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NINETY NINTH YEAR NO ACTON ONTARIO WEDNESDAY SEPT Twonly Four PagesFifteen Cents Town men wife rescue man buried in sand Completely buried under wo reel of sand In a trench Gordon Varcoe was fran tically dug out Thursday by rescuers Including his wire Brent Marshall and John van der Brink Police corporal Bob Arbour who arrived when the man was uncovered to his waist credits he quick action of the three with saving the mans life It been a matter or seconds the corporal said Gordon Varcoe had asked his wife to come along when he worked in the seven foot deep trench 12 to 15 feet long where he was rebuilding a sewer line for and Mrs at the corner of Acton Blvd and Mill St Suddenly sand caved in around him up to his shoulders as he leaned over cleaning the last pipe His wife leapt down Into he trench cleared the sand away from his face and ran for help Town workmen Brent Marshall John van Brink and Roy were putting In new culverts at he nigh school over the noise of machines Mrs Varcoe screamed to hem to come end help No sign Brent Marshall heard first grabbed his shove and ran with her when they reached the trench another cavein had occurred and the man hod completely disappeared Guelph parish for Rev Dawson Sunday morning at Harvest Thanksgiving service the Rev Harry Dawson announced to his parishioners that he will be leaving here the end of October He begins his duties as rector of the Church of St James the Apostle in Guelph November Mr Dawson read the letter from Bishop making the announcement Mr and Mrs Dawson have been In Acton five and a half years and have two daughters Sherry who is six and Alison two They won t leave Acton until the children have enjoyed en here The family have become closely involved in the life of the community and will be much missed Beat wishes will go with them She has been active In the church and curled here Mr Dawson Is head of the Ministerial Association sings- with the Legion Cboraliers p to Walter Is on he library board board He curls in with a clergy team They live In St Albans rectory on Jeffrey Ave and will move into the St James rectory in Guelph Before coming to Acton Mr Dawson was at St George church in St Catharines Quarry worker hurt in fall After falling head first to a lit floor employee of was taken by ambulance to Guelph General Hospital He Is suffering from a broken wrist broken arm slight con damage to his shoulder and neck and several broken ribs The accident occurred last Thursday afternoon at A Mr Batchelor was replacingadooronaP shovel at the quarry face working from the bucket of a front end loader As he lay unconscious employees were unable to obtain the sen Ices of a doctor In Acton after calling both medical centres The ambulance from took the Injured man to hospital Mr Batchelor Is a lead hand maintenance mechanic with 10 to years service Ironically Mr Batchelor is a friend of Gordon Varcoe buried in a cavein in town about half an hour before They had both worked together at several years ago trench and began to dig followed closely by John van der Brink In seconds the two men uncovered two wiggling fingers with Iheir shovels Hearing his muffled voice below them they scrabbled at Ihe sand with their fingers until he was able to breathe Roy consoled Mrs Varcoe and their two young sons and kept arriving people away as the two men dug frantically Mrs Varcoe had raced Into the Thoman house and called police as soon as she saw the town men needed more help They arrived In five minutes with other town staff but would likely have been too lato if other town men hadn t been close by Cant sleep Mrs recalled the awful experience and said ruefully on Tuesday that neither she nor her husband sleep too well yet Her husband was pulled from the Band and feeling a sore back where the damp dirt had struck him as he was bending over he lay on the ground until the ambulance arrived However at nothing was broken and ho lo leave New trousers Worst casualty as It turned out was his clothes Mrs Varcoe went out to buy him new pants end socks while he in hospital His pants were In shreds his socks and shoes soaked and filled with mud He arrived home safe and sound in his sock feet He Is badly bruised and spent a day or two In bed but Is better now Town men under Alf finished his work for him at the house Thursday fltiMtng the con nection tor a new sewer line Things would have been worse In a minute or two when he would have been crouched at the bottom of the trench to make the last con As it was he was slightly bent over witrr one pipe on a piece of wood Ills father Bill Varcoe who lives next door completed the backfilling The Varcoes six children She often helps him with his work and in the afternoons must take along the second youngest boy Gordon Jr five when hes not at school and their youngest Jason four They watched in tears with their mother as the near tragedy occurred The Varcoes this week have great praise for the men who saved his life Gordon has ex cave ins before over years of work but never this serious Brent Marshall too has some knowledge of minor caveins When it was all over he said we got to thinking about what could have happened Legion hall plans set A decision was reached Tuesday night at a general meeting which included members of the Acton Branch 197 and the Ladles Auxiliary building to be located on a to acre site north of Mill Street and west of Cameron Avenue directly across Fairy Lake from Prospect Park Initial discussions on the new building started in June of and presentation made to the executive branch In Plans show that approximately per cent of the building which will have a square footage of 17 square will bo absorbed by anaudltorlum which will people Facilities Club room facilities will Include a mixed lounge games room kitchen outdoor patio overlooking lake and parking facilities for ZOO cars j u isBob flnd chairman of the building committee ana one of project Is branch treasurer Gordon McCulcheoa Other members on the building committee Include Ed John Fred Allen and Gordon James The committee hopes to get foundations steelwork and building enclosed by end of year Candidates interviewed Meet the Candidates and you can do It twice The Chamber of Commerce meet the candidates night is scheduled for tonight Wed Sept at the high school at 7 30 p m Hut since this meeting Is loo late for any coverage In Ihe Free Press before election day Interviews with all the local candidates Appear In to day s The four candidates for mayor tell their platforms beginning on Regional and area council candidates are Interviewed on the Inside pages Duck area polluted MONTHSOF PLANNING and preparation led to ahajnwweb8tnrPrday night were stocked at the township which is temporarily being housed in the Community Hall in Stewarttown Madge left of the South Central Region Library System who played an important role in establishing the library helps library board 1 to r Ruth Wilson Joan Lister Edna Mae Markham and Ann Berry The library will be open in the hall Monday afternoons from l until 3 and Wednesday evenings from until East Hon Jim Snow was a special guest at the open house Friday night D GibbonsPhoto Planning board OKs property changes Three locations on Mill and Main Sts will show complete change soon If plans ap proved last Thursday by planning board arc earned through Bob St eon presented the case for rezoning for a new medical centre on Mill Alf Berry made a presentation for a new building to replace Highway Garage and Henry Ciipps sought commercial toning of the lot at the corner or Mill and Wilbur All received the approval of the board Chairman Sid was missing m hospital with a heart attack Vic Brislow chaired the meeting In the council chambers with regu members present Lou Frank Or Chapman and Introduced was a new mem ber William Campbell son Cr He fills the term of David Muekle till the end of December seeks rezoning of Mill and Frederick from com mercial holding to com He Dr Brian Moore van Bent and Pun propose building a medical centre there The building will include room for four doctors two dentists lab emergency room ray room and a pharmacy The twostorey building will be backed by a parking lot extending to Bower Ave with room for cars After Mayor was as sured by Dr Stcen there is no interference in TV reception from the ray equipment councillors agreed they had no objection The mendatlon for rezoning will go to council Office building Air Berry asked for the re or the properly on Mill where Highway Garage sits from C2 to CI The com zone a ice station but Continued Page The nesting area Tor wild ducks at the south west end of Fairy Lake was the concern of Councillor Norm Elliott at Tuesday s council meeting when he noted brown water was being pumped into the lake In this area from a neighboring construction project He asked the town staff to ascertain from the developers what Is going into the lake McKenzie reported hydra power was off in Acton on Sunday for an hour and a half He said this was the result of a dead tree railing on the townowned lot hydro Tine serving the pumping station on Churchill Rd North He said that it was his demanding that this par ticular line was in bad shape and should be partially rebuilt He asked tne works committee to investigate and make a recommendation Bos service Reeve also suggested the committee should organize the bus ice during the Christmas season He felt an earlier start should be made this year as it was instituted In a rush last year Mayor expressed his hope that there would be no delay In finishing Acton Boulevard and the ditching on Nelson Court He Tell the Works Dept had got a great deal of work done in good time this year but wondered when a start would be made on the paving of Acton Blvd Councillor Coats questioned the statement in the com it lee minutes that they do not Intend to eliminate the swale entirely at Fairvlew Cemetery He felt this in fcrred there would be further filling of the swale Councillor Norm Elliot said in reply to the question that the minute art not lo be taken 100 per cent literally He said that the filled area will be levelled and dressed up and no further filling of the swale would be made Councillor reported that the developer of the property adjoining the cemetery would be sodding his land when weather con ditions were opportune Finances A brief reference was made to the receipt of the auditor s financial statement Mayor suggested council would have to watch their spending for the balance of tne year Deputy Reeve Marks expressed the opinion we are now in quite good shape Reeve McKenzie asked If the road markings would be replaced where new paving had been installed and Councillor Mosaics advised him all previous markings would be replaced as well as some new ones An affirmative answer was also made to Reeve McKenzie s question as to whether the lines would be painted on Elizabeth Dr to guide people around all those curves Candidates speak to empty seats at Stewarttown Less than loo of Ward Esquesing more than GOOD elig ible voters showed up at Stewarttown school for a Meet the Candidates night Monday lending support to the popular prediction that the October 1 regional government election may set a new low for percentage turnout at the polls A simi lar in Georgetown last week was also poorly attended Tne event organized by a group of Ward ratepayers of fered the four mayoralty candidates in the new North Halton area Acton Georgetown and Esquesing and the three area council candidates in Ward 2 an opportunity to present their platforms and then ratepayers a chance to question them Deputy reeve Leo who was acclaimed as Ward s representative on the Halton Region council also spoke expressing his thanks to electors for the acclamation First of three candidates for area council to speak Dick a member of the present township council said he Is mainly con cerned with the possibility of the new 13 man area council becoming remote from the people and the chance the area council will lose controls of planning To avoid the first potential a plan of its own and that the area plan which would eventually be an Incorpora tion of the Acton Georgetown and Esquesing plans would have to fit into that lar plan Presents record Second candidate for area council George Maltby also an incumbent In preferred to stand on his re- EMPTY CHAIRS filled the Stewarttown school auditorium Monday night as less than Ward ratepayers showed up for a Meet the problem he suggested the cord as a councillor during new council retain the system the past year He told the of allowing deputations to meeting he has already en- attend regular meetings one 70 meetings this year and that is presently practiced in has made arrangements with The council his employers to spend should also continue to make necessary time under In- citizen appointments to plan- creased workload conditions ning board and the land at area council level committee be said He explained he had said the new council vised residents last Canutes A in George- town was also poorly attended explained that In- well pollution problem Gibbons photo new Region have vice that was finally accepted when a deputation council lost wees He said he welcome a lar petition from Glen Wil liams where he claimed some water problem does exist Maltby expressed concern about the cost of the new reg lonal policing system but said he had learned from speaking to many ratepayers that they would not object to a slight mill rate Increase If the money were spent on a responsible road improve ment program In town ship He expressed confidence about his capabilities to deal with as well Former Esquesing Deputy reeve Russell Miller the third area council candidate to speak said he Is running mainly because of his interest in tne community and township He said he hopes to be able to do something about costs which he claims will rise un der regional government Miller said he feels his experience serving on county council will be an aid to him if be Is elected to the area council He also referred to his participation in local sports and church organlza supporting his com interest claim Mayoralty runners Among the four mayoralty candidates Reeve Tom Hill spoke first telling the audience they should look at the new form of govern ment as a means to use their numbers to gain more influ ence at Queen Park He said town ship is in good shape finan cially on the advent of reg lonal government with assets capital reserve fund be ing used to offset an over spent roads budget Hill said he hoped the re cently approved official plan will help maintain ing s rural character while allowing for some industrial expansion to provide job opportunities for local resi dents at the same time He promised to attack the job of mayor with determina tion and said he has arranged for up to four years leave of absence from his employers to serve full time Second mayoralty date to the microphone Georgetown Councillor BUI Hunter recalled his municipal government experience serving 12 years on council nine of them also on county council He was Halton County Warden in 1968 During that tune he ex plained be sat on every county council committee and also took part In early regional government dis cussions He predicted it will take at least a year for a plan for the Region to be formed and said he think there will be much change in planning in Ihe area before then Hunter said he has always supported active sports pro grams which benefit personal development and promised he will be a full time mayor available to the people and their needs if elected Georgetown Councillor Phil Siddall third mayoralty speaker expressed the opin ion local government should become more businesslike without becoming bureau cratlc Council should not be doing the work of the staff and when the work t being dene the staff should under stand that such a situation cannot be tolerated by the taxpayer he said He said be will propose to tne other municipalities and to Queens Park that taxes be frozen for senior citizens for as long as they remain In their homes This would give dignity to the very people who worked to give us the pros perity we enjoy today Ceatfened m Page