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i 2 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, May 18,1983 Section Two The Big Event is Nearly Here We've just been talking on the phone with Neil Boughen, a former Port Hope citizen, now with Television station CHEX, Peterborough and Business Manager of The Canadian Knights drum and bugle band. They will be taking part in the 125th Anniversary parade in Bowmanville Monday morning and thrilling spectators with their music and their manoeuvres. This year, this award winning band has grown from 60 members to about 100 and Bowmanville was most fortunate to bring them here because they have a heavy schedule ahead, including guest appearances in Chicago and other cities in Canada and the U.S. Last year, they were chosen the top band in a Washington competition in which bands from many parts of the U.S. also participated. The Canadian Knights will be staying at Clarke High School all weekend and Monday where they will be practising their field activities. All winter they've been working inside on their music and now they are getting the other aspects of their performances in shape. Visitors will have an opportunity to see and hear them at Clarke because they will be practising outside practically from morning until evening every day especially from 3 to 4 on Monday. They chose Clarke over Bowmanville High because it is comparatively remote from built up lit areas, less likely to disturb the neighbors and the playing field will be somewhat drier than Bowmanville's should there be some rain. So, let's make them welcome as part of our town's celebrations. No doubt they will add considerably to the excitement of the parade. We also wish them well with their summer competitions. A band of this size must take a great deal of organization, fund raising, etc. and we thank them for considering Bowmanville in this year's plans. But, that's only one part of the parade. We haven't heard too many other details, but expect the rest of it will be just as entertaining. It's Hard to Be Gracious Loser No matter what all the pollyannas tell you about it not mattering whether you win or lose, so long as you've done your best, we doubt very much if that sentiment would be kindly received by members of Oshawa Generals or, by this time, probably the Edmonton Oilers. In sports or almost any other contest, there's nothing that comes up to winning for sheer enjoyment, exhilaration and satisfaction. Oshawa Generals had their sights set on that Memorial Cup when they went to Portland. Unfortunately, they came home the losers on the ice and possibly because of other factors off ice. The Oilers were also convinced that they could take on the NHL champions and blow them out of the rink with their speed and youthful energy, but the New York Islanders were not about to give up their title to the crown. It may well be different next year, but the Oilers demonstrated that they still have a ireat deal to learn. Owner Peter -'ocklington has a great team there, but just not good enough this time. However, all was not lost for either team that lost. They had the satisfaction of playing in the biggest games of their careers, something that will always remain with them as treasured if sad memories. Each individual member, including coaches, managers and all those behind the scenes will recall this year for some time. Some may be replaying those games for years and wondering what moves they could have made to either beat the opposing goalie or keep their opponents from scoring goals while tnev were on the ice. Tne coaches and managers probably will be going over the movies of the games to see just what went wrong and how those mistakes could have been corrected. It's all part of the learning process that brings those involved closer to perfection, if there is such a thing in hockey. • • • By Peter Parrott The Acne of Suburban Lawns Let's face it, dandelions are the acne of the suburban lawn. Dandelions are a pain in the grass. Dandelions are named for their distinctive ragged-edged leaves which give the appearance of lions' teeth. In French, that translates as "dent d&lion" and from that phrase we get our English word for dandelion. I've always thought it was such a romantic name for a weed. It sounds like some cuddly nursery-rhyme character from the pages of a child's book. But dandelions are, in reality, one of the few natural enemies of the modern suburbanite. Their lions'-tooth leaves remind us that we are still living close to the powerful, uncontrollable world of nature. In spite of our efforts, there are always a few dandelions in even the best of neighbourhoods. If we let down our guard, they'll take over. Looking out the window one morning, my wife suggests that it's time we did something about the dandelions. I take one look at the galaxy of yellow-headed flowers trailing across the back yard and agree. I suggest napalm or perhaps dynamite. But I end up spending most of the morning operating a long, metal- tipped stick which can probably be best described as a dandelion ..harpoon. \ I remember reading somewhere tnpt unless you nip the plants well below ground level, your efforts will be wasted since they can grow back from even a fraction of the original root left underground. We shall see. Perhaps my work has been in vain. But there's grim satisfaction to the task of methodically demolishing whole regiments and battalions of the invaders. As I work, I continue to ponder the mysteries of dandelions and life. Since sprays and herbicides have failed to wipe them off the face of the earth, perhaps we need some kind of plague or virus which thrives on dandelions. A dandelion wevil would be a welcome invention. And, of course, if it were ever discovered that dandelions held some useful purpose such as the cure to the common cold or the secret to longevity, they would immediately disappear from common lawns and could only be grown in carefully-tended plantations. The only solution to dandelions I can imagine is pàvement or astroturf. Yes, I suspect that there will be dandelions just as long as there are worms in apples. And that time span probably represents an epoch which is longer than human history itself. In terms of long-range survival, I think most of us would put our money on the dandelions. Tbey'e indestructible. Maybe that's why those lions' teeth seem to be smiling. Canadian Statesman 6233303 (*CNA Durham County'» Qiut Fimlly Journal jbtabUthod 12» yeonogo ln1«S4. Also Incorporating The Bowmanville New» The Newcastle Independent The Orono News Second class mall raglalratlon number 1561 Produced every Wednesday by THE JAMES PUBLISHING) COMPANY LIMITED »2 M King SI. W„ Bowmanville, Ontario L1C 3K9 vi 1 » Ola JOHN M. JAMES Editor --Publisher RICHARD A. JAMES Assistant Publisher GEO. P. MUHHIS Business Mgr. BRIAN PURDY Advertising Mgr. DONALD BISHOP Plant Mgr. All layouts and composition ol advertisements produced by the employees ol The Canadian Statesman, The Newcastle Independent and The Jamas Publishing Company Limited are protected by copyright and must nol be reproduced without wtlllen permission ol the publishers. 116.00a year -« months M OO strictly In advance foreign -- $45,00 a year Although every precaution will be taken to avoid error, The Canadian Statesman accepts advertising In Its columns on the understanding that II will not bo liable tor any error In the advertisement published hereunder unless a proof ol such advertisement Is requested In writing by the advertiser and returned to The Canadian Statesman business office duly signed by the advertiser and with such error or corrections plainly noted In writing thereon, and In that case It any error so noted Is not corrected by The Canadian Statesman Ils liability shall nol exceed such a portion of the entire cost of such advertisement as the space occupied by the noted error bears to the whole apace occupied by such advertisement, tic ' r .. Bowmanville Beach, West Side SUGAR and SPICE T A Dispirited Corpse One of the greatest pieces of miscasting (and there have been many) in that long-running melodrama called The Liberals Ride Again -- And Again -- And Again, was the naming of one Paul Hellyer as Minister of Defence, back in the Pearson days. Hellyer's qualifications were awesome: ambition; an abysmal lack of knowledge of things military; a total insensitivity toward anything not affecting his own career and ambition. A political opportunist from the worcfgo, he leapt at the chance to be Defence Minister, as a step toward his next ambition, Minister of Finance, and an easy shuffle from there, with a little nudging, political knifing, and treading on tender toes, into the BIG JOB. But Minister of Defence, in peacetime, peacetime, is a rather tame, backwater spot. Hellyer had to do something to force himself into the limelight. He, or one of his ill-advised advisors, came up with a gimmick bound to gather headlines. It wasn't quite as dramatic as Moses parting the Red Sea, but his scheme, and scheme it was, propelled the political climber onto the front pages. Hellyer's plan was simple, as simpleton's plans often are. It was to destroy the morale of the fighting forces by rolling navy, army and air force into a glutinous ball, stuffing it into a plastic-green-bag-colored uniform, and declaring from the housetops that Canada was the first country in the world to unify its armed forces. It wasn't promoted as destruction, of course. The PR machine ran smoothly. The plot would increase efficiency, save money, improve communications, create instant pie in the sky, and stop servicemen's noses running. When Hellyer went to work on Canada's proud armed forces, an axe in one hand and a sledgehammer in the other, almost single-handedly he accomplished what Germans had not managed in two world wars -- send those forces reeling into disarray, dismay and despondency, from which they have never recovered. Esprit de corps was turned into dispirited corpse. Tradition was swept into the scuppers. Proud regimental names were trampled underfoot. Color and gallantry and high standards and self-sacrifice were put into the mincer, and came out as the dull-green Canadian Armed Forces. Hellyer has a lot to answer for, but his ego, and the murky twilight of politics, will combine to cloud this petty piece of poltroonry. What is unfathomable is that the Canadian public, so recently so proud of their seamen, soldiers, airmen, sat back and watched with utter lassitude. Or perhaps they were smothered in the smoke screens laid down by Admiral Hellyer. What is even more astounding is that the armed forces put up with it. If such a thing were attempted in Britain, the fleet would mutiny, the army would rebel, and the air force would drop a couple on Whitehall. Can you imagine the enormous foofawraw in the U.S. if some political upstart tried to pull such a deal? The resultant clamor would resound from the very heaven. A few, a very few senior officers in Canada's forces, mostly naval men, fought back. They were promptly purged. Not garotted, or snot. Simply retired early. Since Hellyer's hatchet job, the Canadian forces have gone steadily, and not slowly, downhill. When he began, we had one of the four or five best navies in the world, about the third largest airforce, and an army that had fought with the best of them and stood their ground. By the time he had finished, we had a homogenous but anonymous thing that was neither fish, fowl, nor good red herring. Our armed forces were effectively castrated. There were still good people in them, but pensions and promotions became the name of the game. About ninety per cent were either officers or NCO f s. There was nobody left to fight. The ships weren't fit to put to sea. The aircraft became quickly obsolete. The tanks you couldn't even sell to Lower Slobovia. Canada's NATO forces became a laughing-stock. Canada became known as a country that wanted a first-class ride for a third-class ticket. And Pierre Trudeau, who managed to avoid any conflict except with his wife and the Tories, didn't give a diddle. Hellyer's rocket fizzled, of course, because there wasn't enough powder to kèep it aloft. He ran for the' Liberal leadership, was creamed. He started a party of his own, which vanished into thin air, he turned his coat, went to the Tories, ran for leader, and was creamed again. No regret for that. But the stench he created lingers after him; the damage he did is almost irreversible. I can hardly wait to get my hands on a book by Admiral Brock, telling it like it is. And I'll shoot a copy to my brother, the Colonél, Distinguished Flying Cross, who left this country in disgust after servin - it for years, in combat an afterwards. May 12,1983 Hon. Bette Stephenson Minister of Education 22nd Floor, Mowat Block Toronto Dear Bette: Further to ment in the capital works i the announce- budget of the irogram alloca- ipi tio'n for schools and colleges, in the amount of $247 million, would you consider early approval approval of the funding of the separate school in the village of Newcastle? As you well know, you have approved $90,000 for land purchase, and this would be an ideal local works project in the eastern part of my riding of Durham East as well as a proper school facility. Yours sincerely, Sam L, Cureatz The letter is from L'Association L'Association Des Scouts Du Canada and not Boys Scouts of Canada. L'Association Des Scouts Du Canada operate operate primarily in Quebec. This is to inform anyone in' this area who receives such a letter, that no group locally belongs to L'Association L'Association Des Scouts Du Canada. Therefore any contribution contribution would not go towards towards helping any local boys or groups, Yours truly Roger Lcctooz.c Commissioner Boy Scouts of Canada West Durham District 50 ltoser Cres,, Bowmanville Dear Mr. James; It has come to my attention attention that there is a letter being sent to businesses. This letter under the letterhead letterhead Scouts Canada is a request for funds. May 11,1983. Dear John: We arc writing to you on behalf of the Bowmanville Men's Canadian Club, to express express our appreciation of the splendid reporting of our meetings during the past year. We have endeavored to have meetings of interest - good dinners with speakers on Interesting subjects. Our attendance attendance is now over the 80 mark and in all of these, your reporting has been handled in an interesting, accurate and informative manner. In expressing our thanks, we would include our appreciation appreciation of the excellent and friendly co-operation of your Staff. It is indeed a pleasure to work with them. So, John, to you, Dorothy, Rick and the rest of your Staff of the Canadian Statesman, on behalf of the Bowmanville Men's Canadian Club, we wish to extend our very sincere thanks for all of your fine reports of our meetings and as well, the friendly co-operation from you all. With kind personal regards and best wishes to you and to your Paper, from our Club, We remain, yours very sincerely, Walton G. Pascoe, Sec'y-Treas. Attention Descendants of the Purdy Loyalists Gabriel, Gilbert and Henry To the Editor: We are hoping to get some publicity for an event that will take place in July of this year and would appreciate the help that you can give us in this regard. We are endeavouring to organize a Purdy Reunion on the weekend of July 15-16-17,' 1983 at N.S.A.C, in Truro, Nova Scotia. Registration will begin Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. at Fraser House on the campus and will continue at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, Activities Activities will include a get together Friday night, a barbeque 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, an impromptu dance Saturday night and an open-air ecumenical church service at 10:00 a.m. Sunday. In case of inclement weather, service will be conducted indoors. 1 Mr. Clayton Purdy of Syos- set, N.Y., author of the Purdy Book of Genealogy, will be in attendance on Saturday. This will be an informal gathering and all are encouraged encouraged to bring their children so they can meet their relatives. relatives. The campus will be open to the children with tours of the grounds, hay rides, etc. Overnight accommodations and breakfast will be avail able at a modest fee. Also, anyone having musical instruments instruments that they play are invited invited to bring them along. A modest pre-registration fee of $10.00 per family will be levied to help cover expenses. In order that we may make adequate arrangements it would be appreciated if those who intend to come would notify us no later than July 1. Further inquiries my be directed directed to: Mabel Douçet, Box 228, Armdale, N.S. B3L 4K1 - Phone: (902) 454-7051 or Mrs. Ivan Purdy, R.R. No. 1, Col- lingwood, N.S. BOM 1E0 - Phone: (902) 686-3237. Thanking you in advance, Mr. Editor, for publishing this letter, I remain Yours truly, Mrs. M. G. Doucet May 10th, 1983., Mayor Allan C. Pilkey, City Hall, 50 Centre Street, Oshawa, Ont. Dear Mayor Pilkey, I write for Bowmanvllle's 125th Anniversary Committee and our community, to convey our thanks for the kind expressions expressions of congratulations extended extended by you on behalf of your Council and the Citizens , of Oshawa. We are proud, indeed, of our Town's achievements over the past 125 years, and it is most encouraging for our future that such a close and intimate neighbour as the City of Oshawa is at hand to cheer us on. Please accept our invitation to ride as a guest of honour in our Parade on Victoria Day, May 23rd at 10 a.m. and let it be known that we look forward to welcoming all Members of Council and our neighbouring Citizens of Oshawa to the many events featured during our Old Home Week, A Calendar Calendar is enclosed. I am taking the liberty of asking the Editor of the Canadian Statesman to f mblish this response to your etter to him featured In their last week's edition. Yours truly, Tony Brand Chairman, 125th Anniversary Committee.