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oo e------------------ yyy, 4 letters Ontario is 200 years old Dear Sir: This year Ontario has been celebrating the two hundredth Anniversary of its founding. This occasion has given rise to a great deal of projects, events and celebrations. There are a great number of people who say that this two hund- redth Anniversary is a. figment of the imagin- ation. Native people claim that they have lived here in Ontario for thousands of years. Long before the white man came. Many tribes, the Cree, the Huron and the Ojibway had found- ed permanent villages and developed highly intricate societies. Is Ontario but two hundred years old? French-Canadians can point to explorers such as Champlain, Brule and Nicolet that they had criss-crossed Ontario by the 1650's. . Near Windsor a perm- anent farming commun- ity was established by French speaking people by 1740. Is Ontario older than two hundred years? In 1791 the province of Quebec was split into Upper Canada (Ont- ario) and Lower Canada (Quebec). We should remember that the United Empire Loyalists arrived not in 1784 but during the period from 1783 until well into the 1790's. Of course, the arrival of the United Empire Loyalists was the true beginning of Ontario. Because of their de- votion to the Crown and to British institutions, they left the thirteen United States and came to what was still a very (Turn to page 6) PORT PERRY STAR -- Tues. November 27, 1984 -- 5 the G t O ( oe (@ChA PO 801 90 ; PORT PLRRY ONTARIO . LO8 WO -- (410) 983 738) (GD | of} (SS J. PETER HVIDSTEN Publisher Advertising Manager Member of the J.B. MCCLELLAND Canadian Community Newspaper Association Editor and Ontario Community Newspaper Association. Published every Tuesday by the Port Perry Star Co. Ltd., Port Perry, Ontario. Authorized as second class mail by the Post Ottice Department, Ottawa, and for cash payment of postage in cash. CATHY ROBB News & Features VAN COM 1S MUN Vey, (Qe) o% q\ Fores ass0Sis Second Class Mail Registration Number 0265 Subscription Rate: fn Canada $15.00 per year. Elsewhere $45.00 per year. Single copy 35 © COPYRIGHT -- AlN layout and composition of advertisements produced by the advertising department of the Port Perry Star Company Limited are protected under copyright and may not be reproduced without the written permission of the publishers. ~ remember when? 60 YEARS AGO Thursday, November 7, 1924 : A valued municipal worker in Brock Township and a former Warden of Ontario, Mr. Henry Purvis passed away. Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Ferguson and sons, Clarence and Merrill, of Cartwright have left their farm and will take up residence in Bowmanville. At Warriner Lodge 1.0.0.F. elections were held and the following elected, Noble Grand L. Palmer, Vice-Grand T.W. McLean. } At Wes Crosiers store in Seagrave this year you could buy girls boots at $2.50, boys boots for $2.80 and baby's boots for $1.50 and ladies oxfords for $3.40. 35 YEARS AGO Thursday, December 1, 1949 At the High School commencement this year, the Prin- cipal Mr. J. Crane addressed the assembly with a s yecial message to the students and parents. Mr. Roy Cornish, Prin- cipal of the Public School presented Gary Lawrence with an award for ranking the highest for High School Entrance examinations from Port Perry and to Isabel Bayliss from the District. Twenty-five years-ago; there was an acute shortage of electricity and the Hydro Commission asked all consumers to save at least five per cent. 25 YEARS AGO Thursday, December 3, 1959 Mrs. Margaret Carnegie was elected Worthy Patron of Blue Ray Chapter and for Worthy. Patron Leonard Colbear. At the Ontario County Holstein Club annual banquet, Mr. William Stone, President, reviewed the work of the club through the year. The Hon. M.B. Dymond, the Ontario Minister of Health, will be the speaker next week, when the new wings of the North York Branson Hospital are officially opened. The annual banquet of the teachers and school boards was held at Grace Church on the Island. Speakers were Dr. M.B. Dymond, Mr. Knight, inspector of Public Schools and Mr. Cecil Fralick. 20 YEARS AGO Thursday, December 3, 1964 Mr. J.J, Gibson was acclaimed Reeve of Port Perry for another two-year term at the Nomination meeting. There were three nominations for deputy reeve. Irving Boyd, Philip Orde and Jesse Buxcey. For councillors, Bruce Beare, R.A. Kenny, Ivan Parkinson and Orten Michie. Nominations at Scugog saw Mr. Victor Aldred return- ed to office for another term as reeve, the councillors also went in by acclamation, they were Glenn Demara, Joe Dowson, Everett Prentice and John Hoult. 15 YEARS AGO Thursday, November 27, 1969 Reeve Ed (Sam) Oyler will start his eighth year as top administrator in Reach Township following the inaugural meeting in early January. The only other candidate for the position of Reeve, Allan Crosier, declined his nomination, so Mr. Oyler automatically won the position. Mrs. Lucille Gray and Mr. Allan Crosier will make it a two-way race for the seat of deputy-reeve. Stewart Sweetman of Sweetman Motors Ltd., has sold his business to Mr. Lorne Scanlon of Toronto. Mr. Sweet- man was in business for 17 years in the same location on Water Street, and has been the authorized Chrysler dealer in this area since 1963. ' A rink from Port Perry won the Don Murray Woodland Products bonspiel in Bgwmanville. The winning rink was Jim Davidson, Sam Fisher, Lindsay Death, skip, and Mur- ray Lee. Marie Taylor appeared in a performance of Britten's "War Requiem' with Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and Toronto Symphony Orchestra. 10 YEARS AGO Wednesday, November 27, 1974 Doreen Van Camp will be the new Township Clerk. Miss Van Camp, who was clerk-treasurer of Cartwright Township before Regional Government, will replace Neil Brodie who resigned suddenly two weeks ago. Victor Malcolm will take over as deputy-clerk. Town Hall 1873 has been awarded a LIP grant in the amount of $14,248. The money will be used to renovate and restore the eentury old landmark in Port Perry. Teacher John Barton of Port Perry High School was one of six elected to the executive of the Durham Region Chapter of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation. Fire Chief Jack Cook, Bill Harrison and Clive Boyd at- tended a "'foam demonstration' sponsored by the 3M Com- pany in Oshawa on Saturday. bill smiley ' NO ONE TO WHINE TO One of the worst things about being a widower and living alone is that there's no one to whine to when one becomes ill. One can sit or lie around feeling pretty ghastly, but there isn't much fun in iL unless one can moan and groan and clutch one's belly and hack and cough and wipe away the sweat of a fever, with an audience. That's why I've been particularly frustrated for the past week or so. What's the point of staying in bed to get over your illness when there's nobody to bring you hot lemonade, fluff up the pillows, and put a cool hand on your brow? You might as well get up, paddle down in bare feet, survey the desert of dirty dishes, scummy pots and greasy pans, pick up the mail and file all the bills, and pour yourself a medicinal potion. This week, I was about to go out on my first date in a year: a dinner date with a lady. When I called and told her she'd have to take a rain-check because I wasn't well, it was more like old times. She was even less sym- pathetic than my wife used to be. She didn't believe a word I said. Anyway, we patched it up, and I think she's going to bring her boyfriend along when we fix a new date. A bit down, I sought solace in the written word. Recently, I wrote a column including a couple of hate letters. After burning these, I dug out some others, which cheered me so much that I decided I deserved another medicinal potion. The only people who seem to like me anymore are my former students. Nice, warm letter from Julie Noack, who has gone off for a year's immersion in French at Montpellier. She has discovered French bureaucracy, balconies, bread and bidets. She had to ask a boyfriend what the last was, and was properly em- barrassed. Any red-blooded Canadian knows that a bidet is either a footbath or a baby bath. Bill Jory, another old student, wrote about yours truly in the weekend edition of the London Free Press, where he is a reporter. Bill sat with me for an hour one afternoon and we chatted. In his story, he said my manner was "brusque but avuncular.' That sounds pretty good, but when I taught him, he couldn't spell "brisk and uncle" so I don't know whether he knows what those words mean. At any rate, he did learn something from those bor- ing English classes. He learned to back up general statements with specific references. | was amazed. He'd contacted other writers, syndicate boss, weeklies using this column. Twenty years ago, he was out in my backyard, helping to put together the annual yearbook, at the picnic table. And, despite my deep fear that nobody would ask me to speak on Remembrance Day this year, | was wrong. Another former student, Bob Coghill, asked me to speak to his public school kids: 'For all my years as a student, the most meaningful Remembrance Day assembly was the one when you spoke of your feelings of that day." Thanks, Bob. Perhaps I shouldn't say only former students cheered me up. I had a couple of terrific notes this week From Doris Senicar of Milton comes a missive say- ing that she met a cousin of mine, Kaye Thomson, who was playing in the band at her niece's anniversary dance in Saskatchewan. They got talking and Cousin Kaye sent along a card. I've never met her but she's a genuine first cousin. Hi, Kaye. Hi, all the Saskatoon cousins. Sorry I didn't make the reunion. And another note from Mary and Ron Hunt that warmed the cockles: "We were quite thrilled to discover that Bill Smiley .... lived here. We have driven by the 'big, brick house' frequently, and I always crane my neck trying to see you ---- or some of your family. Lucky people who have met you ---- who have had children taking English from you." I agree, Mary, about the latter, but thousands wouldn't about the former. She goes on, "Any chance of you writing an autobiography ---- incorporating a great deal of your articles? I would stand in line for one ... Thank you, Bill, for touching our heart strings and our 1uuny bones. Please keep it up ---- and think about a book." Lovely lady, I think about a book all the time, but all I do is read one. Well, there. Somebody loves me, and I feel a lot bet- ter. I guess the reassurance helps, though it seems self- seeking. It's just a year ago that my wife died, and to all those dim-witted people who go around nodding sage- ly and saying 'It takes a year: it takes a year," | say Phooey.