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Africa is destination of cultural exchange A yearold Acton area man Is leaving for a threemonth stay in Africa this week Neil McMillan an Acton High School graduate is travelling to Cameroon a country he says the sue otthe Yukon located beside Nigeria It has a population of six million Its capital has 150 people but McMillan says he Is arriving In the large port It s all part of cross cultural project called Can Crossroads International a federal program that sends volunteers to developing countries and brings about to Canada for a four to six month stay Volunteers work at teaching health care or other areas of their expertise There is no salary but room McMillan belongs to the Guelph commit tec of the Canadian Crossroads He says there are local committees across the country but Guelph is one of the largest this year Local committees are responsible tor raising funds for the project and tending volunteers McMillan said his funds came from selling care packages to university students In residence as well as a contribution ram the Acton Lions Club Funds also come from the Canadian International Development Agency a federal foreign aid program fund raising drives private donations and bingo games McMillan had to raise another on his own through his work as a carpenter He took a year off from his university studies to apply for the project He said he became interested in Canadian Crossroads after applying for Canada World Youth project He was too old for that how ever and they directed him towards Crossroads McMillan said he not sure what his job will be when he reaches Cameroon but he has spent the last five months preparing for the trip His application was accepted in January and since then ho has been Betting shots for hepatitis yellow ever typhoid polio boosters and tetanus The series of typhoid shots he added was the most painful McMillan said he has also been reading up on Cameroon He found Its mainly an agricultural country producing coco cotton coffee and some oil It not an Industrialized country he said but does have a Hilton hotel It was divided as early as two decades ego as colonies of both tain and France Consequently said McMillan they speak both French and English as well as five Afri can languages and buffer from simitar language problems as Canada except in reverse In Cam croon the majority are French McMillan attended an orientation program sored by Crossroads in January There dis cussed third world issues and tried to prepare for the cultural shock with some games For instance says McMillan thiy played role games where one person would portray a village chief while another tried to explain through an interpreter his job McMillan also spoke with a Cross roader who taught English In Cameroon In order to learn what to expect And what does he A whole different lifestyle he says after much thought A different climate near the equator and a sub standard lifestyle although it be like at In the cities McMillan will be working in village again he not sure where and although there will be two other In Cameroon he will be isolated He left Acton Sunday for a twoday briefing In ton with other Croasroaders departing in May the program executive and Incoming volunteers from the third world Last night Tuesday he took off from Toronto International Airport headed for Brussels in Bel via Montreal After a days stay there he will continue on to Doula McMillan said when he arrives a native of Cam croon working with Crossroads will meet him at the airport and help him an his way to whatever village McMillan is headed to McMillan said he hoped to be working either in journalism which he studied Carleton University or agriculture He Is scheduled to return in August but says he is thinking of travelling through Europe before com ing back to Acton Once back McMillan he will work for Cross roads The major activity for Crossroadcrs here is developmental education teaching third world issues and producing a national magazine called Crossworld The whole idea of the program said McMillan is to increase public awareness of third world is sues Issues don t abound Cameroon admits McMillan but the third world has always interested him I looking forward to it he said It be nice and warm there McMillan will keep readers of the Acton Free Press posted on his adventures In Africa with reports mailed from in croon via France hopefully he says and adds the mail system even less efficient than in Canada An Inland Community Newspaper One Hundred and Sixth Year No ACTON ONTARIO WEDNESDAY Twenty Pages TwentyJive Cents Restoration committee will tell town Repair town hall exterior need study of structure The exterior of the Acton town hall should be repaired and the building saved for its historical significance the restora committee concluded Thursday The restoration committee decided the exterioL5hould up withjhfcjn tenor restored over a period of years at a meeting with town staff at Trinity United Church Actario hosts public meeting Actario organizers will host a meeting at Middle School next Tuesday night to seek public input on how the draw should operate in its second year Earlier this month the committee decided to keep the draw going second year The bulk of proceeds from next year lottery will still go toward restoration of the Acton town hall Ted Tyler said the May meeting beginning at p will deal with how the draw will continue Among the topics of discussion will be rule changes for the lottery prices and prizes how revenues will be divided up local lions selling tickets commission when the next series of will go on sale and when the first draw will be held Representatives of all service clubs and local organizations ticket holders and the general public ore invited to attend the meeting Over tickets out of 1 were purchased for this first year of draws and Actano has turn a profit of There are weekly draws for monthly trip draws and weekly draws for merchant bonus prizes which can only be won by those who attend the draw The current year lottery ends with the start of September Tickets cost for the year The committee also decided a struc tural engineering study is needed to determine how much restoration of the extenor will cost They 11 go to council next month with the money the committee and Actario has raised hopefully they re about 5 short of that mark now and urge the building be saved There are numerous questions surrounding the town hall restoration protect because of problems with provincial grants and escalated costs Committee members George Elliott Alice Doug Louis Charlebols and Bert Davidson reviewed the town hall issue with Halton Hills councillor Terry and recreation department officials Tom and Joy A restoration study carried out in was up dated In and pegged costs at who Is a local contractor has estimated restoration would now cost said the committee should go after restor ing the exterior of the building and show the com something is being done Then the Interior could be restored in future years and fund raising continue The exterior of the building could bo restored for about onequarter of the money he estimated total restoration will coat 375 The exterior could be repaired except for the tower and further deterioration prevented for a reasonable amount of money If we get something going then I think peo ple will start going full tilt on fund raising suggested a lot could be done on the exterior for just the money which has been raised by and the restoration committee and the municipality without any grants felt some grant money will still be forthcoming just not as much as originally expected and certainly not enough to cover escalated cost or complete restoration said he doesn think the structural engineering study will cost much and Shepard will contact some firms for the committee to get quotes Shepard observed grants applications when sub mitted a year ago set restoration costs at including equipping the building and leaving soi room for Inflation He said the committee needed to establish why wants the building saved to give Acton a centre or as an historical building The exterior of the building could be restored a town could attach an easement changes to the outside of the town hall and then it if the committee only wanted it saved Shepard explained this Is being done with the Milton town hall which his received hefty provincial heritage grant funds Several committee members noted the town hall can be functional as well as an historical building Mrs observed Acton needs more of a community centre than just a building which Is a rink with a room added on and Charlebois said the town hall con be a focus The 1977 study suggested the building could be us for a senior citizens dropin Chamber of Com office and rooms for other service groups Continued on page 1 inside An official opening of the Elizabeth Dr senior citizens apartments is planned for next month A Day Care Centre will open In Acton August Details on page 2 Tho region might supply Halton Hills with mosquito spray Sec page 5 Very carefully Acton High School student Paul Moore learns the ropes and steps of rock climbing at Rat Point He and other members of Paul immersion course are preparing for a twoweek voyagcur trip that will take them Into northern Ontario In June The students supervision made their way up the 75foot high cliff and later made a deuce Photo by Major Beardmore study of chemical waste runoff The Ontario Agricultural Museum opened for the season recently Here oar guide Celeste Brush waits for a ride In the three seat democrat parked In front of the Lucas homestead Located next to Kelso the Agricultural Museum features buildings and artifacts photo courtesy The Milton Champion will undertake a major study for the balance of this year to determine the environmental impact of chemical waste disposal runoffs both on the firm land and off the site The tannery agreed to carry out the study follow a recent meeting with Ontario Ministry of Environment officials Beardmore was one of 11 Industrial waste dls sites identified as having chemical waste runoff problems by a consultant for the who studied potential problem sites lest October The local firm named as one of the problem sites In February A meeting between and ministry of was held on May 11 ministry spokesman Darryle Hogg sold in an interview this week He said Beardmore has decided to go ahead with tho province a recommendation of a study to Idcn if there ore problems in the ground water and Black Creek surface water near their disposal site The study will assess the Impact of the move ment of runoff determine where the runoff Is get tingintothocnvlronmcnt going Into surface and ground water and examine surface water chemistry Hogg said the firm expects to have study results by end of the year and meetings between more and ministry officials will continue What tion will be taken will be determined after the study results have been reviewed The study will deter of Ihe runoff The consultant s report was only a preliminary study ft only established which sites were concerns This indepth study will determine Ministry officials have repeatedly emphasized there la no health hazard posed by the runoff Right from the start and Its parent company Canada Packers pledged complete operation with the ministry and through a series of meetings that has been the ease Already the firm taken steps without know tho magnitude of the problem to start remedy Ing runoffs In March Beardmore started on site ground water and surface stream monitoring and undertook a water conservation program By reducing the amount of water used In the industrial processes Beardmore hopes to reduce waste water volumes In addition the firm is Instituting in plant changes to minimize chloride levels See story and photo on Page