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6 The IFP · Halton Hills, Thursday, January 26, 2012 OPINION Thanks, doc The Town of Halton Hills was dealt a cruel blow Saturday night as a house fire claimed the life of longtime local doctor Alex Ashenhurst. From 1966 to 2006, Ashenhurst literally tended to thousands of patients as Georgetown (later Halton Hills) experienced its most significant growth. House calls, late-night visits, 80-hour work weeks and calls to patients while on his vacation were the norm for this small-town physician who moved to Georgetown after finding the `snotty clientele' in Port Credit not to his liking. "He was very loyal with his patients and a good family practitioner," said longtime colleague Dr. Alan Thompson. When not tending to patients at his practice, Ashenhurst could often be found working in the emergency department of Georgetown Hospital-- a job he loved-- and, until recently, was still assisting orthopedic surgeons at the Georgetown and Brampton hospitals. In his 40-plus years as a local doctor, Ashenhurst delivered hundreds of new residents, set thousands of broken bones, and tended to countless cases of flu, colds, bumps, bruises and other ailments, both minor and serious. His passing is a reminder of just how valuable-- and often unappreciated-- the role of a doctor is in a community. Alex Ashenhurst-- and others both before and after him-- have helped to shape this community through their profession and their dedication to the citizens of Halton Hills. While he may have been born a `city boy', Dr. Ashenhurst later chose Georgetown as his home and for that this town-- and his numerous patients-- should be forever thankful. 905-873-0301 Publisher: Ken Nugent General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@theifp.ca) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@theifp.ca) Managing editor: John McGhie (jmcghie@theifp.ca) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@theifp.ca) Classifieds Kristie Pells (classified@theifp.ca) Accounting Rose Marie Gauthier Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@theifp.ca) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@theifp.ca) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@theifp.ca) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@theifp.ca) Letters policy Letters must include an address and daytime phone number. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Publication is not guaranteed. Email: jmcghie@theifp.ca Steve Nease Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. Letters to the editor Roadside memorials are not for everyone Dear editor, Re: Jan. 12 front page story Removal of roadside memorial upsets family. My heart goes out to the Peddle family, but perhaps there has been a misunderstanding. I am not saying it was right for anyone to remove the monuments from the roadside and I would not do it myself, but perhaps we should ask ourselves why this person is doing it. I think its fair to say the majority of people have lost someone dear to them. Each of us finds our own personal way to grieve. I do not like seeing the flowers or any other articles at the scene of an accident. They must be small enough not to "steal the attention of motorists going by". Well, they do. I have one down the road from me and I see it all the time. It makes me sad for the one who had died and those left to grieve. Maybe the person who is removing the monuments isn't a "sick" person or "heartless". Maybe this person sees it all the time and feels sad and doesn't know how to deal with it. It is wrong to remove the monument but it is not wrong to feel sad about it. Anyone can put flowers, wreaths, etc. at the graveside for any length of time and that only affects the grieving family. Putting monuments on the roadside affects many other people. Perhaps these roadside monuments should be for a specific amount of time. I truly am sorry for the Peddle family's loss but not liking a monument on the side of the road does not make me a heartless person either. Carolyn Roche, Georgetown ability and complete unwillingness to listen to its constituents. Scott Langstaff, Georgetown Food bank says thanks Dear editor, On behalf of the Georgetown Bread Basket food bank, we extend a big thank you for your assistance in our 21st annual Scout Food Drive (Nov. 5), as it was, again, a great success. This year we were able to collect approximately 36,375 lbs. of food and $775 cash. In a typical year we distribute about 150,000 lbs. of food to more than 200 households with usage continuing to rise each year since our start in 1997. We receive no funding and rely on the community for support during food drives, such as this one. Donations, for which we are very grateful, help to provide food for those in need in our community. Your support with advertising this date, including our shopping bag in your paper, and constantly supporting our efforts, has played a key role in the success of the vision of the Georgetown Bread Basket food bank. Monica Donaldson, For the board of directors Georgetown Bread Basket Denial shows HDSB lacks accountability Dear editor, Halton District School Board Chair, Don Vrooman, announced this week that a five-minute presentation to the board (next week) from students and parents of Georgetown District High School would not be allowed. The presentation was to forward concerns about the teaching situation at the school, directly to the board, who are elected by the voters of Halton. It indicates, to the students, the Board's alarming lack of account- WEB POLL RESULTS (Go to www.independentfreepress.com) Are you happy with the lack of snow this winter? · Yes (62%) · No (27%) · It makes no difference to me (11%) The Independent & Free Press The Independent & Free Press is published Tuesday and Thursday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.