Christmas in holy land Papillons trip of lifetime by Murray Christmas In Bethlehem washing feet in the exact spot where Jesus Christ was baptized and a New Years Day mass celebrated by Pope John Paul were the highlight of a 17 day tour through the Hoi Land for Acton Peter It was a full day of travel for Papillon and the 10 other Canadian on December The to New York City where they caught a connecting flight to Copenhagen Denmark There Papillon started luo weeks of intensive sightseeing visiting Palace the Harbour the Little Mermaid Statue the Organ Church the National Museum and Gardens and saw the Royal Ballet at the Royal Danish Theatre Cairo Egypt was next on the agenda for December IV they had a shortstop over in Rome where the group saw their first armed at the airport looking Tor members of the Bed Brigade terrorist group Upon arrival at their hotel in Cairo got his first look at a pyramid which was floodlit against the night sky It was only a minute walk away The next day December Papillon marvelled at the Great Pyramid of Cheops a foot high structure built In C by King Cheops the Second Pyramid and the Sphinx with the body or a lion and the ace of a man thought to be King Chephren The Third Pyramid of and the Granite Temple were also taken In before they headed back to Cairo travelling along the Nile Right In the city of Cairo they the Museum which houses the most complete and beautiful collection of Antiquities and the Mosque of Mohammed All and the Citadel That evening enjoyed a sound and light spectacular of the Pyramids Gun placements and army training camps checkered the route to the city of Suez on December Papillon recalls The mile trip from Cairo to Suet was almost entirely across the Sahara Desert What impressed the most about Suez was that the buildings and homes are still pockmarked from the shell fire during the invasion by Israel in 1976 Seven years later he noticed people still living in bombed out apartment buildings Another constant reminder of the violence is an army tank which has been left on the streets of Suez One side had been shot at immobilizing it figures the tank will never be moved and has become an historical site It was back to Cairo that evening where they become stuck in traffic The Actonian was told there are nine to million people in the city and the people drive and park It is also common to see flocks of sheep being shepherded down the middle of the street slowing the ready chaotic traffic The Canadians flew first class to Amman Jordan the next day For some reason they were exempt from going through security unlike some future border stops on the p In Amman they saw the columned streets monuments temples arches Byzantine churches and baths December they left Amman for Jerusalem by bus via Jericho the Dead Sea and Bethany Papillon says their Moslem guide refused to go Into Jerusalem even though he had family there At the border the Canadians were asked if they were taking any messages or objects into the city for anyone who lived there Once in Israel said it was like being in an army camp with the soldiers and guns In many places The group was met by soldiers at the bridge which separates Jordan and Israel where they were forced to go through four searches be fore getting clearance into the country One of the searches Pap J Ion remembers was done in private with the soldier frisking the tourists to ensure they were carrying no weapons He heard cases of people actually being undressed Even though the Israelis readily admit tourism is their number one industry Papillon said one would never know it by the way visitors were treated After two and a hall hours at customs the Canadian were finally freed and allowed to enter Israel Lunch that day was in Jericho Papillon said he looked around at the sights and just couldn believe he was really there To actually see the sights he only saw in books and read about in the Bible overwhelmed him He saw where Jesus endured his day fast and where the historic scrolls were found a Tew years ago He also visited the Elijha Springs and the Jericho Valley and saw the lowest spot on earth the Dead Sea Other sights visited by the Canadians were the Inn of the Good Samaritan where the good Samaritan took an injured man who had been set upon by thieves and the Tomb of Lazarus whom isus raised from the dead Father Burns leader of the said Mass at the Church of St Martha Peter looks his slides of hU trip to the Holy Land at Christmas and Mary In Bethany Before the day was completed the group found themselves in Bethlehem where they went to a Jewish folklore theatre Christmas Eve was touring Bethlehem and area was surprised while touring the J 1- Kennedy Memorial to sec Kennedy sister inlaw Joan Kennedy and her son Patrick From J Kennedy Memorial the group went to the Hospital were they viewed the stained glass windows and on to AinKarlm where John the Baptist was born Other famed tourist spots were seen by the group before they headed to a kibbutz for lunch From there they went to Mount and into the room where Last Supper was held They also visited the room where the Blessed Virgin slept and died said at the church of Dormltion and the waiting wall of St Anne In the area where the Blessed Virgin was born Also on the list of sights that day were Bethesda where the Lord told men to rise and work and the Church of Condemnation where the Lord condemned to death They also visited the Palace of Pontius Pilate which Is now occupied by the Sisters of Gen and the Jaffa Gales where the lions of the cross are located At midnight and his friends went to midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity This one building contains three religious sectors he pointed out Horn an Catholic Greek Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox It was standing room only Papillon recalls and the Canadians were lucky enough to gel in the second standing room row just three rows away from Joan Kennedy and her son who were In the last row of seats on the other side the church However on the way to Midnight Mass the group was reminded of the violence plaguing the Middle East They were stopped and searched by soldiers and police Even though did not return to their hotel until a the group was back up and leaving for a tour of King Solomon tomb at 30 on Christmas morning December 25 they also visited the Mosque a here it traditionally supposed to be the spot where Abraham was going to sacrifice his son Isaac some 3900 years ago They toured Mount Maria and then the church where Jesus taught the Lord Prayer It was then on to where Jesus began his preaching Nearby is an olive tree WD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER One Hundred and Eighth Ytar Issue ACTON ONTARIO WEONESDAY JANUARY 1983 Pages Thirty Cents Board must cover 4 million Crown Trust deposit in 83 Alter the mild weather Hon Hills bull like Doherty Karen niton are happy to see some snow They look a little shaky here practising their but are having fun anyway by Gord Murray Regardless whether or not Halton Board of Education gets its million deposit back from Crown Trust sometime In the future some provisions must likely be made to cover the matter In the budget Currently the board finance committee is only keeping up with information trickling out about the Crown Trust situation No firm plans hove been determined yet regarding what it will do if it loses it 4 million It came to light recently that the board s finance staff had invested million with Crown Trust and this money was tied up when the province seized the firm in with the Cadillac apartment deal Monday the subject was raised by Coun Dave Whiting at Hills council He is concerned in light of last year stag education tax hike that the board would have million sitting around to in 71000 5 staff pay boost Halton Hills has followed federal and provincial wage guidelines in giving its non employees a 1963 pay boosts Monday night council approved a five per cent raise for almost all of its workers who covered by a collective agreement Ottawa and Queen Park set five per cent as the wage boost limit for civil servants for this year The tola of all raises for 1983 for all of the employees will cost the Town ght employees who earn less than 000 a year will receive pay raises of the other workers covered by this council decision will get five per cent increases The wage hikes took effect January 1 An employee earning last year would receive a raise a worker cam ing 1962 would get a raise and an employee making previously would receive a raise Keep politicians out of United Way Politicians shout be Involved in the launching of a United Way In Hills according to Councillor Dave Whiting The recently suggested Hills com to look at establishing a United Way here was discussed at length at Councillors dropin for Acton on Friday when resident John attended to voice support for the United Way Mowatt explained he feels a United Way would bo beneficial since residents would only nave one person each year coming to the door collecting for charity instead of up to as the case now However the Frederick St resident noted all the charity groups would have to be behind the United Way for it to be sue Whiting been researching United Way operations In the rest of painted out United Way north has been talked about at both and reg teal council tine the and a target of a region wide United Way Is for Ha feds 195 realistic or later Aiming to have a United Way in Hills in 1984 also doesnt make a lot of sense he says A United Way was pushed last year in Mdton and flopped miserably the drive fell way short of It target because the peal had been rushed Whiting claimed He said he has heard concerns that the same kind failure could happen in Hills if the United Way is rushed Some people think Milton s United Way must become more established before one Is launched In Hills Politicians shouldnt be involved in the United Way it leaves the wrong sion Whiting declared He feds a better approach than a council committee would be to have a citizens committee made up of three cltlxem from Acton and three from Georgetown then plan the course of action for a United Way in Halton Hills He said he has been advised that a Halton Hilts United Way Ignore the rural area and concentrate on simply becoming established fa the two urban areas Councillor ban ler noted residents cotdd make contributions through their place of em ploymenl If a Way is started in Halton Hills It wont work unless every group now can vassing for financial support is involved Whiting said Councillor Rick Bennett was worried not as much money will be raised through the United Way He suggested a resident might give each time a canvasser comes to the door so about per household is donated annually now However if there was a United Way drive and only one canvasser coming to the door annually a lot of people might give just leaving a large funding shortfall The new Acton councillor also wondered If the dedicated people who have made the cancer heart fund etc drives here so sue win work with the save Vigor for a United Way While all United Way drives are falling short of their targets because of the poor the Milton drive was particularly disasterous raising just 30 when the target was Whiting said Milton CanUnaed Page vest at the start of the budget year In an interview Tuesday morn ng Acton Trustee Bruce Iht money with Crown Trust may be funds set aside in the 19tt2 budget to pay for teachers wage boosts from September to December The pay increase t been settled for September to June 1983 yet Finance committee Bill Priest said it is hard to nail down specifically what the million invested with Crown Trust was for nothing n particular he thinks He stated it is did cult lo determine how much cash the board needs at any specific time to pay its bills It just he said explaining funds are moved around laid it simply a bookkeeping mutter He guessed that most of the money is from pay raise funds set aside earlier and surplus funds Priestner predicted the board will have to cover the mill on In some way in the 1983 budget because he expect the whole situation will stilled before the budget must be struck Pnestntr said he would be extremely surprised if he board knows the fate of Its million by March adding problems like Ihc Crown Trust matter Continued on Page Ted Tyler chairman of town hall fund Restoration Committee and Anne Camplii raltiogcommlltprslgmlhrlaslollhepaper project officer for area look on The work for a Canada Community work begins next Tuesday February I on Development project while the lQOyearoldbuildlng Elliott chairman of the Acton Town Hall Inside The region should give prior lly to grants for group help ing senior ctUiens not child according to Councillor Dave Whiting Turn page The held Its a an ml meeting last and we have reports guest speaker Councillor Rasa Knechtel a rem arts Seepage Motor Murray the inter lm coach of the Sabre De tails on the management Two Actan men were con victed Ibis week drag ticking Turn stories on pages Zand stadeots are look tag far Acton again Story and photo m page