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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 1996 OLN Pls WANs MP Reed earns his keep If parliamentary voting was an Ol- ympic event Halton-Peel MP Julian Reed would finish just out of the medal standings. The first time Member of Parliament recorded a 97 per cent attendance rating. The report was issued by the House of Commons Reference Service. "Tt is sometimes very difficult to make all of the votes but, voting is one of the most important responsi- bilities of an MP," Reed said, add- ing, "We normally get advanced notice of votes, however this Spring was very hectic and votes were hap- pening at any time which makes , scheduling very difficult." An Ottawa newspaper based on Parliament Hill listed the top and bottom ten MP's in terms of voting attendance. Fellow Liberal MP John Loney and Bloc MP Pierre Brien tied for the best record at 100 per cent. Federal Tory leader Jean Charest only managed to make it to voting sessions eight per cent of the time. Cops auction annual The Halton Regional Police Service willbe holding their annual Region- wide Auction at Police Headquar- ters in Oakville Sat. Sept. 7. Items up for auction include about 200 bicycles in addition to assorted per- sonal items. Viewing of the mer- chandise is scheduled from 8:30 am to 9:30 am with the auction starting at 9:30 sharp in the underground parking lot. Halton Regional Police Services headquarters in located at 1151 Bronte Rd., in Oakville, north of the QEW. Golfing for charity The Optimist Club of Georgetown is once again presenting the Opti- mist Mayor's Annual Golf Tourna- ment on Aug., 27 atthe Georgetown River's Edge Golf & Country Club. The money raised from the tourna- ment goes to help the youth of Geor- getown through the Optimist Club charities. A round of golf as holes) goes for $90 with lunch, dinner, use of a golf cart and a prize included in the price. In addition, golfers have the opportunity to play for trophies, participate in a lucky draw and a putting contest. Four hole-in-one prizes are up for grabs as well, with prizes ranging from a Nissan vehi- cle, and Air Canada Dream Vaca- tion, a Duncana Gas Grill or $1000. Area businesses are also being asked to sponsor holes' for $100 each. With only 18 holes available, those are sure to sell out quickly. Companies, associations and indi- viduals who make donations and sponsorships will have their names - listed in the tournament program. For further information contact Scott Campbell, tournament chair- man at 873-7991. HEY! "The beer store should be a walk-in, serve yourself. They should fix the parking problem, too." Jack Woudstra, River Drive "People who park in handicapped spots who do not need to, but are just too lazy to walk the extra couple of feet to another parking Jasin Penney, Delrex Boulevard What's your beef? "There is no consumer protection when it comes to car insurance. If the average consumer was aware of their rights, insurance companies would not have the monopoly that they currently have." Connie Prong, Delrex Boulevard "The people who speed down Mountain- view Road South. If they would just realize that children and seniors and school cros- sings should be respected for life and limb." Mayva McFadden, Mountainview Road spot." THE GEORGETOWN GEMINI 25-YEAR MEMBERS! The Georgetown Choral Society celebrated its 25-year reunion with a potluck dinner last Sunday. To mark the happy occasion, the Society's 25-year members got together for a group photo. Front row, from left: Doris Lindsay, Wilma Groskorth, Vi Haines and Lynn Purdy. Back row: Jean Hancock, Joan Beeney and Joanne Mackie. (Eve Martin photo) Motors, mosquitos and memories We have just retumed from our an- nual two-week family vacation in "the wilderness." For the past sev- eral years we have rented a cottage from our old friends, the Robinsons, at Lake Weslemkoon. Weslemkoon isa Cree Indian word meaning "place where mosquitoes are as big as TATs." Weslemkoon is pristine and pic- turesque. There are few cottages and no roads. People, supplies and such go by boat. The lake itself is clean, and you can drink the lake water (so they say). There are many, many places where youcan pull your boat ashore, enjoy the scenery and there are no other people in sight. Our family vacations have al- ways been the cause of many jokes in our house (most of them aimed at me). I thought I would give you a few examples of situations which bring these caustic comments from my kids. Maybe things aren't so different at your place. Our kids always make a big deal about what time we leave. I always aim to getaway around 10 or 11 am. I'm on holidays, right? So why kill myself the first day? This year, we were late again. By the time we packed the van and boat with food, clothes, bedding, brown pop and the other necessities of life, it was past noon. Then, there's the last-minute stops at Canadian: Tire, IGA and the li- brary. Finally we goton our way around 2 pm to a chorus of "Late again, Dad!" from the kids. We blew atrailer tire justnorth of Madoc. I had a spare but the shoul- der was narrow and the ditch was more like a gorge. I unhitched the boat and moved the van behind it with the four-ways on. Why unhitch the boat? So I can get the #$%& jack out of the #$%& van to jack up the #$%& boat, which has the seven tons of food in it that the bride considers survival rations. The cars were whizzing by my head. It was the roadside tire, of course. I'm sure the other drivers The Way |' I See l# |" With Mike O'Leary were trying to pick off my hat with their passenger-side mirrors. Have you ever noticed how smug passing drivers look as they fly by you while you're wrestling with atire? Bunch'a jerks! We arrived at the cottage around 7 pm. The Robinsons observed (again) that some guests choose to arrive during the day. I smiled, mut- tered a few unprintable words and we proceeded to disembark--Imean unload. The cottage is as close to "rough- ing it" as the bride would consider. There are two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, dining area and, my favourite, a huge screened porch. It'smore than 30 miles from amajor mall so the bride breaks out in hives just north of Madoc. It's not that bad, though --she usually stops cry- ing after a day or so. The kids call my- boat "the Ti- tanic" and I'm getting really defen- sive about it. Big expensive boats have a bilge with water in it, right? I say my boat doesn't leak and doesn't need bailing. It just has a manual bilge, sort of like the expen- sive ones. My motor, a Scott- Atwater, is not unreliable. What's so odd about taking some wrenches, screwdrivers, asocketset, spare fuel pump and a hammer with you? You never know when someone might need a hand. Speaking of boats, what is it with boaters? Everyone you pass waves at you. What are they, repressed Nazis? They're nicer than the old guy at the door of Wal-Mart. Not too clever though. They see me in a 16-foot, five-passenger runabout with a 200-pound motor on the back paddling for shore.What do they say? "Need a hand?" You feel like saying, "No stupid, I'm trying to get into the same shape as a 60-year-old Swede." There must be some kind of pri- meval hunter-gatherer instinct that makes us go out fishing. This lake is renowned as a great lake for bass fishing. I can't catch the danged things. The worst part is coming back empty-handed. "How'd ya do?" everyone shouts. "Had a few strikes," I yell back. Hell, I had more strikes in two weeks on that lake than the Blue Jays do in a season. I've finally figured out a strategy fornext year. Ifanyone knows where you can buy war surplus hand-gre- nades, I'd appreciate a call. I'll fix those stinking fish!! The Robinsons are gracious and helpful (should you have motor "problems) hosts. Family camping and cottages are available. Space is limited and loud parties are discour- aged with a fire hose. Reservations are necessary. You can reach the Robinsons at 613-474-5201. Every year holidays generate greatmemories. When the kids were small, [remember the times we spent in the water and the campfires and camp songs. I don't think I'm the only dad who knows the words to "Going ona Lion Hunt" or "Granny was a Girl Guide." These last two weeks I was privi- leged to spend a lot of time with the kid. It was interesting to discuss her views on the future, her plans and dreams. I don't recall being as fo- cused when I was her age. Ihope her memories of these weeks are as spe- cial as mine. Damn, they grow up so fast, don't they? Listen, let's keep the few prob- lems I had to ourselves, shall we? You see, every week I meet my friend Al (the barber) and Al (L.C.B.O. manager) fora beer. Their first question will be, "How were your holidays?" T'll smile, lean back and say, "They were great. The weather was outstanding, the boat worked like a charm and the fishing was incred- ible." It's a guy thing -- you under- stand!