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Newtonville Alive Newtonville's own Olympian Silvia Ruegger 1 Canadians are indeed proud of all athletes representing our .country in the Olympics. It is our chance to stand tall and be counted. Every single one of the athletes who travels to the Olympic Games, is a true torch bearer for Canada - to be supported, praised, honoured and cheered, whether they bring home a medal or not. In the vast lands of Canada, what an accomplishment. accomplishment. The 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul are over. To many, with relief. The obvious damper of these games unfortunately was the publicity surrounding Ben Johnson. The whole episode blown so out of proportion, it caused a dimmer spotlight on other Canadian athletes and medal winners. It is extremely difficult to form an objective opinion when it comes to Ben Johnson. How can we possibly pass judgement or condemn condemn this man solely on media hype? As we know once an athlete reaches the esteemed Olympic plateau his life changes. There are million dollar endorsements. International International exposure and the twenty four hour book life style that goes along with it. Some become living folk heroes idolized by • school children and adults alike. Who knows what effect all this will have on an athlete. On any public figure for that matter? Some will inevitably lose sight of personal goals and succombeto pressures from everywhere. No one can predict how they would react or how severe the toll. Well, my feeling was to have a tete a tete with former Olympic marathoner Silvia Ruegger of Newtonville. I caught,up with Silvia in between her morning and afternoon afternoon training runs. Miss Ruegger does not know Ben by Peggy Mullan Johnson that well, but alot better than you and I. Silvia ran the 1984 Olympic Games marathon in Los Angeles, coming in a marvelous eighth place. Ben was a proud Bronze medalist giving a tremendous amount of enthusiasm enthusiasm and team spirit to his fellow Canadians at Olympic Village. "Ben is a regular guy." Very quiet, yet pleasant and unassuming," says Silvia. "He's friendly and never ever seemed boastful. A pleasure to know." "My first and most powerful thought after hearing about Ben was a feeling of sadness and hurt for him. He is a great competitor. His feelings had to be of tremendous tremendous shame." Silvia continued, "The other Olympic athletes, particularly Ben's relay teammates will find it terribly hard to get "up". Losing the cornerstone cornerstone and biggest hope was a hard blow to take." "Canadians have always loved Ben and his story. The poor, skinny Jamaican immigrant who came to Canada, made his way up the athletic ladder and won a birth in the last two Olympics for Canada," She frowns, "It really bothers me to think that now that Ben is on the attack, attack, making a mistake, getting caught or whether he was an unfortunate unfortunate victim, many are saying Ben Johnson now is not a Canadian. He is a sorry, uneducated Jamaican who has brought a drug problem to Canada. Shame on those people." "Steroids" - Silvia adds, "I get tired of hearing how Canadians as a country honestly believe steroids only exist in Russia and elsewhere. How naive can you get! I do know one thing for sure. If there were traces of steroids in Ben's tests someone else was involved involved - his doctor, trainer or coach most likely. I hope the investigation, investigation, as called up by Ben himself continues. AH parties involved should be revealed and get what's coming to them." Sincere thanks to Silvia Ruegger for sharing her time and sentiments with us. Let's not slap a hasty guilty verdict verdict on Ben Johnson, closing our hearts and every door to him. Maybe just maybe he did'riot knowing knowing take the steroids...., ' I would like to see Ben Johnson come out of the closet, stand tall in front of Cahada again and come out a better Canadian because of or despite this unfortunate chapter in his life. Kay Pickard and Midge Rafton Geneologicaf Society, of the Whitby/Oshawa , Under gorgeous lnn >' skies '|> e . lovely grounds of tt> e Newtonv.lle Lakeview Cemetery made for a pleasant setting for ,lie members of the Whitby/Oshawa Branch of the Geneological Soci^A' as t^ey undertook tasks °f cemetery records recording. The Ontario Geneological Society has 27 Branches throughout On tario, gathering information and records from monuments and headstones in all cemeteries. Some are so old that shovels and picks have to be used to clear away dirt and grass so that details are as legible legible as possible. Kay Pickard who has been secretary and co-ordinator of this chapter said it is very interesting work. All information is recorded then double checked, then typed, indexed and double checked again. A copy then is forwarded to the Ontario Geneological Society and to the National Archives in Ottawa. The compiled information is made available to the Society's 400 plus members, some in the U.S.A., Great Britain and other overseas countries. It has been proven invaluable invaluable in tracing ancestry or family family trees. The Ontario, and the Whitby/Oshawa Whitby/Oshawa Geneological Society Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, October 5, 1988-5 Santa looks are non-profit organizations and welcome any - interested parties wishing to volunteer. Mrs. Pickard welcomes everyone to come out to a special Information and Display area scheduled October 13-15 at the Oshawa Centre, or to call her at Wilmot Creek, 623-4978. It was indeed a pleasure ladies. Thank you! Little Scoops - Wonderful, wonderful news! A "tot parkette" is coming to Newtonville sooner than you realize. The Town of Newcastle has officially purchased suitable land now designated for a parkette. It is located across the street from the Grist Mill, on Mill Street. Newtonville has been quietly growing. It is exciting even for those without little tots to have our own play area in Newtonville. Definitely a positive boost! - Thanksgiving. One of the most special times of the year, is about to descent upon us. I hope you and your family enjoy all your very own special traditions, and the warm wonderful feelings inside inside that seem a little more prevelant as we take time to count our many blessings. Have a Happy, Happy Thanksgiving! for helpers at workshop Santa Claus is looking for talented exhibitors for his Santa's Workshop at the Jubilee Pavilion Sunday, November 20. Santa's Workshop is Information Oshawa's annual arts and craft show. "Tables are still available and exhibitors are welcome," said Sue Posteraro, Chairman of Information Information i Oshawa's Santa's Workshop: Committee. "We are looking fof quality arts and crafts and encourage interested artisans to forward a photo of their work when requesting|an application. The cost to exhibit in the show is $30.00 fori the space, l table and 2 chairs. Registration applications are available at Information Oshawa 434-4636. | Can you get AIDS from sharing a needle w hile doing drugs? YES! Get the facts. Let's Talk. Call the Ontario Ministry of Health AIDS Hotline l-800-668-AIDS it will be easier for you to sub-contract on major government purchases, we're setting up a contract information centre and improving our publications so you'll have more and better information to work with. We are making it easier for you to do business with us. In July we announced Access Small > Business - a series of measures to ensure that our procurement systëm is as open and fair as possible. Under Access Small Business: e you'll have more chances to bid for . contracts with our improved bid rotation system. • we're putting small business advocates in key areas of our organization tô work-direçtly for you and with you. , Canada Supply and Services Canada The Hon. Çtto Jelinek Minister Approvisionnements et Services Canada L'hon. Otto Jelinek Ministre For more information on Access Small Business call or visit your nearest Supply and Services Canada office. Our number is Iri the blue pages of thé phone book. t.