Beach enhancement special report: Rotary Club of Grand Bend

Ron Hunt and Craig Scott
As told to Casey Lessard

Ron: Rotary is behind this project. We think it should go ahead.
Craig: It becomes a matter of attracting people. Kincardine has just done a fabulous job in its beachfront. Goderich, 10 years ago, built a beach that wasn’t even there and made it accessible. Port Stanley is pouring money into its beach. You can’t just sit back and think people are going to come. Just because you think you have the best beach doesn’t mean it’s going to stay the best.
If you look at all of the small towns across Canada, they all want to have something to promote. Many of them do not. Many of them don’t have a special project to dig their teeth into. They don’t have a waterfront. They don’t have a park in the middle of town. Grand Bend has the most fantastic natural beach and facility anybody could dream of and the town itself had not embraced that project. We felt for the betterment of the community at large, that if we could start the project and bring in like-minded partners like the foundation, like the town of Lambton Shores to support this, we could really do something terrific for the community.
Ron: We want to have the best facilities down there, but we want to have the best water we can possibly have. If there are problems with the water, we want it identified and we want something done about it. We were the ones who told Lambton Shores about Blue Flag (a designation recognizing water quality, environmental education and information, environmental management, and safety and other services).
Craig: They’ve come to realize that if they can achieve the Blue Flag designation, it’s fantastic for the beach. It’s a feather in your cap if you can get it.
A consensus among the club was that we should finish the beach project that had been started at the time of the Canada Summer Games. At the same time as we started that project, the natural part is that you have to have a water quality project to go with it. The focus was, if we do a beach enhancement project and a water quality project, that should stimulate the main street project. We don’t have much control over that; that’s really up to the landowners.
Ron: Hopefully it will lead to a better main street. That’s a whole other project. Make it an attraction so visitors can come. We have something great now. Keep it the same way only make it better.
This is the third year we’ve been putting $20,000 into the beachfront. That’s doubled by the Community Foundation, and then it’s all doubled by the municipality. Our money has been going into this pile, but we haven’t really had anything to put it into. We put the money into the elevator, which should be completed shortly.
Craig: There are people in wheelchairs who don’t have access to seeing the view from the upper level, and that’s a natural place for them. They’re out of the way and not trapped at ground level. We felt that’s a very positive thing. At all the meetings we’ve been to, no one has ever said anything negative about putting that elevator in.
Ron: Hopefully the technology will get around the sand. Consultants are looking into that, and hopefully it won’t be a problem.
Craig: We’ve had one other holdup, and that’s that we don’t own Government Road and we don’t own the pier yet. They are an integral part of the plan. The federal government won’t sell you anything that isn’t in good condition. It’s my understanding there’s X amount of money to be spent on the pier. That’s spent by the federal government before you take ownership of it.
Ron: Rotary’s not in the business of the ongoing maintenance of something. We do the capital expenditure. We raised all the money for the Rotary trail that goes down to the Pinery. However, it was turned over to Lambton Shores, so it’s theirs. We help keep it clean and help with the benches. Otherwise, it’s their responsibility.
Craig: We have the finest public beach in southwestern Ontario, and we want to make it better. Our thought was that we’ve let people down on the facility. We have to build on that. Grand Bend itself is a beach destination, and we want to make it a better experience.

Rock ‘n’ roll helps retired steelworker kick drugs

Story and photos by Casey Lessard

Originally from Wales, Bill Osmond is a retired steel refinery instrument technician and Elvis tribute artist. He lives with his wife in Grand Cove Estates.

I was watching an Elvis concert - one of the last ones before he died. He walked on stage and he was just a balloon. He was so swollen and white and sweating. His words were garbled. He looked like he was dying, he was so far up on drugs. I thought to myself, if I don’t get off narcotics, that’s going to be me.

I discovered Elvis when I was 10 years old. We had a sleepover at a friend’s house and we slept in his sister’s room. She was a teenager, and she had a picture of this strange looking guy leaning against a gate. He was wearing a red shirt and sneakers. It’s kind of a famous picture.
When I started to hear his music, I thought he was fantastic. I was an Elvis fan until he came out of the army. Then, of course, we had the Beatles, the Stones, the Yardbirds and the Beach Boys, so I kind of went off Elvis. I still liked him, but it wasn’t the music of the day.
Then in 1970, I saw an album of his called Moody Blue at the supermarket, so I bought it. His voice was much deeper and it had a new excitement. I got right back into it. I was working the steelworks at night, walking on the catwalks and I’d be singing my brains out. I’d go into the workshop and I’d always be singing there.
Six months after I came to Canada, I was picked to go and commission a new strip mill. The second day on the job I had this terrific pain in my back. It just brought me to my knees. The engineer saw me and called the ambulance. I thought I was having a heart attack, the pain was so real. That was my first kidney stone. They shot me full of demerol to get the pain down. They operated on the stone to get the stone back in the kidney.
There was nothing for about five years, and then they came quicker and quicker. I got kidney stone disease, and it got to be impossible for me to go to work. Every time I’d go to work, they’d be shipping me out in the ambulance to operate on me. I had every operation going for kidney stones, including a kidney transplant. In the end, the company said, “If you want to retire early, we’ll give you a part pension and carry your benefits on for life.”
We moved to Grand Bend in 2000. I was on a lot of pain pills. I was kind of out of it and very dependent on the drugs. I hurt my back and went to the health centre here, and there was a Chinese doctor who gave me acupuncture for pain. I never thought acupuncture really worked, but it did. It took me about six months to get off all the narcotics I was on. I did it gradually myself.
One day I thought, maybe I’ll go down and sing some karaoke at the Riverbend, so I did. I was singing different songs, and one of them was an Elvis song. Women would come up to me with their husbands, and ask me to sing another Elvis song. After doing that three or four times, I thought this might be something to do in my retirement.
I went to an Elvis competition in Brantford. All I had was a black shirt with a large collar on it. There I met a guy named Marcus Wells who is one of the top Elvis guys in Ontario, and he gave me my first jumpsuit. He said, “You should have a jumpsuit because you’ll get more points from the judges. I’ve got one for you; I’ll send it to you when I get home.”
I do parties and stagettes, and whatever. When my dad’s partner died suddenly, we had to go down to Port Dover and rescue him; we put him in the Bluewater rest home. I found out that they had volunteers going in to sing to these people. I volunteered my time one day, and I thought, this isn’t going to really go with these old ladies. But into the third song, I’m singing Teddy Bear, and they’re all tapping their hands and their feet, and they’re all listening intently. I thought they’d all be fast asleep. I’ve done that place about four times now. They just love it down there.
I get more out of doing stuff for people like that than getting paid for jobs. You’re rewarding people that need to be rewarded, who are forgotten about.
Being in pain, I can understand other people’s pain. Being locked up in a ward, I can understand the people in Bluewater or Forest, or the other places I sing. It gives me more compassion to people who are worse off than I am myself.
The pain clinic had told me I’d have to be on narcotics the rest of my life. But the more you’re on narcotics, the more they become no use to you. It doesn’t free you from the pain for long. Maybe three or four months. You’re in a dream world all the time. It made me aggressive sometimes, it made me cry sometimes. I was living in a plastic world, and nothing was real.
Now when I have a stone, I go the hospital and have a shot to get me over the worst part, then live it out at home. I’m a lot happier now than I’ve ever been and people don’t shy away from me. I enjoy the good times and lay down when I’m not feeling well.
Bill Osmond is available to perform as Elvis; you can contact him at 519-238-2005 or via email at elvis@torontobluejays.net. He performs free for local non-profits.

Make tonight a cosy autumn evening

Recipes supplied by chef Cara Funk, Eddington’s of Exeter Casual Fine Dining 527 Main St, Exeter. (519) 235-3030.

Soup: Red lentil and apple with a hint of curry finished with a drizzle of Canadian maple syrup
Entrée: Rosemary roasted spaghetti squash with crispy fried bacon. Sautéed white asparagus tossed with shallots, and red Bartlett pear finished with fresh torn basil and aged cheddar

On a cozy evening there is nothing better then the aromas of autumn vegetables roasting, fried bacon, and fresh herbs. This a great dinner to sets the mood for comfort on those lazy evenings in. My first intention for this meal was to create a healthy vegetarian dinner; however, the suggestion of having a meal without any meat was not the most appealing to my husband. And the white asparagus scared him a bit as well. So I did what every cook knows to do when cooking for the gourmet-challenged, I added bacon and cheese. Everything tastes better when you add those two ingredients. The result was a fantastic dinner full of flavour and texture. It’s easy to prepare with restaurant appeal.
Our soup is earthy and rustic, and features red lentils, which cook faster then other varieties of legumes. It’s a nice way to warm up on an autumn evening.

Sweetly curried apple lentil soup
Serves 4 to 6.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
3 stalks of celery chopped
4 small to medium carrots chopped
3 royal gala apples chopped
1 cup red lentils rinsed
1 sprig rosemary chopped
2 tbsp curry powder
3 cups chicken stock (homemade is best, store-bought low-sodium stock will do)
3 cups water
2 tbsp maple syrup

Cook onions in olive oil until soft. Add garlic, celery, carrots, apple and lentils. Add rosemary, curry powder and cook until vegetables are soft. Add stock and water and simmer until lentils become soft and falling apart, about 30-40 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth in texture. Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup.

Rosemary roasted squash

Take two medium-sized spaghetti squash and cut each in half lengthwise, removing the seeds. Season each half with rosemary, salt and pepper and olive oil. Place on baking sheet and roast in a 400-degree oven skin side up, for 20-25 minutes.

Sautéed white asparagus with pears and shallots

Slice one shallot and three pears and put in frying pan with eight trimmed asparagus spears and 2 tbsp olive oil. Cook until asparagus is tender yet still crispy. Finish by adding hand torn basil leaves and sliced aged cheddar. (I used four-year cheddar).

Fried bacon

(Note: start the bacon in cold frying pan.) Cut six strips of bacon into three pieces each and cook on medium heat.

Plate the squash and asparagus, and top squash with bacon.

Mid-term reports, dealing with winter conditions

Last Friday students received their Semester One Mid-Term Reports and were asked to complete the Response Form that accompanies them. This form needs to be signed by a parent and returned to the students’ Day One, Period One teacher. We would like to have these forms returned to us by November 30 so that we can file them in the students’ Ontario Student Records file (OSR.) Students who were absent on Friday should see their Day One Period One teacher to get their report cards. Students who have a spare in first period can get their reports in the office if they were absent on Friday, and they should return their completed Response Forms to the office as well.
We received a little reminder from Mother Nature last Friday as well, letting us know that winter is not far away and that it is time to start getting ready. So, I thought that perhaps this week I should review our inclement weather policies and procedures.
The decision to cancel buses and close schools is made after consultation amongst bus contractors, the roads crews, and school administrators. We try to do this as early as possible so that we can announce the cancellations in a timely manner. Normally, we try to have a decision by 6:30 a.m. so that the announcements can be on the radio by 7:00. However, it is not always possible to do this. Snowsqualls are very unpredictable and sometimes we have relative calm up until 7:00 and then squalls set in, causing us to make the decision far later than we would like.
Our normal procedure when we cancel the buses is to close the elementary schools and keep the high school open for study purposes only for students and staff who can safely get there. This means that the building is open, but there will not be any classes, since the majority of our students are bus students and the majority of our staff live outside of the Exeter area. This is true for the elementary schools as well, and we do not want students or staff taking unnecessary risks trying to get to school in bad weather.
My rule of thumb with South Huron is that the school stays open unless the highways are closed or we lose power or water. Students can come in to pick up books or homework and to get help from any teachers who have made it in, but since most of our staff live out of town, there will be relatively few staff in the building on snow days.
Bus cancellations and school closures are announced in several ways. The notices are emailed to radio and television stations (provided we don’t lose our electricity), but the best source of information is our school or board web-site. Assuming that parents or students have internet access, the information can be found at one of the following web-sites: www.shdhs.ca, www.yourschools.ca, and www.ourschoolbuses.ca/delaysandcancellations.htm. All three of these web-sites should have the same information about which buses are cancelled and which schools are closed.
As I mentioned earlier, most of the radio and TV stations in the area will get the cancellation information as well, but we recommend that students, parents, and staff listen to either AM 980 in London or FM 102 in Wingham. In the event that we have to change or update the information, or in the event of a power outage that prevents us from emailing the information, these are the two stations that we will call.
I would like to caution students and parents about one source of information that was rather confusing last year. The A Channel announced bus and school cancellations by running a notice across the bottom of the TV screen. However, the announcement was rather general and their intent was for viewers to go to the A Channel web-site for more specific information. For example, if buses were cancelled or schools were closed anywhere in the Board, the announcement sometimes read “Avon Maitland District School Board: buses cancelled and schools closed.” They expected viewers to then go to their web-site or listen to their news telecasts to find out which buses were cancelled and which schools were closed. This created considerable confusion at times for some of our students and parents when schools in our area were open but other AMDSB schools were not. Hopefully that won’t happen this year.
Finally, I would like to remind students and parents of the AMDSB policy when bad weather arises after students have arrived at school. We do not generally send students home before the usual dismissal time. First of all, if the weather is bad and road conditions have deteriorated, the last place we want students is out on the road. We will instead keep them at school where it is safe and warm until the weather conditions improve and it is safe to send out the buses. Secondly, the local road crews know when our buses will be on the road, and they try to make sure that the roads have been cleared. If we send the buses out early, the roads may not have been plowed. Lastly, we need to ensure that someone is at home, particularly for younger students, and we do not want to risk sending them to a home where the doors may be locked and no one home. In a worst-case scenario, we would keep students at the school or find billets in town, rather than risk sending them out in horrible weather.
If you have questions or concerns about these procedures, please contact me or your elementary school principal.

Evening grosbeaks make a rare visit to Ailsa Craig

Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton

Mid 1960s: a typical February morning in Bracebridge, Muskoka at my house. Minus thirty degrees Fahrenheit. My pajama-clad father with winter coat over-top, armed with a bucket of striped sunflower seed, boots crunching over the backyard snow. His goal was to satisfy the voracious appetites of at least a hundred evening grosbeaks waiting in the naked maple tree for their daily feeding. The ancient maple would be festooned with the stunning yellow plumage of the evening grosbeaks. And there they would wait for him to fill the feeders, and to pour copious seeds onto the dining room windowsill. Soon after the solitary bird man had returned to his kitchen, multitudes of grosbeaks would descend upon the seed, affording us a very close-up view of these dazzling finches.
Several sported metal ID bands around their skinny ankles. Bird research was very much alive and well during the mid-‘60s. Without warning, a neighbourhood cat might slink into the yard and the sunny throng would be gone in a trifle, the cacophony would cease and the old maple would be bare once more. Gone are the days that we see the evening grosbeaks in such enormous numbers.
The evening grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus) is a plump, sturdy finch. It has a thick cone-shaped bill ideal for cracking seeds. Its plumage is unmistakable, with the brilliant yellow body and conspicuous gold band across the forehead. The snow- white wing patch is also distinctive. They were first noted in the early 19th century in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies and were named evening grosbeaks because the settlers thought they came out of the woods only to sing after sundown. This, of course, is not true. I prefer to associate the name with the beauty of a golden sunset. Their range has spread as far east as Newfoundland and Labrador and as far south as Alabama and Georgia. Such wanderings of the grosbeaks have been traced through the ID banding of the birds, beginning in the 1960’s.

Feeding
Evening grosbeaks primarily eat seeds from the cones of spruce, balsam fir and other conifers, but also enjoy seeds and fruits from various deciduous trees. The favourite choice at feeders is any type of sunflower seed. They are truly voracious, known to wolf down 95-100 seeds in a minute! Grosbeaks will feed on the ground and love tray-style feeders. What a welcome addition these magnificent birds are to your back yard, even if they are a little hard on the pocketbook.

Current sightings
In all of the 28 years that we have lived on our country property north of Ailsa Craig, we have had the pleasure of the grosbeaks only twice; and certainly not in the hordes that abounded in the ‘60s. A small grouping of perhaps six to eight birds is all that we have seen. Earlier this month, I was walking down our road with Fergus the Labrador puppy when my cell phone rang. It was my husband bearing the exciting news that there was a small flock of evening grosbeaks on the tray feeder in our back yard (it doesn’t take too much to entertain us). I set off at a jog in hopes of seeing the birds. Alas! When I arrived at home, the elusive grosbeaks had already left. Ever the skeptic, I asked husband and son, “Are you sure it wasn’t just some really big fat goldfinches?” Somewhat slighted, they assured me that they had definitely seen evening grosbeaks. They proved it by bringing out the digital camera. Indeed, on the screen were a few of the magnificent birds. I was sorry to have missed them but am hoping they drop by again soon. Now that our spruces are so mature, the chances are better that they might.

StarDust feeds local families

The StarDust dinner theatre wants your help making this Christmas a happy one for area kids and their families. The Parkhill theatre is donating the profits from its December 8 & 9 Rod Stewart (by Doug Varty) tribute shows to the Ailsa Craig food bank. The theatre will also receive donations of toys and non-perishable food items at the theatre that weekend from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. both days. Owner Dustin Pritchard hopes to be able to donate $3000 through Middlesex Christian Ministries. For tickets or information, call 519-636-8863.

Winter Carnival events set

YeeHaw! Benguin Goes Wild West for the 2008 Grand Bend Winter Carnival, which runs February 1, 2, 3 and 8, 9, 10. The Royal Canadian Legion hosts a country dance February 2, the Rotary parade is February 9, and events for children and adults will run both weekends. The Strip will keep you updated on all the events planned.
The event organizing committee includes: chair Lynda Hillman-Rapley (Lakeshore Advance), Bob Uhrig (Sobeys), Mike Rahn (No Frills), Jen Gaukroger (Bikini Bobs), Tracey Ulch-Windsor (Riverbend), Judy Mason (Colonial/Gables), Diana Simpson (Oakwood), Neil Clifford (Lakeshore Advance), Karrie Rowcliffe, Jim Southcott (Rotary), and Chris Bregman (Grand Bend Chamber of Commerce).

Gifts for golfers

Looking for a gift for your favourite golfer? The Lung Association’s Golf Privilege coupon books give you a chance to help the charity and get deals at courses across southwestern Ontario. For $39, you get 40 coupons for deals at 17 courses including Bayview Golf Club in St. Joseph, and Sand Hills Golf Resort in Thedford.
For more information, call the Lung Association in Stratford at 519-271-7500.

Cougar sighting in Port Franks?

The London Free Press is reporting that a Port Franks woman believes a cougar was in her yard:
London Free Press story about cougar sighting

For more, visit:
Jim Sweeney’s blog

SHDHS will not forget

Principal’s Page
By Jeff Reaburn

In a couple of columns recently, I have been rather critical of some aspects of student behaviour at South Huron. This week, however, I would like to start by commending the student body for its conduct at the Remembrance Day service we held last Friday. The students were attentive, quiet, and respectful throughout the service and I am very proud of their outstanding conduct.
I am also very proud of the high quality of the Remembrance Day assembly, something that we have come to expect at South Huron. Credit for this goes to David MacLeod, head of our Canada and World Studies Department, who works tirelessly every year to put together a service of exceptional quality. Additional credit must be given to the many students who took part - the 41 students who represented the individuals on our Honour Roll, Leanne Hoffman and Melissa MacLeod who read the names, Christine O’Reilly and Tim Dionne who put together a wonderful slide show presentation on the Vimy Pilgrimage, the students and staff from the Vimy trip, the choir led by Ms. Milner, and the band under the direction of Mr. Moore. I would like to thank all of these individuals for contributing to an outstanding service.
I would also like to thank the members of the R E Pooley, Branch 167, of the Royal Canadian Legion for their participation in our service. Their presence at the service every year makes it more real and meaningful for our students and contributes significantly to the impact of the service. We are very pleased to have them involved every year.
I would like to remind everyone that the School Council is hosting a community forum this week on drug awareness. It will take place in the school library on Wednesday, November 14, starting at 7:00 p.m. We have invited Constable Dave Matheson, a drug enforcement officer for the Huron OPP, and members of the local OPP detachment to speak to us about drug use in the community. This will be a good opportunity for parents to find out about current trends in drug use and learn what signs to watch for, including what various drugs and drug paraphernalia look like. We invite you to join us for what should be a very valuable and informative session.
On Monday, November 19, Glenn McGregor from the AMDSB board office, will be at the school to talk to students about OYAP, the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program. Glenn provides liaison between schools and industry in our area and has considerable knowledge about apprenticeship opportunities in a variety of fields. Students who are interested in attending his presentations must sign up this week in the Guidance Office. A session for Grade 12 students will take place in Room 118, starting at 12:45, and a session for Grade 11 students will follow at 2:05. For students considering apprenticeships, this will be a good opportunity to get information and ask questions.
Finally, we will soon be starting our annual campaign in support of the Huron County Christmas Bureau, which provides assistance to families in need. We will be encouraging students and staff to donate toys, food, clothing, and cash in support of this very worthy program. The local Christmas Bureau location this year is Exeter United Church, and donations will be accepted in the week of December 10 to 14. If you know of a family that would benefit from assistance from the Christmas Bureau, you are encouraged to call 1-800-265-5198, extension 3271. Your support of this program will be greatly appreciated.

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