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The Acton Free Press Wednesday June22 Editorial Page Sign up for Acton What can we do about regional government Thats been a question weve heard regularly since even before the new system of government was laid on Halton by the province At first it seemed incredible that Acton would be joined with its old traditional rival Georgetown in one sprawling town But it hap pened Our council was dissolved and instead of nine people doing Ac ton s business we send three people to Halton Hills council Esquesing felt the same loss and also sends three people From Georgetown there are six plus the mayor We no longer have planning board library board parks and recreation committee Even our town workmen come from Georgetown This for a town which ran its own affairs successfully for well over a century Acton in effect is now run from Georgetown It has long rankled for Action committee is simply a group of people who sat down together to figure out some thing concrete They have been meeting all winter and spring and when Halton region asked for sub missions on BUI 151 which set up regional government they knew the time had come Their brief is ready It is submit ted this week And now all of us in Acton and Esquesing and Georgetown who have felt resentment and loss of identity these past long years have a chance to do something specific too The petition sheets will be out in stores and will be taken door to- How far new boundaries would be altered in and agaweya is yet to be determined but of course these neighboring residents are vitally concerned too Sign byall means The petition obviously wants Acton and Georgetown to be two separate areas within the region of Halton But the petition only asks for a study surely the only possible On showing the flag The persons who enjoyed them selves by stealing our flag at the Free Press had to climb up on the roof to do it It must have been quite a challenge all right Big fellas Hope people discouraged from flying flags The library and Legion particular have had a series of bad experiences The library has abandoned its flagpole altogether The post office now has a new pole with the flag harder to reach Dominion Day is coming soon flag flying time Maybe patriotism could inspire these show off thieves to replace the flags Where do they hide them any way Local people are wondering why the federal government ordered the huge flag that was recently especially made for it at Erm Maybe it a jubilee present for the Queen was one suggestion She could put it in the back win of her van replied one wag Of this and that Fellow workers here at the Free Press were deeply saddened by the death of our friend Dora Ryder This patient and cheerful woman had suffered from multiple for many years but above that contracted another illness which proved fatal Our admiration for her courage was extended to admiration for her family who provided such dedicated care and support over the years The faithful contributor of the Eden Mills news Mrs Georgina Wnght has died We appreciate her contribution over the years very much It s the kind of job that is taken on by someone with a gen interest the community rather than any desire for fame or fortune We will miss Mrs Wright Another long time contributor Mrs Fred has been ill and we send best wishes and our thanks to her Canada Day Julyl CHAWS 1MB YOU ABOUT MI IT WAS A WET GOLF GAME SATURDAY as Acton Open played through its twenty second annual tournament The weather did little to dampen spirits at the game as golfers were exuberant to the point of actually enjoying the weather bft This was supposed to be a probing inquiry Into what laws Canadians break most and why they break them But it s too danged hot What a country Just a Tew weeks ago you could get free icecubes from those to Toot icicles hanging from your roof Today the refrigerator can keep up with the demand for them That horrible heat wave wove exper coincided with a visit from The Boys The combination practically put Gran and I on our knees and we re just now recovering gingerly from an ordeal that would have put us in our graves had we been 10 years older It not that we can t stand the heat And goodness knows The Boys are a treat But because you can stand driving mean you want to drive Boo a And because you enjoy ice cream docns t mean you want to eat nothing else for two weeks Mother of The Boys our Kim was in the process of writing the last of her university essays and thought shed pop up home have a visit get some free baby sitting and finish her essays A nice thought But The Boys had other ideas being cooped up in a city apartment for the winter they wanted some action and there always action at Grandads at the big house as it s known Little younger was supposed to be quiet and convalescent after a illness Little after about one day was as quiet and convalescent is a Mack truck with Jekyll S alter ego at the wheel After about three days he had pulled a lamp over on himself put a permanent gouge in the coffee table knocked over the fire screen twice fallen off a bed on h s face lost a knob off the TV set sprinkled can of talcum powder over the entire up stairs with a triumphant grin and smashed several dishes by hurling hem to the floor from his high chair his signal that the meal was over Of course after his illness he had no appetite so feeding him was no problem It only took the three of us adults one cooking one shovelling it in and one cleaning up the debris to stave off his hunger He start off with a to keep him from perishing while you were cooking his bacon and eggs Then it was a scramble to get his toast and honey ready while the eggs were vanishing Licks off the honey hurls toast on the floor stands up in his high chair and wipes hands on Grans newly decorated wall Then out of the chair and on to Grandad knee Tor a few more bites of egg or muffin or whatever This would go on all day punctuated by apples cookies swigs of apple Juice and bits of cheese to keep his stomach from rumbling I made the mistake of sticking my little finger in his mouth once Thought he was getting some more teeth and that I d give the gums a little rub to ease the pain He dam near took the end right off my finger That kid la a natural for the wrestling ring or the football field No such problem with the other guy He Is a dainty eater can feed him self and sits up at the table propped on a fat book No problem at all Except that he won t eat Meal time is a game If he gels wieners and beans he wants milk on it then it too cold you re out of eggs he wants scrambled eggs If you have apple juice and fresh grapefruit the only thing he can stomach is orange juice He can make a half hour ceremony out of eating one strand of spaghetti There no malice in it He Just enjoys manipulating three fairly intelligent Sugar and Spice by smiley adults like puppets one cajoling one threaten and one furious We took turns Occasionally whisked off to bed without any dinner he be quiet for a few minutes then paddle downstairs and say he wanted chicken and you d had slew At first they were little peeved that Grandad had to go off to work morn The old one me to lake him to the wash one of our fionle The little just wanted me to take him and yelled So I instituted Kiss Time 1 lined the whole gang up wife daughter two got them to pucker up and went down the line with a kiss for each Very popular routine You have lo be crafty with kids for a few days the weather was cold and ill they could do was make the inside of the house look as though Attlla and h Huns had just laid waste a village Their mother is one of those new fangled ones who think Ihe children should be allowed to express their creative faculties regardless The Boys poured into the back yard like the Saracens pouring into Spain and created 1 d come home from work and there soaking mud from head to watering each other their mother Ijwii furniture and any stray animal human or otherwise that came in range It took only half an hour to up at along ith two hours at feeding time and about two hours at bath and story I me and an hour lo recuperate took a fair chunk out of the day Now they re gone and I miss them terribly Nobody lo run over jump on my arthritic foot and bull me in the stomach to make me read the longest fairy in the entire book I con hardly wait to seem them again Maybe Christmas I or a day OUR READERS WRITE Constable expresses thanks To The ditor Another day to sell bicycle licences was held at the Acton Re gional Office June 77 Many thanks jo to Constable Bob Ustr Helen Murray Pop Mam and I Clarke who helped in the office sell the licences and hadle the cash Thank you to Mr Mike Kinal of Home Hardware who donated tent and Mr Memories of the town hall Bank St Ottawa Ont Dear Charlie Many thanks for sending me the three editions of Ihe Acton Free Press which 1 have perused with much pleasure Under ably the local news meant nolhing to me now except of course that about the hall but I did see that Mac Stewart who lives in Ottawa and whose father was minister of Knox church after I had left Acton had lost his mother It was the pictures which I enjoyed he most The carried me away back down memory lane until 1 was almost a boy again In the one on Page 1 April issue showing the beer kegs being smashed I can recognize one spectator with certainty Nell and two others almost with tainty but not beyond all doubt as John Harvey and George Perhaps the Free Press might have kept a list of those present for that wasteful occasion But since Moore was Ihen the publisher and editor of Ihe paper I doubt if such names are on record The picture of the town hall taken in June 1898 shown on Page of the same edition is exactly as it was when we moved to Acton in the spring of 1B03 The house in the back ground is that or Dan Graham who was the muncipal officer at that time He was followed by a Mr who In turn was succeeded by John Harvey if my memory serves me correctly Part of their duties was to ring the big bell in the open tower each day at a noon m and This bell was also the fire alarm but was used in a different way It was thrilling to Its rapid and continuous ding dong when announcing a fire at any time of day or night I well remember the burning of the old T It station late one summer afternoon and that of Campbell House Hotel late one night The stone building was completely gutted but was eventually restored and became known as the Acton House On the west side of the town hall was a terraced more or less square mound which covered a big tank or cistern which was kept full of water for the use of the fire engine to pump water for centre town fires or for the volunteer fire brigade practices I can rem hearing that this reservoir was connected to Henderson Pond and so wis kept more or less full at all times But others scattered about town had to be filled periodically I believe When the burned down a tank somewhere on Young St was used I remember Eddie Gamble went down the track to flag down he 10 m train while spaces were dug between the two lies and the hoses were threaded through them and under the rails Situated on top of the mound mentioned wusabandstandusedbytheCitlzens Band to give summer night concerts Charlie Mason was the bandmaster at the time we arrived in town but I am under the impres sion that he had only recently succeeded John Hill as such Besides being the band master Charlie played a comet well and sometimes played a comet solo at the summer night concerts The sight of the old stage and benthos brought back nostalgic memories of good times and events Of course I easily recognize Laura Wiles among the protestors who attended the regional council meeting to present their case of saving the old town hall as an historic building The years same to have been good to her and to Ruby Clark as well I think the petition was well presented and I sincerely hope it is successful in the old building But my guess is that it won do more than delay its for perhaps two to five years I believe my grandfather was a bricklayer for the contractor who con structed the building In 1881 and most likely worked on it during its building I only hope the building is left standing until 1981 at least so It have stood for a complete century JohnComglioof A J Place who donated a shirt plus a cash donation These prizes were won by Connie You mans and Kim Hag in A special thanks to the Acton Free Press for the r cooperation and coverage Yours very truly Tom Police Constable The Free Pres9 Back Issues 10 years ago Taken from the Isiuc of he Free of Wednesday June 21 Brian Robertson son of Mr and Mrs Robertson of has graduated in Industrial Management from Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology He attended Ospringe school and later Erin high school He Is now employed with Northern Electric Montreal Sharon Buck daughter of Mr and Mrs J Buck Ospringe graduated from St Joseph Hospital school of nursing Guelph She attended school and Bishop Macdonnell Guelph before training at St Joseph Firefighters were colled lo the home of NE Armstrong on Nassagaweya town line Monday afternoon to squelch a furnace which belched out clouds of smoke The brick farmhouse at the end of Kilty Springs was filled with smoke and firefighters used smoke ejectors to clear It out There were no flames The name of Miss Linda was inadvertently omitted from the list of teachers at the MZ Bennett school published in the Free Press last week An advertisement of special interest to many this week will be that of Sheridan College of Applied Arts and Technology or the community college as its more com called This is the first official noUce we had of registrations for the opening of the new type of school 20 years ago Taken from the of Free Press of Thursday June A drowning fatality was avoided at Acton Park last Saturday when Donald Thomson Acton was rescued by S A Rain ford 2l5Wynford Place Acton Like many others Mr Thompson had entered the waters of Fairy Lake to cool off during the heat wave and not being a strong swimmer he apparently stepped out beyond his depth and soon found himself in difficulty Mrs sitting on the bank watching the swimmers noticed someone in difficulty and called to her husband who was in the water at the time Being an average swimmer Mr Rainford swam to the spot where the young man was going down for the third time and grasping him by the hair pulled Mr Thompson from the water Several by slanders assisted in hauling the unconscious lad onto the shore and applied articicial respiration immediately A quiet birthday celebration took place at home of Mrs J Middleton Mill St last Sunday when her mother Mrs J Dutton celebrated her birthday A teacher at Brock Ave School Toronto for the past years Miss Bertha Brown retires this week She attended school here before moving to Toronto and is a frequent visitor The Board of Education Home and School Association tcahcers and former pupils held dinners presentations and social evenings to honor Miss Brown during the past month 100 years ago Taken from the Issue of ihe Free Press of Thursday June 1877 A good way to kill potato bugs is to wash them between bricks Reopening of Baptist chapel next Sunday and the Soiree in the Drill Shed on Monday evening following A rare curiosity may be seen in Major Allan garden A graft that was put on an tree this spring is now sporting two good sized blossoms Thisisprecociousness rarely witnessed Stafford Zimmerman is appointed collector of Statute Labor Tax for the current year At the meeting of Esquesing township council a number of applications to have the names of young men placed on the assessment roll as farmers sons in order to give them votes were taken into con slderatlon Added to the roll as farmers sons were John John McTavlsh Duncan MCTavish John Miller Judah Centre George Michie Neil Stewart and Cross Editorial The past few years have certainly been trying ones and many have been despairing of the future of our coun try The government has established a new post office on the property of Rev Mr Gillespie Esquesing which will be known as Mansewood Until the mails arc carried by rail a tri weekly stage will visit Man The people of that vicinity are much pleased with the improvement THE ACTON FREE PRESS Business and Editorial OH ce Copyright 1977