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The Acton Free Press Wednesday Jan 1978 The years cheers Herewith a New Year look back over and all the people who helped things happen here in Acton and district A few cheers A few boos Boo boo First the bad news Boos Boos to the people who think the only place to shop is town Look in our shops again they are improving and increasing Boo to the fire hall town hall complex which has spoiled both buildings The hasty project has defaced the town hall our only historic public building And the firefighters deserve a more building with ample parking Boo to those who say there nothing to do in Acton Boo to McKeough who permits reviews of regional government in other places but not here Yet Cheers to his own staff m Toronto who for Christmas presented him with a figurine of a downhill skier labelled Regional government downhill all the way Boo to who don do anything about it How about a Letter to the Editor at least Hurrah hurrah Cheers for the new Business Improvement Area whose mem are finding it s the best way to get things done Alt the ting merchants have one voice Cheers for the attractive new sidewalks and the schedule of downtown improvements which promises more attractive and welcoming features to come Cheers for the planned Leather Theme which can mean a lot to our town once it gets going We could be famous yet Cheers for the Business Associa whose members are banding together to promote their stores with block advertising flyers and the happy Back to Acton Days Cheers for the Meals on Wheels which are delivered to as many as IS people now Cheers for the recipients who are taking part in a new venture They pay for the meals themselves and the vol unteers look after delivery Cheers for the Community Services Centre and coordinator Terry Grubbe who added the Meals on Wheels to their list of services Cheers for the agencies doctors lawyers nurses and such who work out of this new office and to the people who find benefit there Cheers for Dr Buchanan s gift to the town the memorial chapel in the cemetery Cheers for our protectors the police Let shave more of them out walking along the streets with us Cheers for the staffs of the schools which saw so many great changes this past year And cheers to the students who adapted to the changes by dressing up for their new quarters Special cheers for high school boys in suits Cheers for the Shoemakers who again this year helped so many families through their most dif Cheers for the churches there and ready to strengthen anyone Cheers for the library staff ensconced in their cosy welcoming building across the pretty bridge Cheers to Ron Waples who won more than 300 races and million dollars in purses on Canadian tracks in Cheers for animals and very little children who can be counted on to give us a laugh Cheers for the craftspeople increasing in number who fashion unique articles right at home Cheers for Clarke whose idea of compiling a list of French speaking residents to aid travellers has caught on A friend of hers heard it mentioned while listening to a broadcast in Vermont recently Cheers for clergymen doctors dentists nurses and chiropractors who have our Interests at heart A new start God bless thy year Thy coming in thy going out Toy rest thy travelling about The rough the smooth The bright the drear God bless thy year Old English Blessing Cheers for the leaders of youth groups and teams and for all the people who let themselves be elected president of anything at all You do your bit and let yourselves in for the usual criticism Cheers for the super recreation facilities in town and the people who operate them Cheers for all the special interest courses run by the recreation department board of education and the and even through craft shops All these things make life more interesting and enjoyable Cheers for our post office staff OUR mail gets through Let blame all those hold on Tor onto Cheers for the Town Hall Restoration committee who got organized backed by 2 names on signatures and were baffled by the lack of cooperation from council May they find a solution to the problem and save our town only his tone public building Cheers for the Actomans for Action committee who heard so many words of complaint about regional government and decided to do something about it Theirpeti with 2 names for a review of regional government was rejected by Ontario treasurer Darcy They 11 not quit Cheers for the works depart who are out at all hours plowing sanding and making repiirs Cheers for the Citizen of the Year and the people who received other special awards of the Queen s Jubilee medals Mick Holmes and Edith Hilf man Cheers for the young people organizing the Coffee House Cheers for high school glass collectors recycling is coming Cheers for Acton s Citizens Band an outstandingly fine group of musicians Cheers for the church organists and all the people who like to sing Cheers for the disc jockeys and local dance bands who liven the winter evenings Cheers to the Queen who celebrated her Jubilee so royally Cheers for our councillors and school board trustee who spend so many hours representing us in important places Cheers for all the people on the street who say Nice Day when ever the sun shines Cheers for the people who feed the ducks If we have a bird sane tuary we must tend it Cheers to all the doers rather than Even when they re wrong Cheers to our advertisers and readers who make the Free Press possible every week of the year In Buenos Aires office workers start the new year by tossing moun tains of paper out the windows onto the streets below It the tradi tiona way of clearing their desks that a good idea Barbed wire could not keep out snow Sugar and Spice by bill smiley Do gel little llrcd of the ton h od rnsoccty in which alter you step s on somebody toes no matter ho color creed or About the only aria n which one may chance a remark without ear of re and sex It s extremely If cult to nfllct even a on a an list hive a ego tl ft and he quickly acquire I logo with It to of both side of Ihc once an 1 a n II In Id fences ad net material there don t seem to be any 1 mils any more what can be said presented or mulatcd Movies and club us over the head raw ell shed sex or seek to 1 llale the spook each of us with ghly emboli shed freaky until the whole once ting subject has become a trash bore idtfron sex a thin sea rely an aspect of the human scene where angels or lo tread lest thoy step so s is I ties jokes arc Is beautiful is Rhodesia is rotten poor people or nobl than rich people gay go fi and the only real sin to be old Lord that wi ever go back to days when a was a in or a a black person was a nigger an Ital an was a wop a Ch was and so on We need some politicians with guts who don t give a diddle Tor the popularity polls and who would give us the facts of life without any sugar coating We an developing into a society with a sh sort of reverse prejudice In which everybody Is leaning over backwards in order to appear not even to be breathing on anyone else As a result we are losing much of that good old Canadian crustiness and turning Into a nation of nice nellies whose mouths margarine t melt our a reflect Ihis trend in our With few exceptions our news papers arc as bland as mange The Idlers to the editor have more bile and arc often better written than our editorials Our magazines are cither liberal narrowly nationalistic or both Tied in light bundles they make better firewood than they do reading natter Television and radio news reporting most of it culled from the late editions of newspapers is incredibly unimaginative and repetitious TV programs on the whole arc pure pap offensive by being so Public figures arc so frightened of of fending somebody or los a few votes that the public utterances come out as mush wrapped in What Ihis country and this society need is a good dash of cold water from some where to wake us from our mind numbing paralyzing We need a Bob Edwards or a O to jolt us with some honest vituperation some colorful some hard facts and some common sense We need some educators with backbone to tell the people who claim that Huckle berry Finn is racist and The Merchant of Venice is Semitic and Catch 22 Is dirty and The Diviners is disgusting to go fly a kite We need about fewer smart ass commentators on what is wrong th this country and a few hundred honest men or women to tell us what Is right with it We need far fewer reasonable people and a heck of a lot more unreasonable people who would refuse to accept some thing just because it s always been done that way someone might be upset If things were changed We need some thundering editorials some pulpits some stiff jail sentences for racism places We certainly don need a good war or a good depression to make Canadians stop whining and bitching and mealy mouthing and we certainly need a good something to turn us back into the sturdy Individualistic people we used to be I haven t the answers I no prophet But I sick to the ears of a society that thinks old people are a nuisance young people are never a nuisance super markets are sexy social workers can make miracles and everybody is as good as everybody else If you agree with me to some extent you would enjoy reading The Golden Age of B S by Fred Dobbs Its rambling and it coarse in spots but it right on THIS PULLED OFF the highway through for a snow job sometime ago THE ACTON FREE PRESS PHONE 2010 Bus and Editorial Off Found in WJkJw Second Mi Copyright 1978 Back issues 10 years ago Taken from the Issue of the Acton Free Press Januarys Bill Sheppard who has retired from the town was a special guest at the works department Christmas get together at the pump house Mr Sheppard began work with the town crew in 1956 He was presented with a wallet on retirement and other mementos by Mayor Les clerk administrator Jack McGeachie superin tendent and councillor Bob Drink waiter Acton Parks and Recreation committee plagued by a sick refrigeration plant at the community centre decided to go for the bundle and order a new compressor to replace the existing one at a special meet of the twin ha tted board last Wednesday night Telephone workmen removed two telephones from the C N R station in Acton last week the final link agent C perry has with the outside world of business and com merce Cyril Bishop last year vicechairman was named public school board rman for 1968 at the board inaugural meeting Tuesday evening in the Robert Hie school staff room Vic Brlstow was named vice- chairman A farewell to Christmas New Year sand even to the whole year long centennial celebrations will be said around a blazing fire this Saturday evening January Occasion the annual Chamber of Com Christmas tree burning and mayor Lea is all set to 1 ght the fire at 30 20 years ago Taken from an issue of the Free Press of Thursday Januarys 1958 arrived in Acton with the traditional horn tooting and celebrating In various sections of town but fortunately without an accident Acton baby of the New Year is Peter Jeffcry He was born at on January 1 at Guelph General Aclons 1958 council had their inaugural meeting on Monday January at the council chambers Members are Coun cillors V Bar beau Reeve J Greer Councillor J Clerk J Councillor J Councillor J Hurst E and Councillor B Over 100 Scouts Guides Cubs and Brownies with the r leaders gathered in the Parish Hall recently to watch films on Life Saving Water Safety and Artificial Respiration sponsored by the St John Ambulance Brigade Acton Division Town workmen made a special on Friday January 3 to pick up Christmas trees Town foreman A Kirkness an nounced this week about only half the amount of trees used Acton this had been put out for pickup During the holiday season Carmen passed his swimming test at the Guelph pool and received his star certificate and Paul received his first and second Greenock Women Institute toured the plant of the Acton Free Press on Wed afternoon to view the operation the local plant G A Dills editor inchief of the Dills Printing and Publishing Company con ducted the ladies on the tour explaining the various machines and their purpose 50 years ago Taken from the Issue of the Acton Free Press of Thursday Januarys township elections reeve Thomas Leslie deputy reeve M J Carton council George Cleave W G Appleby and George Curry reeve council L Crawford G Lamb Near W King Tom Troop was the lucky inner of the 12 pound candy cane In Wiles window Master Jack Blow fell and struck his head and for several days lay in a semiconscious state On Friday the little lad took a turn for the belter The demand for the products of Mason Knitting plant has so Increased that it must be operated all year now The short course in Farm Mechanics is being held at the town hall 100 years ago Taken from the Issue of the Free Press Thursday Januarys An Inquest was Crewson Corners on Thursday December by Dr Freeman of Georgetown over the body of the man who was killed on the track the previous night A jury was empanelled and inquired but could not come to anything definite as to the name or where be was from The back of his skull was crushed in which coupled with the fact that his hat was found on the track led the jury to conclude that he had been struck by a passing train and thrown into the culvert The Jury therefore returned the verdict to that effect The remains of the deceased were Interred in the cemetery In Corners after the Inquest Lee dentist in town for two weeks All requiring first class dentistry should call at English Church PAR SONAGE Be sure and poll your vote next Monday for the men you think will do the moat for the advancement of he village On Sunday last the ministers of the several churches referred to the fact that the old year was near closing and pressed on the hearers the necessity of aiming over a new leaf with the New Year