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English visitors carry home memories of Canadian trip Today marks the end of an English familys first trip to Canada The Davis of are returning home after two weeks of tours with their relative Clarke of Elizabeth Dr Acton Don Davis is Mrs Clarkes brother He and his wife Sylvia and two of their children Mary and Janet are heading for their town in Bucking hamshire about miles west of London The Davis take with them many impressions and images which will lost them a lifetime Some of the impressions however were not so good The gnats or mos quitoes were not liked by Janet She was also happy to have arrived too late for the black fly sea son On the plus side the Davis family was sur prised by the open friendliness of folks here and wherever they loured Upper Canada Village was a hit especially with Mary who was pleased at the Insights given concerning 19th century life The displays which mainly caught her at tention captured the way of life in the 1800s rather than the standing exhibits of machines The Davis went as far afield as Kingston the former capital of Upper Canada They also spent some time in Toronto seeing the CN Tower and the Ontario Science Centre Niagara Falls was also on the itinerary Closer to town the Mennonitc country up in St Jacobs was inspected as wasEImira and Rock- wood Rockwood was a disappointment to Mary because the countryside was so much like the hills the Davis are used to In he old country Impressions gathered by the Davis are likely to be readily shared with friends and relatives in Beaconsfield Impre ssions such as the dim ensions of the coun tryside We noticed every thing is bigger Youve so much land it seems you could spread out said Mrs Davis Mrs Davis later indie- by reading the plaque in ated that in comparing front of the library which Beaconsfield with a slates in part The first 16000 population to land grants on the West Acton one is impressed Branch of the Credit with the recreation and River were made in school facilities in the and among the earliest smaller town Mr Davis settlers in this vicinity agreed were Ezra Zcnas and One feature that but- Adams prised Mr Davis Was the There were features of lack of celebration of a the landscape which the historical event here the Davis expected to see or arrival of the first family rather were surprised to years ago In England see notions such an event would be confirmed marked with fetes and For example Mrs celebrations Clarke had mailed her Mr Davis gained his family some road maps insight into local history Continued on Page Clarkes brother Don Davis and his family villages near town from England are just finishing twoweeks of toun Kin Ion and Upper Canada Villi during their first trip to Canada The Davis trav- One Hundred and Fifth YearNo ACTON ONTARIO WEDNESDAY AUGUST 1 Twenty Pages- Twenty Cents Police nab car thieves Woodstock police figured in the arrest of two suspects who are wonted here In con nection with an auto theft from Main St last week The pair were caught and returned to District One headquarters in Georgetown Hal ton Regional Police arc investigating The auto was stolen in the midafternoon of July The owner parked it on Main St and when he returned to the spot discovered the machine was missing The car belongs to an Erin resident Police have three suspects in mind In connection with property damage done to one of the vents at the com munity centre The trio all hall from town A John St resident reported to police the theft of his bicycle The twowheeler was taken from his home last Wednesday evening Regional Police charged four outoftown men in connection with what officers described as a large disturbance and fight at the Dominion Hotel last week The foursome range in age from 2025 years A neighbours child Is thought to be the cause of about in damage to a fence on Greenore Cres last week Elementary teachers settle Haltons elementary teachers must wait until they return to classrooms before finding out their pay under a new agree ment with the school board Haltons Board of Education and Elemen tary Teachers Associ ation held a Joint confer ence Thursday to an nounce the reaching of a tentative agreement Details are being kept under wraps until Sept ember when ratification meetings are slated Its a fair settle ment teacher associ ation negotiator Mark said The tentative contract affects assistant co ordinators principals viceprincipals and teachers There are about elementary teachers in The agreement was made without help Gilli land said Both aides are reco mmending acceptance of the agreement which deals only with wages The total salary package for meets the cost of living which is per cent Gilliland said A holt to negotiations In June was simply a misunderstanding said the teacher An earlier board press release desc ribed the talks as appear ing to have broken down Gilliland said the doors to negotiations were always open We had a long recess the meetings didnt break down Continued on Page Scouts and Venturers from England were billeted in troop Jim McVeigh and Donnle McDonald wo of local homes tail week the last teg of a trip to the hosting families Andrew Simpson Yorkshire Canada They went camping In Hallburton before Scoot troop and Mark Charcroft Venturers coming to Acton Left to right Simon had a good time together Surrey Venturers Mark Slddte Yorkshire Scoot Timbrell gives priority to north for nursing home When the province ls ready to loosen the purse strings Hills will be receiving some nurs ing care beds Dennis Timbrell Minister of Health explained in a letter to Terence Raines chairman of the Halton District Health Council that the beds In Halton Hills will be receiving top priority when additional beds arc to be provided in the region Mr said in the letter that because of the difficult economic situation at this time the pro vince will not be providing money this year William Leonard executive director of the Health Council told this newspaper it is not known at this time exactly where the nursing beds will be located but he stressed it would be In the optimum place to serve the residents of Acton Georgetown and fairly He hinted it would be in a central spot Mr Leonard explained that one of the pro blems right now was deciding how many nursing beds and chronic care beds are needed At the present time there are no such beds in Hills and residents are forced to either put re- Milton or Leonard estimate there 500 beds in Halton but none of which ef ficiently serve the north end of the region Right now the executive director said the council is looking at between and 100 beds but the government gets the final say in the exact figure He noted It Is more economical to operate a home with a multiple of 40 bods The to 100 beds are expected to meet their requirements until the late he said The number of beds allocated to an area is the result of a formula combining the need and the population Mr Leonard pointed out that has a lower amount of people over than most counties In Ontario and according to Ministry standards the region has enough beds The District Health Council Mr Leonard said la arguing lhat those beds are In the wrong spot with them all in the south and none In the north It Is unfair to the people who want to stay In their own communities Mr Leonard said He continued to say per cent of the regions senior citizens live In their own home with only five per cent needing nursing or chronic care Many of those still living at home are taking advantage of the regions present chronic home care program which was praised by Mr Tim Mr Leonard explained that the program offers help to the seniors in day to day Jiving ram changing dressings to administering medicine to just helping around the house and providing some company He explained that this program is more economical than a nursing bed At Milton District Hospital a nursing or chron ic care bed costs day Army sets up local office Flushing water takes away odor Water spewing re from the Pros pect Park pump house In to Fairy Lake is a pre ventative method ac cording to Bill Kong water works engineer for the region of Halton Mr Kong explained to the Acton Free Press that when the pump is not working at its fullest cap acity iron up When It Is put into full use an odor and bad taste are in the water Letting the water drain Into the lake Is compared with turning on a tap which hasnt been used in a while and letting the water run out for a few minutes to let any rust from tho pipes flow out The release of this wat er Mr Kong said is done every week for a few days a week At the pre sent time it is the only means of controlling the odor and taste problem he said Acton residents have previously complained about the smell and taste Mr Kong recalled and by letting the water flow until It tastes better they feel they ore avoiding any future problems The high demand for water this time of year necessitated drawing water from the little used park pump house the manager said The water in that pump house he soid will not allowed Into the system until the odor and bad taste have been flushed out Cuts head A Milton man received a gosh in the head Sunday afternoon when he dived into the quarry at Waterfalls Park and hit a rock The cut was sutured at Georgetown hospital Xrays were taken There is a definite need for an Acton Salvation Army says Mrs Lieut enant Pritchett she and her husband have been transferred here from Newfoundland to fill that need Right now Lieut Lome and his wife arc operating out of their Hansom St apart ment However land has been purchased on Mill St which will hopefully be the site of a new cit adel within a year In the meantime a Sunday school and adult services arc held in the Trinity United Church with about 45 adults com ing out and to 40 youngsters Mrs Lieut Pritchett explained to the Acton Free Press lhat because of the spiritual need in the community they were appointed here She emphasized they are try ing to draw Salvationists who have moved to Acton from Newfoundland but left their religion or un churched people We are not trying to draw those who are already grounded to a church she stressed We are striving to reach those who have no affiliation at all Mrs Lieut Pritchett said a thrift shop may be opened in town even be fore the church Many Inside this week No rate increase for Erin tribute to Gary Dawkins Pg Rockwood news on Pg Womens Place step nearer B3 Classified advertising people in town have al ready wanted to give do nations or help in some way In such a shop The Acton Solvation Army future also In cludes a shelter for the needy Lieut Pritchett said that at as late as this past weekend the police had contacted her want ing shelter for someone Shi had to refer to the shelter be cause there wan no place in Acton The couple ore both trained officers in the Salvation Army com plying with policy that they must be of the same rank to marry by Helen Murray Life docs not have to be difficult for handicapped people They dont have to be shut away pris oners in their own environment with proper planning of municipalities In dustries and business those confined to a wheelchair or even crutches can lead an ordinary life As in all towns and cities Acton has many handicapped group an organization run for the hand icapped by the handicapped have made public more aware of their existence However in spite of this awareness the general public has a long way to go in knowing what life is like for someone not as fortunate as themselves For many people the handicapped are to be shunned ignored the old if 1 dont see them maybe they will go away attit ude However that doesnt work The handicapped are men and women who have feelings Their hearts beat like everyone else and their eyes see the same as others Because they are crippled in one way or another doesnt mean they are dif ferent A young man severely crippled in an oil drilling operation In Alberta a few years ago will be paralyzed on the right side of his body Tor the rest of his life He bad to learn to write with his left band He has to wear a brace on his leg and until extensive therapy found speaking very difficult Yet despite these handicaps he leads a norma life He Is aware of people staring at him So young and handsome be bears How can he go on The crux of the matter be has to go on His accident has enlightened bis many carefree friends to the fact Handicapped need understanding not pity people are the same as everyone else They cant walk as fast but they are the same people they were before the accident or Illness Their friend still has the same sense of humor the same eye for the ladles the same zest for life he felt before Now almost three years after that near fatal accident which plunged him into a month long coma he Is doing wood working He soon hopes to sell his wares It is surprising how many people are afraid of the handicapped Like a new born baby If you have never had contact with one you could fear it Will it break is the unconscious thought In some areas It is easier to be mobile According to some of Actons hand icapped this community offers little for them It seems they have observed the further west one travels the more they consider the needs of the handicapped The further east one goes the more they ore shunned With the opening of the new Acton Med ical Centre on Mill St a few years ago those in wheelchairs found it to possible to see their doctors The old medical centre further up the street only had one step Now with both Acton and the Glenlea medical centres in town stairs lead from the door to the actual offices They feel themselves fortunate enough however to be In a town where the doctors are willing go to their homes to tend to medical needs They ha ve never been refused a house call The library a building the handicapped help pay for with taxes Is Inaccessible for them To get books there are stairs To go down to the meeting room or the child rens library there are stairs It can be pretty depressing to read books chosen by someone else Even a meeting place is a difficult task for them They cannot attend council meetings because of the stairs A hockey game is out of the question because of the stairs leading to the main door of the arena If a handicapped person makes it downtown most of the stores doors are two narrow to accommodate a wheelchair And if they make it into the store the aisles are too narrow to get down Unless the handicapped Is Anglican worshipping In Acton ls difficult All the other town have stairs that have to be mounted Even though the churches have made provisions for the handicapped by helping them up the stairs etc they are not fending for them selves They appreciate the special at tention but wish it was not necessary Public washrooms are not built to con sider the handicapped In most places cubicles are too small to take a wheelchair In Some have oversized cubicles where the handicapped person can go in by them selves Where these provisions are not made the spouse must assist them It con get pretty embarrassing Even a simple thing like transportation can be difficult Back seats of a two door car are a great problem When purchasing a car one must consider whether the wheelchair win fit into the trunk Even the weather bothers the hand icapped Dampness and humidity pain those with arthritis or other bone diseases They must govern their Uvea around the weather more than the average person Handicapped people are always the last ones to feel sorry for themselves If a heal thy person breaks a leg be or she maybe out of action for a couple of months be moaning the fact they cant get around ore In pain or bored The handicapped live with this every day of their lives no com plaints no requests for pity Thats life Yet if a handicapped person is wheeled through a shopping plaza heads turn and eyes stare The curfous wants to know why the person is crippled or what happened to make Ihem that way It could never happen to me attitude is common However that Is what the said before the boom hit him in the head Thats what the car accident vic tim said before the collision Thats what the healthy athlete said before he played one game too many and permanently damaged his leg Some arc born with physical handicaps most arent However the real handicapped arc those who dont understand who fear those with problems because they arc dif ferent There are worse ways to be hand icapped other than physically and Ignor ance is one of them There ore some people who go out of their way to help the handicapped who de serve recognition A group of people In Hills are pushing the municipality for a bus to transport the handicapped around town or on special outings If it is purchased by the council it could open up The steps to the arena are a long hard for law handicapped Mrs Emily Price who Is confined to a wheelchair not been In the arena for year of the lor hundreds who stay at home The owner of the Lucky Strike Bowling lanes in Stoney Creek each year devotes an entire Sunday to a handicapped bowling tournament which for many is the only sport they can partake in Each year In November the merchants of Stone Road Mall in Guelph close their doors to all re gular shoppers and devote an evening en tirely to the handicapped This way they can get their Christmas shopping done without the pushing and shoving of the crowds The organizers and executive of the have done a great deal for the handicapped A handful of hand icapped who felt life was for more than sit ting around In a wheelchair got together to do something worthwhile In the three years since Its inception the group has managed to bring out many handicapped who were not as outgoing as themselves and give them a purpose in life Members meet once a month and listen to guest speakers attend musical concerts in Hamilton Kitchener and Toronto com bine with other handicapped groups from Kitchener etc for a huge picnic go swimming week at the Acton in door pool have dances parties etc is well known around town for helping themselves But they still need help and understanding from the public Did Price of the summed it up best The only way for a normal person to even get a glimpse of what life Is like Tor the handicapped Is to take a wheelchair and go downtown and try to buy something even if it Is a pair of shoelaces or a bottle of pop