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■PÇktT ' , j SECTION TWO Wednesday, February 24,1993 We Asked and You Said 2 Page from the Past 3 Community Correspondence 5-8 More Than 100 Supporters Take Part in Big Brothers Bowl-a-thon Jeff Ploeger (above) was one of the 112 bowlers who helped make The Lions Golden Age Ladies' Team were the winners in their this year s Big Brothers Bowl-a-thon a great success. Organizers es; match up Saturday at the annual bowling fund-raiser. From left to Matthieu and his Big Brother, Gary Timmerman, had a great time timatc that proceeds collected from sponsors as of Saturday are al- right (back row) are: Isabel Hamm, Blanche Jones, Tom Gatchell participating in the big bowling extravaganza on the weekend. Both most half of the agency's $13,000 goal. More donations are expected (Chairman of the Bowl for Millions for Big Brothers), and Val Mill- of them chalked up very respectable scores. The two have been to come in from youth bowling events. er. In the front arc Leona Wilson, Peggy Millson, and Oily Dzugan. Brothers for three months and enjoy all sorts of spoils together. Durham Region residents of Irish descent are united in their views concerning the preservation of mass graves near Quebec City where many of their ancestors arc buried. They arc strongly opposed to the plans introduced by consultants which would turn the Grosse Ile into a kind of historic "theme park." Grosse Ile is a three-mile long island island about 50 miles from Quebec City. It served, for many years, as a station which accepted new immigrants immigrants to Canada. : At Grasse lie quarantine facilities, facilities, many newcomers to Canada cither cither recovered from illnesses sustained sustained in the journey across the Atlantic or died and were buried in the nearby cemeteries. ; Courticc resident Patrick While has been one of the Durham Region citizens working on the preservation ol the Irish graves through an ettort known as. Project Grosse Ile. Through a campaign of letter- writing, petitions, and postcards, Project Grosse Ile is attempting to ensure that the graves of between 12,000 and 15,000 Irish immigrants immigrants receive the dignity and respect respect they deserve. Mr. White begins his explanation of the Grosse Ile project by explaining explaining the history behind the Irish immigration. immigration. Between 1832 and 1860, there was massive immigration from Ireland. As many as 54,000 Irish came to Canada in 1847 alone. The exodus was, unfortunately, the result of grim conditions in Ireland. Ireland. The Potato Famine which gripped the country during much of this time killed an estimated 5 million. million. The potato was a staple food for the poor. And, without it, they perished. Mr. wmie anas tnat me iaminc was actually, preventable, ,sinc£. throughout the famine; Ireland was an exporter of meat to the British Empire. However, he believes the wealthy landlords preferred to have their estates cleared of people to make room for livestock. Therefore, not enough was done to help those who were starving. And, when Irish emigrants tried to escape the famine by travelling to Canada, they frequently fell victim to conditions as bad as those they faced at home. The ships used to transport the Irish immigrants were mostly lumber transports returning empty to Canada. People were used as "ballast," recalled Mr. White. Diseases, especially typhus, killed tens of thousands. Not surprisingly, at the height of the famine, these vessels which arrived at Quebec were referred to as "coffin ships." Many were buried at sea and thousands of others were buried al quarantine stations such as Grosse lie where the sick were taken from their ships and given rudimentary care' Canadians of Irish ancestry arc angered by the fact that a proposed concept for the development of Grosse Ile as a national park is intended intended to celebrate Canada as "A Land of Welcome and Hope." This, of course, is in stark contrast to the reality faced by those who arrived at Grosse Ile between 1832 and 1847. Those who oppose the current plans for the development of the island island arc not against the idea of a national national park being located there. But, they insist that the site must show proper respect for the dead and must recognize the contribution made to Canadian society by men. and women of Irish descent. As Mr. "White puts it, "Nobody has paid a higher price to have a rightful place in this country." He estimates one in every five Canadians Canadians is of Irish descent. On a huge Celtic cross erected on die island in 1909, the dead arc honored honored in this inscription translated from the Irish. "Children of the Gael died in their thousands on this island, island, having fled from the laws of foreign tyrants and an artificial famine famine in the years 1847-1848. God's blessing on them. Let this monument monument be a token to their names and honor from the Gaels of America. God Save. Ireland." At the moment, it appears as though the opposition to Grosse He will succeed. Mr. White says a number of MPs arc already responding favorably to the petitions and mail they have received received from their constituents. However, opponents of the Grosse Ile development plans will continue to keep up the pressure until until they have successfully made their point. A hearing will take place this spring in Toronto on the Grosse Ile project and Mr. While will be among the. citizens of Irish descent presenting the case for a monument to the Irish dead. • Citizens arc urged to write their MP or other government leaders if they arc in agreement with the position position pul forward by Irish Canadians. Anyone wishing to sign a petition, petition, obtain post cards to send to Prime Minister Mulroncy or simply receive further details may call Mr. White at 728-9357. Copies of the document outlining proposals for Grosse Ile can be obtained obtained by calling Parks Canada at 1- 800-463-6769. Patrick While, a Courticc resident, examines some of Hie names on petitions opposing plans for Hie development of Grosse lie into a historic theme park. Grosse lie, located near Quebec City, contains Hie graves of upwards of 15,(XX) Irish immigrants who died from Illnesses Illnesses contracted during their trip across die Atlantic. Citizens of Irish descent are opposing current plans developed by a consultant to turn the island into a national historic site. Those who signed the tie- tition want to ensure that any national historic site al this location pays proper tribute to die Irish mass grave and also emphasizes die role played by die Irish in die building of Canada, The future of the park will lie discussed at an upcoming hearing in Toronto, at which time Mr. White plans to he among those presenting the case for greater recognition of the Irish graves. Community Service Order Program Presents Awards by Lorraine Manfredo The Lions Centre on Beech Avc. in Bowmanvillc was the scene for the Tenth Annual Appreciation Event of the Community Service Order Program Program on February 17th. There was a dinner served to thank those community agencies who had supervised clients (both adult and young offenders) over the past year. Representatives accepted certificates and letters on behalf of their organizations organizations in recognition of their contribution contribution to the program. Under the CSO's direction, community community groups offer placements for offenders to do community service work. The aim of the CSO is to provide worthwhile experience to the offender by focusing on the offender's skills and abilities and to facilitate participation participation of the community in the criminal justice system. The Town of Newcastle Community Community Service Order Program is it nonprofit nonprofit organization administered by a volunteer Board of Directors. It is jointly funded by the Ministry of Correctional Correctional Services and the Ministry of Community and Social Services. The niter-dinner speaker at the awards night was a founding member of the local CSO, Newcastle Mayor Diane Hnmre. The honored guest was Introduced by Brian Korb, CSO Board past-president. "Tills lady has spent innumerable hours in our community making it a better place to live," lie said. In iter remarks, the mayor praised all CSO supporters for their dedicated commitment to the community. The CSO's case load has jumped from just 10 a decade ago to 66 presently. presently. "It's amazing that in ten years it's come this far/' the mayor said. "This group hits done so much to help people re-establish themselves in the community and hopefttlly get on a new track in life." tal in establishing the CSO constitution, constitution, setting hiring policies and selling the idea to a somewhat hesitant community. community. From the start, Mayor Ilamrc has urged that the program should remain provincially funded and that the CSO board should avoid appealing to the municipality for financial support. Last year, however, a minimal municipal municipal grant was awarded to the group. "1 have serious concents when we start looking to the property taxpayer to pay for this program. What happens is that the province cases back and back on its own funding," she explained. explained. The community service placement is a provincial program, she stressed, and it saves the province a lot of money. money. Mayor Ilamrc cautioned that local taxpayers can't afford to lake over supporting the program. Mayor Ilamrc finished by saying she was privileged to have worker alongside a fantastic group of people who started with nothing except a Finn faith in what they were doing. The mayor was ably thanked on behalf of the CSO by vice-president Jim Wintonyk, after which the awards were distributed. In the Town of Newcastle the program program served 74 non-profit or tax- supported agencies in 1992, and there were over 4,150 client hours of community community service work completed. On February 17th, the Community Service Older Program honored several local agencies for their volvcmcnt in community corrections at the Tenth Annual Appreciation Event in Bowmanvillc. Awa were presented to thank the participating agencies for supervising offenders over the past year. Pos lor a photo before the awards presentation are (left to right): Brian Korb, past president; Joyce Grb, s ITMMIV N/lflvm* I Ilium Ilnmm imnnl nminliAMt 1 .... .11 1 i li ■«•• . ij' ' .. . .. , I,iv vvu iv ii^iiiy. mum mil if, pUSt pi"CS Mayor Hainre M been I, M " ) ' or Dlu "° 1 hlmlc ' « ueM 8 t** : n 4" « executive director! and Jim Wlnumyt, vice pre