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2 - Qrona Wgekty timfes, Wednesday, January 5. 2000 ) Weekly Times Serving East Clorington and beyond since 1937 Subscriptions $23.36 + $1.64 G.S.T. = $25.00/y.ear Publications Mail Registration No. 09301 Publishing 50 Issues Annually at the Office of Publication 5310 Main Street, P.6. Box 209, Orono, Ontario LOB 1M0 E-Mail Address: oronotimes@speediine.ca Phone/Fax (905) 983-5301 Publishér/Editor Marg Zwart Who looks after Clarke? By: John Thomson Despite all of the media millennium madness, Happy New Year and may all of you have a peaceful and bountiful 2000. As we, the residents of Clarington, look forward to this, the last year of the 20th century and the second millennium AD, we face the possibility of great change and a municipal election. Talk of municipal reorganization abounds. While some politicians act like it's not going to happen, others are daydreaming of Hwy #115 being a boundary in some new political morph. Municipal reorganization in our area will happen and happen soon, and whatever this new combination turns out to be, it could be as wrongheaded and expensive for us, as the last reorganization, if the former Clarke Township and the village of Orono are forced into a relationship with whatever political entity is the flavour of the day. The former County of Durham is a good model for any new or refurbished amalgamation. The County stretched from the eastern shore of Lake Scugog in the West and included six similar and vibrant townships: Darlington, Cartwright, Cavan, Clarke, Hope and Manvers. Manvers is a good example and a good comparison with Clarke. It's a volun'tçer based community operating on approximately a $4 Vi million dollar annual budget with a mix of full and part time staff administering the township from Bethany. The residents of Manvers pay lower taxes than we do, and receive basically the same services as Clarke receives from Clarington, and who knows how much we contribute in tax dollars to Clarington. From where 1 sit, any dollars over $4 Vi million is a subsidy to the rest of Clarington. How much have we contributed over the past 25 years, and mlist it continue? The Durham County model would be a good one fo(r us to return to. The amalgamation of Clarke, Darlington and the village of Newcastle 25 years ago has resulted in the residents of Clarke subsidizing subsidizing a new Recreation Centre in Courtice, a new and recently added to arena, additional and expanding municipal facilities, and a new soon-to-be built replacement library, all in Bowmanville. The list could go on and on. Since the amalgamation of Clarke and Darlington, the only municipally supported new construction in all of Clarke Township has been the new Fire Hall in Orono. .Orono and Clarke Township was been built by volunteers. The Orono Amateur Athletic Association expansion of its Arena is testament testament to that, the fundraising continues and will be successful! ! When all the politicians sit down to divvy "up the pie, who will look after Clarke and Orono? I don't think we want to be part of • Oshawa. We have subsidized Bowmanville for years. I don't think Oshawa'will be any cheaper. ' I hope the residents of Orono and Clarke Township get back control of their municipal finances. If saving money, being more efficient, and responding to community needs are the desired goals of any municipal reorganization, give the responsibility to the residents residents of Clarke Township. The people of this"community have been doing the work and raising any needed funds for over 150 years. We' know how to do it. Let' us get on with the job. The word at Clarington public libraries Friends of the Clarington Public Library The next meeting will be Tuesday, January 11th, 6:30 p.m. at the Bowmanville Branch. Children's Programs in January Babytime - Wednesday, • from January 12 - February 2, 10:30 a.m. - Bowmanville Branch Tales for Twos Tuesdays, from January 18 February 8, 10:30 a.m. Courtice Branch Preschool Storytime Thursday, from January 20 February 24, 10:30 a.m. Newcastle Village Branch RECYCLE Out of Africa Aubrey arid Koren Kassirer came to Orono this past summer, summer, Aubrey to practice medicine, medicine, and Koren to open an Art School on the Main St. When the couple arrived, they knew their first stay here would be a short one, because they had made arrangements to spend time in Africa this winter. Their purpose for going to Africa was twofold. Aubrey will be volunteering volunteering some of his time at the Howard Hospital in Zimbabwe, working among other tasks, on an AIDS study, and Koren will be teaching English to school children. They also plan to take in much of the vast natural beauty of that country. Koren and Aubrey keenly felt the support of this community community when they held a toy and crafb supply drive for the children children at the hospital in Zimbabwe. They have kindly agreed to send news of their adventures when possible. Here then is part one of 'Out of Africa' : The Arrival Jet lag is not a real problem when you are busy trying to find the eighty percent of your luggage luggage that didn't make the flight as expected. In Zimbabwe (Shona for huge stone house), this is no surprise and allows the customs officers more opportunity opportunity to search your bags. Perhaps the guard wanted a bribe, but we stuck to our truthful truthful innocence and he let us alone. Trust is fragile, easily lost and not easily gained under nor- Aubrey and Koren Kassirer mal conditions. But as a backpacker backpacker you have to trust instinct, blurred by cultural differences, differences, and then put your trust in the universe. Bags can not be carted around everywhere. When your entire life for four months is in a single (albeit large) bag, it takes a leap of trust to leave, that bag unsupervised in order to enjoy the surroundings. surroundings. Personal space is often taken for granted and should be invaded invaded occasionally to better appreciate appreciate its presence, as can be accomplished on public buses in Africa. Everyone should take the bus from Harare to Bulawayo, six hours of beautiful beautiful natural green Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) between the two largest cities. The world races - by at 120 km/h, interspersed interspersed with several isolated village stops and a few distinct larger centres, and gives contrast contrast to the urban sprawl of Canada (at least as it appears around Toronto). Bump after bump, it seemed impossible to sleep, although one of the people beside us on the back seat managed to use a shoulder as a pillow. Over the course of the lengthy ride, our seatmates included a woman carrying a television, a man holding a stereo, and a breastfeeding breastfeeding mother. The bus provided several interesting experiences and observations. Nearly eveiyone smokes in Africa: in the airport, in the car, in the restaurant, but thankfully not in the bus. Eggs sold by the side of the road to passengers trapped on a bus are^not likely to be raw. Roasted corn sold through a bus window tastes like soft popcorn popcorn but takes an hour to eat. When hot and sweaty and confined to a small space, people people smell. Everyone was very pleasant, but as the only white people on the bus, there was some irony in being seated at the back. Today we drove to a National Game Reserve and observed a warthog family eat- 1 ing grass, oblivious to our presence. presence. Zebra raced across our path. Rhinocerus grazed in the distance. We stared out over a prehistoric lake. And as we raced to leave the park before the gate closed, our car sputtering sputtering up the hills, a giraffe blocked the roadway before us but moved before being photographed. photographed. It is starting to make sense that this is Africa. IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE IN THE ORONO WEEKLY TIMES 983-5301 50METVIN65 DON'T OWKsE... UR.PUDB/W ?! YOU PE UtmkiN6 AMJND Votre Sick IMMteE... TOfâlÀN tlvliuhurii|(u)avLc.vm