4 The Acton Free Press Wed October Citizens opportunity The life of the councils elected under the regional government structure in is an end On December 6 of this year voters will have the first in over three years to choose their elected officials The last election was held in October 1973 with the councils taking office in January 1974 It will be an important election and early interest in some of the positions indicates citizens are prepared to take an active interest Current councils in Halton have had to tangle with new rules and new roles It hasnt been easy But so too have the citizens been facing new structures and new restnc in dealing with government In some areas the access to government has been made more difficult The northern Nassaga resident is hardly close to his area council which meets in Milton The Acton resident still holds a resentment that his community identity has been merged by edict with that of another town and town ship The resident from Georgetown finds it difficult to understand how it is some organization in Burling ton such as the region is for the water or sewer line on his street The rural resident wonders why his area is so desir able for the dumping of the tons of garbage from the total region at serious penalty to his life style and surroundings All of these difficulties and resentments have been surfacing In the early years of the new government form citizens were intimidated by the new larger and more complex system They allowed their representatives to work out the problems The approaching election will be the first opportunity for most citizens to give vent to their feelings Representatives to the area and regional councils have been with the new structure trying to reflect area interests at the regional level without being simply parochial Area councillors have often had difficulty understanding the attitudes at the regional council where the northern areas of Halton Hills and Milton are not heavily represented It t take anyone long to realize that no matter what the election promise may be it is only approved with a majority decision The election approaching is a time for a healthy interest in the community and the region It is a time to seek answers to past ac and to chart new objectives for the next term If candidates and citizens approach it as an tunity to be constructive all will benefit A time for thanksgiving With the bnllance of the sun highlighting the rich reds oranges and yellows that color the leaves we move to thanksgiving weekend The past weekend gave nature its full play with the landscape pre senting its most attractive season Perhaps it was a time like this that led to our early thanksgiving sea Clear your mind of the big feast the Mayflower Pilgnms held in to celebrate their survival and probe back in our own Canadian history a little Were told that in the English explorer Martin sailed to Baffin Island and the bay that now bears his name He landed on nearby Halls Island to explore and take possession of the then sup posed continent of Asia and the Northwest Passage With the sailors in attendance the ships chaplain held a Thanksgiving service in honor of the event Thanksgiving days were pro claimed in 1763 in Halifax and on later occasions in both Upper and Lower Canada The first annual Thanksgiving as now observed in Canada was proclaimed October 9 by the federal government From 1921 to 1931 both Thanksgiving and Armistice Day were merged and observed on the Monday of the week in which Nov 11 occurred Since Canadians have observed Thanksgiving Day on the second Monday in October And this weekend again we might reread some of the words of that proclamation Whereas it hath pleased Almighty God in His goodness to vouchsafe unto Our Dominion of Canada the blessings of a bountiful and abundant Harvest We therefore considering that these blessings enjoyed by our people throughout the said Dominion do call for a solemn and public acknowledgement Indeed even as Martin and his men in 1578 had reason to be thankful so too do we Commenting briefly Naturally there are many communities across Ontario that have arena difficulties of some degree Weve been impressed by the resilience of the people of Durham Ont Its not a big town and theyve had their share of difficulties Their hospital was was one of those threatened with closure Their name was applied to a new region creating confusion and their arena was one of the early ones closed This week we read where they ve raised as well as approximately in equipment and work such as grading and bulldozing from a canvass And the contract for the new 000 arena has been awarded We wish them well With that kind of determination many things are possible A new team Acton Junior Sabres the towns only entry in the Ontario Hockey Association ranks and the newest in the central league opens its home season Friday against Burlington Since last season the club has worked on changing its status from Junior C to B and on attaining entry into the southern league Both objects were met Although Sabres with several town players seem to have examined itself more than the score sheets in pre schedule action the team has the potential for providing fans with a superior calibre of hockey Spectators will of course have a clearer and safer view of home games since the wrapa round plexiglass has been installed All the best Sabres in the season Of this and that bill smiley Thai strong gust of wind you kit in September is the nation schools opined isn front moving in from IhL west It wis hundreds of thru of mothers Riving a simultaneous sigh of relief it getting offspring out of IhL house out from underfoot Tor days week out of tht next 10 months Thin is mother gust of hot air tin sami turn from the of who in numerous is Hit sands of tin desert and who wonder in print and aloud whit tht is ting for his education dolhr Will fur thing hi or is mi for next Hi months I will myself at task of try inn toll people hoi read indspcik own ili will somi degree of I know it s in in hut that s flies t irbi it from Some with bright children in furious that public system docs not pro idt enriched courses for their kids so that they 11 emerge from high school with of a siliool idui ition don piv any more than I do ind I have no ihildnn in school 1 helping pi for ihur kids iduc linn Others loo ld or si ind to own kids schools to do it then in first to stii a who fiiullj being hum in lan I resist giwnj their darling whick on Ihe head growing number of critics take up Ihe chant of getting to thi whin they find it their kids can do long division w ithout i can write a servile letter and know more about six than they do about it these mean is Why don ihim thin ichers give kids good training in basic lis like whil I got lhtsi people who cant do short division unless il two into four use d is their r punctuation irk whin writing letter know nothing sen nee or sex lhin of critic I his is the who lis in figures lie is infuriated when hi the spent jiir of its budget on education only per tent on the Works Department He d r ithir spend mi on straightening out roads thin on straightening out Ins kids he ids I is one critic tor whom 1 feel some I his is mis Senior He or she never go niueh cduia bee in those divs had to goto work the elite the sons of doctors lawyers such had hope of going to college i thil moderate incomes ire to support ihce ovirpaid those expensive buildings mil ill young who should la rut working when the v themselves no thing out or taxis Will helped elect the it ire point We all sooneror later ire leiving these kids so fir in debt the never gtt out critics don bother me I work it mv job per of lla teacher- in tin s We in not ill either Socrates or Jesus but we do tin last wi in with whit we have know we re not turning out pulp wood or or We in not producing l the PLAYING PEEKABOO behind a tree this young calf enjoys the last fine days of the year before being stabled for the winter in and business think we in doing Wi ire di ilmg day for several irs lives with that most id of mechinisms human being And we iredomglhit it the most sensitive and delic ite stage of its mil imorphosis into idull tint on for sui we re not doing it that badly The old authoritarianism which at trailed the we ik tht bullies into the along with many first el iss people is Tint good old system under which kids from professional fimihts went on and kids poor fimihts went into service or factories or common laboring is gone I it s re trying to offset the mindless gar of division kids to be ind skeptic il of shodd insidious And Hut s good 1 it me give an I was in the ink during the summer Right behind me was HI a boy I d about three years He d lain i lught drinking bier in a in the school grounds and wis ex for a week him how things were gome Oh pretty good Mr Smiley I construction with Most I did w is a large good nat w hob id through the Iwovt ir in high hi showed me the he was 1 fell on the floor of the bunk hose miking is muih is I w is Mars of experience Hurt je thev both have wound up on the end of a pick or shovel 11 may be costing you an arm ind leg but todiy is doing more in out cheap labor for he OUR READERS WRITE Sabre secretary on arena rental rates Thanksgiving one way to help yourself feel thankful is to read the dally newspapers They are full of miseries and disasters that didnt happen to us again The heart goes home on Thanksgiving No matter how far you may roam Nostalgic memories overwhelm us With a calling calling for home September loth the of the Alton I Alton Arena Itent Kates Inar Sir As part of Hit delegation Aelun Junior and Interim dlatt Hockey Clubs at A muling on Monday ire Story on I I wish clarify some of the during the meeting by some of lln members While in altindanci at these mietings some tend lo he overlooked until reminded of them by Ihi subsequent newspaper most obvious we got from thi is that feel a Junior Hotkey is thi a license print Nothing could la from truth Georgetown Ceriums suffered a loss of approximately On despite super support from their fans As our Recreation Director stated our operation of a Junior or Intermediate Hockey Club is Private Enterprise and us such small gales and high costs are your Ihe Clubs problem You the Clubs are nol doing a good job fund raising If you Club is in financial difficulty though Councillor Morrow insisted Mr Gray remarks were taken out of context I do nol know how else Ihcy could hi in In Aclon in particular such a thing us or enterprise in sports simply docs not exist If he wished to check Mr Gray would find that as few as In in Ihe Acton area help coach m in or help minor and ill for Ihi privilege of spending ten hours per weak of their time it the with no thought of enterprise indeed As for Morrow quote I have never heard so much S over in my life I m afraid he has missed point In thi 1971 Mason our rental ritis for both and games was eor our projected in rental rates for practice and 2 is I his presents in in this one item of SI or cent The ounullor s obvious theatrics of throwing bill on tin table followed by Mr bill was neither humorous nor both gmtlimen quickly puked up their nioniy we had a Chance to their kind offer The thinking of Ihe A C may will be I hut we have been spoiled by low rates at the Acton in Ihe past however it Ihcy are in tent in recouping all at once rather than in gradual stages In an effort upgrade the ihbre of hockey in our town and to tut down on excessive travel we applied for and fought for a Junior rating despite he disadvantage or being a small lown It appears that with tin Increase in calibre the Town of Hills feels is a good time to double the Ice costs In the five year period of operating a Junior D Ihen Junior C Club we always paid our bills sometimes with ihe help of a bank loan but mostly through he thankless task of Ihe volunteer executive and helpers- rounding up and of course fins While ire 111 inking of our own interests Ihe in costs in Minor llocki and lln I lub f whom ive suffered some decline We have I to some parents who simply t to have Ihelr children play All Star A in All Snr phyirs will Junior hotkey club In fairness to some members of tin fcil that we would have received no from the original proposed costs it not been for in tirvenlion of Mallby and Boy Booth and we appreciate Councillor of Aclon adopted in attitude of neutrality and as Chairman peril rightfully so If it is tin aim of lln Committee to money reduce Ihe defied then they arc going about it the right way However they an killing Junior Intermediate and to degree Minor inter com in thi process This shouldn I bother them however they can always rent the ice lo from or Brampton or Toronto for the per hour figure that has been set for out of town groups This of course is after the Inter mediates Juniors and All Star teams are forced inlo bankruptcy Sincerely N Campbell Secretary Acton Sabres Hotkey Club The Free Press Back Issues 20 years ago Taken from the liiue of the Free Press of Thursday October 11 1SSS Acton new M Bennett public school just approved as a six room structure with construction about to start will be doubled In size to rooms if plans advanced by school trustees and approved by councillors this week meet with Municipal board favor The decision was made following series of meetings after last week s costly fire at the public school where seven rooms five of them ctassrojmis were damaged beyond repair Fire nearly evicted Grade seven pupils from their classroom for the second time in a week Monday afternoon when a blaze of unknown origin started in the attic of the Scout Halt and caused about damage before it was put out The pupils taught by Davidson were forced to take classes in the Scout Hall last week after fire damaged beyond use five classrooms in the old wing of the public school a week ago Tuesday Other students are scattered in temporary quarters about town The biggest jackpot ever was awarded to Mr J in the Appreciation Day draw Saturday And Mrs certainly appreciated that afternoon 50 years ago Taken from issue of the Free Press of Thursday Septembers 1926 The regular meeting of the Duke of Devonshire Chapter of the I O will be held at the home of Mrs Murray Donald Willow Street on Tuesday evening October The Acton Fall Fair is popular in its constituency and beyond ample evidence is given year to year The exhibitors always appreciate the kindness and courtesy of the officials they arc pleased with the treatment they receive they return year after year with the feeling that the efforts of officers and directors is to be fair and to give the public a fair worthy of the good name Acton Fall Fair has always borne Emily Skull Acton became the bride of Mr J Robert Dunbar Acton on Wednesday September 22 1926 at the home of the Robert ton WilburSt Acton During the trotting races at the fair on Wednesday Anderson son of Emerson Anderson while crossing the crack was knocked down and had his leg painfully injured He was taken home in a motor car but was soon able to be about again Numbers of other towns throughout the province are arranging to hold elections the first week in December as Acton has done for years This plan avoids the rush of the Christmas holiday and the rush of Christmas business and holiday travel 100 years ago Taken from the isue of Ihe Free Press of Thursday Octobers 1878 A remarkable incident occurred at Brown and Halls sawmill last Saturday whilst a pine log was being sawed up into lumber The outside slab and one board had been cut off and while the workmen were turning over the log they were surprised to see a large toad poke his head out of a hole in which he was imbedded and where he had barely escaped being cut up by the saw How the slrangir got there was a mystery as he was completely encased in the with no possible means of ingress or egress As the log was the fourth or fifth from the butt of the tree his position must have been at least or 60 feet from the ground and he has no doubt grow n up with it from infancy being probably hundreds of years old The animal was quite flat and nearly as large as a mans hand He was perfectly blind but when taken from his bed he made use of limbs to crawl away The tree was perfectly sound with the exception of a decayed spot of about a foot in length below the hollow place in which he was imbedded How did he get there and what did he live on The annual Fall Exhibition of the Agricultural Society was held last Friday The stock and implements were shown on the grounds of Mr Monaghan and the other articles in the drill shed There was a very large gathering of people and the show was considered fully equal taken altogether to any that has yet been held by the society The acton Plow Company have been awarded one of Ihe few international medals at Ihe Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia This is a high reward of merit for which the company may well feel proud THE ACTON FREE PRESS PHONE Business and Editorial Office