Vol. 1 #4 - June 27, 2007 Grand Bend Strip
June 27, 2007
View this week’s issue at Issuu.com:
Looking for fireworks? Look here for Canada Day fun
June 27, 2007
Grand Bend
NOTE: Fireworks delayed until July 2
Location: Main Beach
Time: Dusk (~10 p.m. depending on weather)
Cost: By donation – canvassers in red Grand Bend Fireworks committee t-shirts (donated by Archie’s) will collect donations and distribute Canadian flags.
What’s happening: Fireworks display worth $10,000. Fireworks operated by a private group under the auspices of the Grand Bend Chamber of Commerce. Event is produced for benefit of all in attendance and nearby businesses.
For information: Bill Kennedy – (519) 238-8158. Bill is still looking for volunteers and more funding. Unless more is given, this event is at risk of folding in the next year as responsibility rests on his shoulders. “I’m doing my best to keep it afloat.”
Exeter
Location: Recreation Centre Agricultural Building (except swimming)
Time: All day (see What’s happening)
Cost: Donations are used to offset the cost of fireworks the following year. Cost of the fireworks display is in the excess of $6,000. Volunteers from Community Living-South Huron and WOTCH will collect donations at the fireworks display.
What’s happening: 8-11 a.m. - Canada Day breakfast hosted by Legion Ladies Auxiliary; 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. - car show hosted by Canadian Tire - contact Sue (519) 235-0160 Ext. 228; 10 a.m. - bike decorating sponsored by Exeter Lioness Club - west side of agricultural building; 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. - child fair & Connect Community drum circle (Katie Fox) - hosted by playground staff, arena floor; 11 a.m. - demo extrication - Exeter Fire Department - west side of agricultural building; 11 a.m. - 7p.m. - old time rock & roll music provided by Dougger’s DJ Service; 2-4 p.m. Free swim at pool - pool time generously sponsored in memory of Terry Laye; 5-7 p.m. - roast beef dinner; 7 p.m. – dusk - The Hartmans - special thanks to Eugene and Anne for donating their time and talents for our enjoyment; dusk - fireworks display
For information: Nancy Rader – (519) 237-3412
North Middlesex (Parkhill)
Location: Ken Vernon Park - Elginfield Road at Kerwood Road
Time: 7 p.m. to dusk
Cost: Donations gladly accepted; all money goes toward next year’s fireworks
What’s happening: Free games and prizes for kids; entertainment by Mark Blayney; food for sale (minimal fee) - hot dogs, chips, pop, beef on a bun
For information: Lucy Hendrikx - (519) 294-6413
Forest
Location: Esli Dodge Conservation Area
Time: 5 p.m. to fireworks dusk
Cost: By donation
What’s happening: 5-7 p.m. – Fireman’s Kiwanis chicken barbecue. 5-8 p.m. – kids’ fair, bingo, games, dunk tank. 5-7 p.m. – entertainment with Joan Spalding Duo. 7-10 p.m. – entertainment with Second Wind and Lambton Main Street Players. 10:30 p.m. – fireworks and Optimist food booth.
For information: Don Pearson – (519) 786-4877
Everybody has a story
June 27, 2007
What is truth? Whose version of a story is the ultimate authority on what really happened? As Maynard “Sam” George and his family (as well as anyone else who has followed the Ipperwash inquiry) can tell you, there are more than two sides to every story, and therefore the truth can be hard to find.
In the case of the 1995 shooting death of Sam’s brother, Anthony “Dudley” George, there were scores of different stories on what really happened that night and why. Imagine being inquiry commissioner Sidney Linden, whose job it was to sort out the truth.
The only truth in journalism is that everyone has a different perspective. Can there ever be two identical stories from any event? I doubt it, if only because no two people are standing at precisely the same place at the same time. That’s why journalists can never really tell you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. They tell you stories, and hope that it is very close to what really happened. Even photographs are unable to tell the whole truth, but they’re harder to fudge.
One interesting aspect of the Ipperwash inquiry is the fact that a lot of politicians came out and tried to tell their version of the truth, and some of them seemed very honest. But when two people disagree on what happened and they were both there, whom do you believe?
There is one fact that came out of the Ipperwash inquiry, and Sam George makes a good point about it. The one thing everyone can agree on is that Dudley George died September 6, 1995. That’s the truth. And a journalist’s job is to find the most credible source for a story that aims to explain the truth. Read Sam’s story, and remember it’s one man’s perspective, but that of a man who spent 12 years looking for the truth and seems pretty satisfied that it has been found.
Casey Lessard
Publisher/Editor
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Our home and native land
June 27, 2007
Why did Dudley die?
Sam George gets some answers
As told to Casey Lessard
Maynard “Sam” George’s brother Anthony “Dudley” George was shot by Ontario Provincial Police Sergeant Kenneth Deane (who was later found criminally negligent) September 6, 1995 at Ipperwash Provincial Park.
After occupying the Camp Ipperwash military base for two years, about 35 protesters moved into neighbouring Ipperwash Provincial Park September 4 to call for the return of Stoney Point Nation lands at the camp and the park.
Dudley George was the only aboriginal person killed by police during a land claims dispute in Canada in the 20th century.
What really happened?
I look at this Report of the Ipperwash Inquiry and I wonder whether or not there’s ever been anything written like this before. From what I can see, somebody has finally said there were two sides to this story.
They obviously listened to the First Nations side as well as the other side and they came to the conclusions that resulted in this report. We had the police side of the story, the protestors’ side of the story, and my perspective for my family’s side of the story. They had political people in there, staff from the political parties, people from different departments in there. Everybody had an opportunity to come in and give their perspective on what happened. So many people had a story they wanted to tell. Not one person had the same story, not one.
One thing we can all agree on is that the night of September 6, Dudley George did lose his life. But what we need to do now is come together and make sure this never happens again.
A family history
My father was raised at the Stoney Point First Nation, which is now Ipperwash. When he moved here, he went into the armed forces. He and my mother were in the armed forces. When they came back they settled in Kettle Point and then moved to Sarnia.
In 1942, the government had come in and asked the people to surrender that piece of land so they could use it to make this army base. At that time the community members turned that down. Once they turned it down, the governments then enforced the War Measures Act, and they expropriated it through that. They came in and moved the families out of there in 1942. They just picked up their houses and moved them. This land was supposed to be given back after the war was over. That was part of what they were told. As you can see, 65 years later the land is still not in the hands of the First Nations people.
Part of that was they kept using excuses that they still weren’t done with it, that they needed it for training or for cadet camp every summer. Not really thinking too much about what was happening with the people that were originally from there, the governments looked and thought it would be cheaper to bring two bands together and put them on one piece of land. I don’t think they ever took into consideration the fact that we would grow, that our families would grow. To put them in one section of land, eventually we would start running out of land. And that’s what’s happening here.
They never looked at the growth of the First Nations people. They always took it as a declining race of people. They never looked into the future. We kind of know what their plan was but we don’t know whether they wrote down anywhere that they wanted the assimilation of the First Nations people.
Some of the people came back from the war and there was no homestead for them. They didn’t have email and the mailing system was very slow at that time. There was no communications system, especially if they were overseas. When they came home, there was no home for them. There was a fence and guards stopping them from going in. This is what our people went through.
They moved some of the houses. Some of them didn’t survive. We have one or two houses that are surviving. One is being lived in today and that’s my uncle’s house, which is partly my grandfather’s house from a long time ago. It has lots of additions on it, but the main part is still there.
On the northwest corner of the Stoney Point First Nation there was a piece of property that was surrendered to the province and that’s why the provincial government is involved in this along with the federal government. There’s that one little section in the corner. I know in 1937 there are reports from our council where the federal Indian agent had come in and said that the provincial government’s engineer had discovered remains in what was going to be the new provincial park. He asked him to come down and asked band council to pass a resolution and send it to Ottawa so they would fence off this area so they wouldn’t damage anything while they were doing construction on the park. It did go through that process, it made it through the federal government and went to the provincial government, but it was never done.
Moving home
I didn’t live here until I was 14 years old. I grew up on the Aamjiwnaang First Nation (in Sarnia). That’s where my mother was from and it was closer to my dad’s work. We moved back here and that’s when I started to live in this community.
Things happened to us pretty rapidly. We lived here not very long and our house burned. My family moved to the town of Forest, and that’s the house where my brother still lives. I never saw any difference between where I lived in Sarnia. The people were all pretty good, especially for us coming back into the community at such a late age. I started to get involved in a lot of stuff that was happening in the community, like minor sports and working with the community.
When we were married (Sam is married, has three children and five grandsons), we applied for a home (on the Kettle and Stoney Point nation) and this is where we built our home and raised our children. It’s where my kids all come back to and they call it home.
Growing up, I can remember Dudley with my brothers and sisters. I remember a lot of the Christmases and birthdays. Dudley himself was a person who liked to make people laugh. He liked to be around people. He would do things when he was asked to do things.
He was a handy fellow. He worked at jobs here and at the marina at Port Franks. He enjoyed that job very much. He liked to go out fishing. You see some photos where he’s ice fishing and out on a boat.
He helped around wherever he could. Mostly he liked being around people. He liked to joke around a lot. He’d just go around and visit. He helped our younger sisters a lot. He’d watch our nephews whenever they were involved in sports.
He liked to make sure he could make people smile. He wasn’t always like that, but that was the majority of the time.
Dudley lived in Forest most of the time. I have two brothers and a sister who live in Forest. I have another sister who lives in Port Franks. I have one brother in Kettle Point here and myself. Dudley hung around here and Forest and stayed around with my younger sister quite a bit.
Dudley worked along with this community and played some minor sports here as well. He kept connected with this community through family ties and that.
When they were protesting the former Ipperwash thing, they decided they were also going to get the park back. The park was where our grandfather had lived. There were burial grounds there that were never taken care of, and they felt at that time that it was another broken promise, so they decided they would protest there as well. That’s why they were in Ipperwash Park - because of the burial grounds that were never taken care of.
Dudley saw the opportunity to help out so he moved in there to lend support. Our father had passed away by then so Dudley was probably doing it to get the land back for them. They never had the opportunity to move back there.
That happened September 4. They waited until the park was closed and the campers were gone – they didn’t want to see anyone get hurt. As a result of it, my brother was shot and killed September 6. No one will ever forget that part.
Don’t give up the fight
In the beginning, all my brothers and sisters sat down in a room and realized there was going to be an estate that had to be done and there had to be somebody appointed to do all this stuff. At that point in time, my brothers and sisters appointed me to handle that. So that’s what I did. I became executor of the estate and as we asked questions we started to figure out whether we wanted to do something about it. Do we want to find out what happened? Was it necessary for him to die? We asked for an inquiry at that time. There were allegations that the premier was involved in it and had made these statements. We decided we needed to find out what really happened that night.
We started the process of looking for lawyers. Unfortunately, because it was a political case, they’d come back with things like ‘My neighbour’s an OPP officer, my family member’s an OPP.’ They just wouldn’t touch it. We ended up going to Toronto and found a lawyer named Delia Opekokew, who decided that she could help us on this case. Once we started and found there were no reports on this case and that we had to do all our own investigations, she said it was going to be a much larger case than we ever thought it would be and that at some point we would need a litigation lawyer. And that’s where Murray Klippenstein came in.
We started to dig, we filed a statement of claim in 1996, which got national coverage because of who we were mentioning in the claim, and that was the premier of Ontario, Mike Harris. It drew a lot of attention when we were starting to go through the civil court process.
We always said we would take a public inquiry instead of a civil suit and that if they would do that we would drop the civil suit. But that became a battle in the end, too. They fought us every which way. We didn’t want to fight with anyone. We just wanted answers and unfortunately it took a long time.
There’s a lot of work in there, a lot of sleepless nights, worrying about things because once we filed a statement of claim we got more motions to have names struck out of the statement of claim. We were going back and forth like that all the time. No one was really making a move until the court ordered that there was enough evidence there to keep the premier in the statement of claim. Once that happened, everybody followed suit. It took a long time.
When you’re at the inquiry you’re always working to make sure you don’t get left behind. You’re also working to keep ahead. You know where you’re going, you know who’s coming up the next day so you try to figure out what they’re going to say, and you have to be prepared if it goes this way or that way. It was a real thinking process for us and we were on the computers a lot. Even when we had legal counsel in Toronto, we were always on MSN, talking back and forth. It was a process that kept me involved very much. Sometimes I wouldn’t get home until 10 or 11 at night and be gone again at 7 o’clock in the morning.
It was very good to hear witnesses saying that they wouldn’t like to see anything like this happen again. They didn’t like being involved in stuff like that. The people that were there didn’t want to be there either.
Twelve years later, answers
I was satisfied with the inquiry report. It talked a lot about where we were going. The parties that were involved in this did get recommendations to take back and implement to change the way they do things. We need to make sure these recommendations get followed and that the report doesn’t sit on a shelf somewhere. What we want is that this never happens again to another person. That’s what this report has done.
The inquiry didn’t give any recommendations to help with any of the costs over the years. Me and my wife prepared ourselves for stuff like that. Sure, we had to sell some stuff and there were times when it was very, very tough on us. I have a lot of money tied up in this personally. It’s something where if you believe in what you’re doing and you have the support there when you’re doing it, then that part becomes a lot easier. We have a lot of bills now we have pay, but we’ll work out how we’re going to do it.
It cost a lot more than I imagined it would. I really didn’t think asking for someone to tell me what happened that night - to tell me whether or not it was really necessary that he died - I didn’t think it would be so costly and so timely just to try to get answers of that nature.
How Sam survived
My Chevelle (Sam is a Chevelle aficionado, and collects models as well as owning a classic car) is an interesting story because I had one other car that I had to sell in the beginning of this process because I needed money. Later on, my wife said, ‘You should buy yourself another car.’ I bought another car and when I started to fix it, I really didn’t have the time so my oldest brother Reggie did a lot of the work on it for me. He actually had to keep it for me for a while. Eventually we got it done and I have it in the garage.
We needed some kind of entertainment in our lives. We can’t always go and continuously do this type of work. Every now and then you have to give your mind a break. As soon as you get home, your phone starts ringing. I carry a cell phone. I have it on most of the time. That’s just a habit now. Before I needed it for decision making because my lawyers gave it all they had and they did a good job at it. You can see the results. But that’s why I have the car – to give me a change and relax a little bit.
My band supported me a lot in what I was trying to do, so when I needed to be gone or when I had time waiting for judge’s decision, I’d be “in the office.” (Sam was a youth worker for Family and Children’s Services for the band). Whenever I could be there I was there. Over the period of the inquiry, I was at the inquiry every day. That took all of my time at the time.
I haven’t even thought about (getting back to work) right now. I’m still pretty busy. People call me from all over right now – Vancouver, Winnipeg, Ottawa. Their favourite question is how did I survive all of this. Well, I don’t know. That’s something I’ll have to sit down and figure out.
I counted on my elders quite a bit and they would keep track of me as well. Even the morning after the inquiry, they contacted me and said, ‘You need to do some stuff now. You need to get yourself up and look at getting yourself better.’ I did get run down pretty good in the end there. I did get sugar diabetes and that’s been a real battle. I’m now trying to get that settled down right now.
Not only because of my eating habits, but it’s also stress. There were days the blood pressure would go up and stress would go up. You couldn’t predict what your day would be like. You’re asking someone to tell the truth and you don’t know what’s going to come out.
A peaceful solution
To me, if someone would have sat us down in the beginning and said, ‘This is this person, this is that person. They’re responsible for this; they’re responsible for that.’ If we could have sat at a table and talked about that stuff in the beginning, we could have probably settled this soon after Dudley died. Unfortunately, they chose to take us down a different path. Because they took us down that path, it became very difficult and very costly for us. But we survived all of that and now we’re looking at a report and looking at getting it implemented.
It would help people if they came down and listened to some of the stories. Anybody can phone me or visit me any time. They can ask me questions if they want. They would learn that it wasn’t an easy way to go. In the system that you have to go and follow through, it sometimes becomes very harsh on you. They just don’t have any idea what it’s like.
People call you and tell you they have something that might be helpful to you. I always took that time to listen. I don’t care who it was that phoned me. I have people now calling me, ‘Can you help me with this? Can you help me with that?’ I try the best I can to help because people helped me.
What would Dudley think?
If he were alive to see this report, I think Dudley would say it was about time people started to listen to what we were saying. A lot of things that are in here are things he was standing up for. Burial grounds, treaty lands, a homeland. He was not only standing up for himself, but for his family, community and the First Nations people, saying ‘Somebody listen to us.’ That’s all we wanted – somebody to listen. Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out that way. If you look at the recommendations, you’ll see where every little thing went wrong, who was involved, how things could have been done better. You see lots of those things in the report.
I would have rather had him around today. But one thing we do know is he did start something that night. He stood up for our rights, and he paid the ultimate price – he paid with his life.
When you look at it now, everything he was starting to do has come out in this book. I was allowed to do closing statements at the inquiry, and I said, ‘Now he can rest in peace.’ The work he started to do is now going to be divided up and given to the various parties and now it’s up to us to work together in a good way and make sure these recommendations are followed and implemented.
This is important not only to First Nations people, but to any person because we do have that right to speak up when we see something wrong. We don’t have to have that fear that if we do speak up that we will be put down the way he was. He was only speaking up.
We will start to forgive, but we can never forget the night of September 6.
Canada: land of opportunity
June 27, 2007
Jamaican Shirley Wright’s summer destination - southwestern Ontario - makes him a snowbird of a different feather
Forty-nine year old Kingston, Jamaica resident Shirley Wright has been coming to Canada every summer for the last 20 years to work at the Masfrankc farm, now the Strawberry Place (338 Elginfield Road, between Sylvan and Thedford - (519) 294-0070). Norm Masfrankc keeps bringing Shirley back for six-month terms: “Shirley works at the job as if it were his own. He’s very versatile. He’s a good gardener, carpenter. He can fix things; he’s mechanically motivated. He’s great in general to have around. If he can, he’ll motivate the other workers and keep them going. The main thing, he can be trusted.”
As told to Casey Lessard
I had never been on a plane or to Canada. We had a big storm in Jamaica the first year I was here in 1988 and I go home and my roof was blown off. It was a surprise. You got to put it back together because you need something to live in.
This was the first place I came. I didn’t know where I was going. At first, everything was strange. You’re going to a strange place where you don’t know anybody. Nobody tells you anything. You only see a contract sheet, which you sign that you will work for an individual. You don’t know the individual and the first time I came it was flue tobacco. From there we moved on to black tobacco and now it’s strawberries.
I came through a program that goes on in Jamaica. The government started it to try to help the poorer class of people. If you want it, you take it; if you don’t want it, you leave it. They put out a lot of cards and you take a test. They test your urine, your eyes; stuff like that. If you fail the test, then you can’t come.
I never even looked at the money. Most guys look at the money and say it’s really small. I never think of that. I never prepare myself to stick at a job in Jamaica – a handyman or carpenter – because I like to come back and be with Norm and Marg and especially Deb (their daughter). She built up my speed at work. I love to see her work.
Sometimes making a living in Jamaica is rough and sometimes it goes and comes. If I say I’m going to stick a job in Jamaica, then I can’t come here. It’s on and off. I will do something back there, but not long-term things. Then I come back.
When I’m there, I like to be by myself. I like to go fishing and be by myself. I enjoy that. Not go to dances or stuff like that.
I have (adult) children but I’m separated from my wife. I would come here every year and she felt lonely so she took off. I didn’t bother and kept going. I have kids with another girlfriend, but she died. They live in New York.
I like the boss. I love the family. They are there for me. If I do something wrong, they will say, Shirley, you’re wrong. I can see that. So I try to do the things that are necessary.
Norm told me that he would put me on to somewhere else when he retires. If he wants to do that, I would appreciate it and take it.
I don’t think I’m ready to retire. I don’t know yet. It’s a way back. I see a lot more work and getting a lot more experience.
The favourite thing about Canada: I like the people. I have a couple friends around, especially in Parkhill and Thedford. It’s a nice country, very clean and cool. I get along with the people. That’s the reason I like Canada.
Me and Norm, we have our little ride to Kettle Point. He shows me around the beach. I like the place. The only difference is the water is cold. In Jamaica, the water is a little bit different because it’s salt water. At midnight you can go in the water, but here you can’t do that.
I love Jamaica. It’s my homeland. It’s a warm country; you don’t have winter. It’s a nice country. But I like Canada because coming here, the first time and working, it granted me a lot of opportunities and experience.
I just want to come and work and when it’s time to go, I go. To live here, well, if the opportunity came, I’d take it.
Eddington’s three-course barbecue for six
June 27, 2007
Recipes supplied by James Eddington, Eddington’s of Exeter Casual Fine Dining 527 Main St, Exeter. (519) 235-3030 or http://www.eddingtons.ca
Lake Huron Whitefish and Tomato Parcels
Wrap whitefish in foil before barbecuing. Serve unopened parcels and wait for your guests to appreciate the wonderful aroma that greets them!
Serves six
butter, for greasing
6 skinless fillets of whitefish
6 fresh tomatoes
6 green onions
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
whole or chopped herbs: dill, cilantro and parsley
Butter 6 large sheets of foil. Lay each whitefish fillet on a sheet of foil. Cut each tomato into 6 wedges and pile them on top of whitefish. Scatter onions over the tomatoes. Whisk together the oil, lemon juice and sugar and drizzle over top. Finally, add your fresh herbs to each parcel. Close parcel, securing seams well, then cook over medium~high heat for 8- 10 minutes, turning parcels occasionally.
Let sit for approximately 2 minutes and serve sealed.
Grilled Vegetable Platter
A meal in itself; ideal to serve to vegetarians or with any BBQ entree.
Serves six
6 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 large red onion , sliced into 6 rounds
12 baby beets , stems trimmed to 1 Inch, and ½ lengthways
3 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise
3 baby eggplants, quartered lengthwise
salt and pepper to taste
4 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Put the oil, vinegar and thyme into a large bowl and whisk lightly. Add onion and beets; toss well. With a slotted spoon, lift them out and spread on a hinged wired BBQ rack. Add remaining vegetables to bowl and toss well. Use a slotted spoon and lift them into a second hinged rack. Lightly season both sides of vegetables with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat (on BBQ) turning occasionally. Allow onion mixture 8-10 min. on each side and zucchini mixture 6 min. per side. Pour vegetables onto decorative platter, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
Glazed Pineapple with Coconut Rum Cream
Serves six
1 pineapple, skin and core removed, cut into 6 thick slices
6 tbsp butter, melted
confectioner’s sugar, to taste
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 tsp coconut liqueur or coconut rum
2 tsp dark rum
Brush pineapple on all sides with the melted butter. Lightly dust with sugar. Put the cream into a bowl and stir in sugar to taste. Add the liqueur and rum. Lightly whip to smooth peaks. Cover and chill until required. Cook pineapple over medium heat on BBQ for approximately 2-1/2 minutes per side, until glazed and slightly scorched.
Serve with flavored cream.
Tip: If you do not have coconut liqueur, simply use coconut milk/cream with a splash of brandy.
Bald eagles making a comeback in the region?
June 26, 2007
Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton
The bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus boasts a wingspan of 183-244 cm. That translates into about seven feet! It weighs approximately 4.1 kg (10 lbs). The snow-white head and neck are distinctive. However, unlike the mature eagle, the juvenile sports a brown head and grayish eyes and could be mistaken for the golden eagle.
The bald eagle is truly at the top of its food chain. Its only threat is man, who is often responsible for loss of habitat and illegal hunting. The eyes of the adult eagle are bright yellow. When hunting, the bald eagle can focus in on prey from an unbelievable distance. This high definition sight is due to a high concentration of receptors in the retina of the eagle’s eye. Which reminds me of when my mother used to say, “I’ve got my eagle eye on you.”
She could spot anything I was doing a mile away.
Rare in eastern Canada
The bald eagle is common in Alaska and northwestern British Columbia, where up to 3000 may gather at a time to hunt salmon. They sometimes steal from ospreys (a raptor for another story). They also eat carrion and injured waterfowl, squirrels, rabbits and muskrats. Although they are not so common in eastern Canada, Steve Kozak, a citizen of Ailsa Craig who lives on the Ausable River ravine, reports a couple of recent sightings of these great birds. Steve, who watches the wildlife around him with interest, managed a good look at the birds on two separate occasions over a three-month period last year. In each case, the eagle was riding the currents over the river, searching out some unsuspecting fish.
The eagle constructs its gargantuan nest of large sticks and vegetation in the fork of a tall tree or on a ledge, sometimes 60 feet above the ground. Two bluish-white or dull white eggs are laid, 7-8 cm in length. The young, fed by both parents, stay in the nest an amazing 70-98 days. However, they have a great deal of growing to do before they become fledglings and must learn precise life skills from their parents before they can leave home forever.
Sighting can be awe-inspiring
It is not surprising that with all of these attributes that the bald eagle is often a symbol of majesty and strength. On a recent walk with my grade six students in Nairn, we were ambling through the East Williams cemetery when I happened to glance upward to spy an adult bald eagle riding the thermals of a clear blue sky. It was a breathtaking experience to be able to say, “Look! It’s a bald eagle!” I was so enraptured by the sight that I continued to walk as I was pointing aloft, and managed to slam my knee directly into a large grave marker. My apologies to the occupant. My students were suitably amused by their enthusiastic, yet absent-minded teacher.
The following week I was favoured with yet another bald eagle sighting. In early June, while out for a healthy brisk walk just north of Ailsa Craig, I caught sight of another adult male perched at the top of a tall dead tree. I stopped in my tracks and was able to observe him for about two minutes from a distance of about fifty feet. It was a most memorable and humbling experience.
These sightings may be indicators that the eastern population of bald eagles is on the increase. Keep your eyes peeled. You never know what you might see.
Get back to the basics
June 26, 2007
Golf tips
By Cameron Rankin
Almost all swing flaws or faults stem from incorrect swing fundamentals. Check the following before making any changes to your swing.
The position of your clubhead (face) at address: position it at a right angle to your intended target line.
Grip: both hands should work together, with the back of your left hand facing the target, palm of your right hand facing the target. Looking down from your address position, you should see two knuckles on the back of your left hand. (The opposite for you left handed golfers.)
Posture: pelvic tilt from the waist keeping your spine as straight as possible. Your arms should hang directly down from your shoulders at the address position. Your legs should also be slightly flexed.
Foot/stance position: have your feet shoulder-width apart, slightly wider for wood play and slightly closer together for short irons.
Ball position: longer clubs, position your ball forward in your stance (closer to the target), moving your ball back in your stance as you get to your shorter irons (middle of your stance with wedges).
Body alignment: your clubhead and ball are positioned on the target line, your body alignment should be parallel left of your target line (for right handed golfers). Think of a railway line: clubhead and ball on one track and your body on the other track.
Check these six fundamentals and your shot results will improve.
Cameron Rankin is a member of the CPGA and British PGA, and the head pro at Sand Hills Golf Resort (www.sandhillsgolf.ca) between Port Franks and Thedford.
Charitable golfers flock to Oakwood
June 26, 2007
Story and photos by Casey Lessard
More than 300 golfers spent two days at Oakwood Inn, golfing for good causes and having a good time doing it.
“I’ve always believed that when people give money, I want them to have fun doing it,” says Dave Scatcherd, whose annual tournament was June 12 and 13. “With David’s help, we’ve created what I consider the finest amateur golf tournament in Ontario. Every year it fills up, so it will keep going. The money we make off it goes to wonderful causes in the area.”
Those causes include Community Living London, Community Living South Huron, the 2001 Canada Summer Games, and the Grand Bend Community Health Centre. Closest to Scatcherd’s heart is the Scatcherd Children’s Centre of Community Living London, which opened in the late 70s.
“I had a sister who was a retarded child, named Jane Scatcherd, and I just felt I’d like to do something for her. That’s how it started. My mother left some money for a home in London and I matched the money they left. We built a beautiful home for children in London just off the university property on Sarnia Road. It turned out to be a marvelous setup.”
“The biggest thing is helping kids,” says tournament chair David Bartlam. “Dave’s goal from the start of this event has been to help unfortunate, disabled and mentally challenged children so we’ve tried to do that over the years as well as helping other charities. We probably average $50,000 to $75,000 going directly to charity.”
Over the years, the tournament has raised $1 million, which has been used for cars, buildings, roofs, and programs within the communities. Community Living South Huron was given some funding to build the Scatched Room, which hosts a pool table and a big screen TV where clients can relax and enjoy the atmosphere.
In addition to funds raised through the tournament, more than 100 volunteers offer their time and the course pays for staffing during the two days while the course is closed to the public.
Any audience will feel at home at The Last Resort
June 26, 2007
Genre-bender is a murder-mystery, musical and comedy all in one show
The Last Resort
Huron Country Playhouse
June 26 to July 14
Box office: (519) 238-6000
www.huroncountryplayhouse.com
Story and photo by Casey Lessard
Most people would be happy to see a play that is a murder mystery, a musical or a comedy; those are standard theatrical genres. Canadian playwright Norm Foster and composer Leslie Arden decided to combine the three and the result is The Last Resort, now showing at the Huron Country Playhouse.
The Last Resort is set in a resort in Saskatchewan,” director Marc Richard says, “and the idea is that these characters come to the Last Resort: there are two people there for their 25th anniversary, there’s a man who’s on the run from the mob and he’s in the witness protection program, along with the FBI agent who’s with him. There’s a poet coming to find some sanctuary to write. There are twins – one actor plays two characters – twin girls who are there for the reading of their father’s will; one of them is going to inherit $32 million. There’s the woman who is the proprietress of the Last Resort, named Freda Heights – the big joke of the show. She’s looking after everybody.
“At the end of the first act, somebody is murdered and the whole second act is trying to find out who did it. There’s an RCMP officer named Kenneth Closely, who shows up from the RCMP complete with a kilt and a Scottish accent. He tries to figure out who killed the person who died at the end of act one.”
This is Richard’s fourth production of the play, and he says it gets better every time.
“It’s been a work in progress for me,” he says. “From the very first time I read it, I knew that all those elements had to be there. Usually what I do is go through a scene and look at it just for comic timing, the technical timing of it. ‘You’re saying this because, right now you’re culpable and everybody thinks you did it.’ There’s the murder mystery aspect – turning the volume up on that. And obviously the music is all part of it, too. The music is difficult – it’s really beautiful music, jazzy and a bit hard.”
It’s a fast schedule – the cast has two weeks to rehearse for the play.
“The first time I did this play, the actors barely knew what was going on. So it’s great to have people who have done it with you before because we go, yeah, right. We’re just reminded. All the layers are there and you add layers as they start playing. It’s great to have people who are ready to hit the ground running in a two-week rehearsal process, because you don’t have a lot of time. Especially just to learn the material, let alone to add other stuff to it.
“The actors love it. It’s always fun doing a comedy. It’s always fun to try to find the rhythms and what it takes to make the thing really come to life. We’ve had a lot of fun in rehearsals. Six of them in this cast have done it with me before – in Penetanguishene and Drayton two summers ago – and we have two new cast members. They’re walking around with their eyes a bit bugged out right now but they’re fitting in really well. They’ve had a lot to learn but they’re great.”
Richard likes having a chance to make the play better for a new audience.
“We can add so many layers to it,” he says. “In the two weeks we’ve been rehearsing, we’ve been going back and adding new elements to it, digging deeper. It’s a really fun show. It’s lovely to work on a piece where you know you’re just there to make people laugh. People are also going to be interested in the story and the plot. But just sitting there listening to people laugh is a wonderful way to make a living.”
And the atmosphere in Grand Bend’s not bad, either.
“Maybe Grand Bend’s a little more distracting for people in the summertime. People are like, I want to get to the beach. Yes, but we still have to rehearse. But it’s a great place, a great space to work in, a lovely theatre and it is a bit like a vacation when you work here.”
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