of the drift or a stranded motorist walking to the nearest farm house for assistance? The chances of an accident increase with the increase in speed. Nobody was dreaming of a white Christmas this year. We had the real thing. But enough is enough. Next year, let's hope for semi -white Christmas with just enough snow to put us in the mood. Right now, I've had enough o being stuck in the dad -gummed snow. And think most people feel the same way. At le those who spent the past weekend shovelling snow. As most of you will have read. 1 have a name for my column. Thanks to all who submitted their ideas. Amelda Reynolds, Seaforth. is thelucky winner of a one year gift subscription to the Expositor. She came up with "Sense and Nonsense". it suits and makes sense, doesn't it. Who is celebrating the New Year? Now that Christmas is over a lot of people are out there training for New Year s eve celebrations. Some are building up to it slowly. starting with a little more celebrating each night like a weight -lifter who lifts a tittle more each day. Others are getting as much rest as possible for an the sleep they '11 lose coin' the big night. Not me. I hate to admit It, it will tarnish my already dull image, but when the new year comes in 1'B probably be in bed. if not asleep nearly so. The New Year's hoopla will kill off the one reason 1'd be likely to be up that late: watching a good late movie. In fact, if there were more people like me, the economy of the country would probably be irreparably harmed. 1 lust can't picture myself paying SISO a couple to go to some big blowout at some swank hotel like thousands do. Well, maybe 1 contd. if I hadn't always found New Year's Eve IDsc old ‘ho gco n e5 by Kcv,00 ROO RotOIT celebrations to be a gigantic anti -climax. 1 grew up watching all those marvellous Hollywood movies that made New Year's Eve seem like ,the greatest event in the world. As 1 got older it seemed the celebrations were something of an orgy for respectable people. People lost their inhibi- tions and kissed everybody in sight (and who knows what they did out of sight). 1 mean it seemed to me that on New Years Eve you could throw a party and invite an those women you had ever had subliminal fantasies about and an your fantasies, well at least the half -decent ones, would come true as these ladies who hardly looked your way in the light of an ordinary day. threw their arms around you and kissed you in the abandon of the moment. Bot it never happened. darn it. After going to a few parties. 1 found out that they were pretty much just like all the other parties and if there was something special and exciting happening, it sure wasn't happening in my corner of the room. The words of that Peggy Lee song. "1s That All There is?", come instantly to mind when I think of an the New Year's Eve parties 1 can ever remember. 1 once gave a New Year's Eve party for friends back in my high school days. it was a good patty, but nothing exceptional hap- pened tcome to think of it 1 think you could say the same for all my high school days). Another year a friend had a similar party. well. not completely similar since his mother seemed to think she had to head the social committee for the whole evening. You know, nothing interesting happened there. i've been to adult parties that have been a little less subdued since then but there's been nothing vaguely scandalous about them. nothing people were embarassed to hear they had been photographed doing when they recovered the next day. Maybe 1 inst happened to have friends who are as credibly dull as me. 1 don't know. Soanyway, 111 most likely be in bed when the New Year comes in. 1 won't even be watching the celebrations on TV because i might be jealous. But there's one time 111 have a better time than those guys at the party: the next morning. R 4