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VIEWPOINT by John B. McClelland jm ANOTHER FIRST FOR THE CITIZEN Tuesday, April 26 was a somewhat significant milestone in the young life of the Scugog Citizen. On returning that morning to our Water Street office with a truck-load of newspapers, I noticed a large banner across the wall saying "Congratulations on the big 40," OK, who at the office is having a 40th birthday. Certainly not me, that occasion passed a long time ago. It was then brought to my attention . by the smiling people in the office that April 26 marked the first time the Scugog Citizen has been 40 pages. Some people may say "so what." But for this publication it is significant, an indication of the growth we have experienced since we started not quite three years ago. Keep in mind that at the beginning, we were publishing papers of 16 and 20 pages. Slowly, we were able to increase the size to 28 and 32 pages and several times to 36 pages. So, hitting "the big 40" was a milestone for the Scugog Citizen It took a concentrated and co-ordinated effort by everyone who works here | can assure you this effort by these incredibly dedicated people does not go un-noticed by the guy writing these hnes Working in an office of less than 900 square feet, space is at a premium, to say the least. And yes, there are times when we are tripping over each other It helps to have a sense of humour around here, and when the going gets real tough, somebody always finds a way to lighten the atmosphere The growth of the Citizen over the last three years has been steady That's the way it was planned Hitting that "big 40" on April 26 made us all feel pretty good. LALLY] I had the pleasure of attending the Association of Community Theatres Central Ontario (ACT-CO) awards recently, and once again, the theatre groups that perform in Scugog Township came away with several THEAs and several nominations for the coveted silver statuet. The people of Scugog and surrounding area who attend the dramas and musicals at the Town Hall 1873 are extremely fortunate to have such high quality entertainment in their own back yard. It is the kind of amateur theatrical entertainment not found in many other communities this size. Keep up the good work. And speaking of theatre, the Stables of Greystone Restaurant on the Shirley Road is offering dinner theatre this summer, every Tuesday evening from now til the end of August. Igs a new and exciting venture for of, of Greystone, something which has not (to my knowledge) been,- offered in Scugog before a To my mind, there is no reasth in the world why dinner theatre should not be a success: This community has a long history of strong support for the performing arts, and during the summer months, there are a lot of people who visit for a few days and longer And at $39 for a full dinner and 90 minutes of professional entertainment, it's a bargain This Tuesday (May 3) 1s opening night for Love Letters, the romantic comedy that will play each Tuesday through the summer Want more info, give Judy at call at Greystone at 985-1598 IN CLOSING: The first week in May is kind of special to me as the family will mark two events. Firstly, my son Matt turns 16 on May § Have a good one, Matt. The car keys? Forget it. Secondly, May 4 is an anniversary for Joan and myself--our 20th. Hard to believe that 20 years have gone by. Joan is a very special person to me and 1 want to say thanks for everything. Eloy Clitsen -- Tuesday, May 3, 1954 py] rea Coins in ry---- From page eight these are happening, and the wrong people or groups are being b d. Are nationalistic attitudes which raises the question of, will there be enough pride and dignity to hold this great country of there no politicians with enough guts to speak out in favour of such Canadians, or might that be politically incorrect? This country needs more citizens who aren't afraid to voice their opinion in favour of its traditions, or we could possibly continue our slide in Earth Day To the Editor: People who read last week's paper may have mistakenly re ed the impression that much t ally to celebrate Earth 1994. But nothing could be further from the rath. 1 know at Cartwright Public School the primary grades put on the plav *Oh, My Deer," and two guests were at the school to discuss environmental issues. At Greenbank PS, the new environmental club held a bake sale to raise money to protect acres of rainforest and Canadign wilderness, and succeeded n raising $111 I'm betting other schools had special events as well We need to publicize and celebrate the environmental work our hildren are engaged in, dont vou think? Uxbridge, the conservation module of the Global Action Plan for the Earth was launched, and it may not be too late for Scugog residents to join. Call the hotline at 852-4151 if you're interested In Greenbank, a "Dear Neighbour" Over in water ours t Many of the citizens just talked about could be considéted racist, out of touch, neandrathals, or even old-fashioned, but I am only 19 years of age and I don't ider myself old-fashioned-just proud to be Canadian. Brad Moase Port Perry activities letter was hand-delivered to residents of the hamlet asking them to consider stopping the use of pesticide sprays on their lawns. The letter was accompanied by a pamphlet from the American Cancer Society which reads "Warning: the use of pesticides may be hazardous to our health." Interested residents were also provided with a free copy of the booklet "The "Organic Approach to Home Gardening," now available in the hand-out unit at Scugog Library. Reception to the project was very positive, apparently lots of people have realized that it isn't really the dandelions that are the problem, but rather our attitude towards them Anyone who would ! "Dear Neighbour" »f the etter is welcome to give me a call at 985-3225 Environmental awareness really seems to be catching on, and none too soon, either. After all, Planet Earth is the only home we've got' Janet Banting, Greenbank, Ontano ke a copy Glad we were there To the Editor On behalf of the Port Perry High School Cadet Corps #41 (Army) we would like to thank ghe Scugog Citizen for the excellent coverage of our final inspection held April 20 at the High School We are trying very hard to keep our Cadet Corps operating for the youth in our community. We know that with the help of parents and the support of the community in general, we will continue to get the benefits from the Cadet Corps Thanking you again, Cathy Stoiou, President, Cadet Parent Assoc Port Perry Conspiracy of silence' over condoms To the Editor: In response to a recent episode in which students "walked out" in protest of AIDS censorship, | feel as a parent, it would be more approp e to have a "trustworthy" doctor or other medical personnel with no political agendas, come in to the schools and talk to teens; giving them accurate and factual information regarding the AIDS epidemic Its origins, transmission and rate of infection, as well as lifestyles that facilitate and perpetuate the disease need to be taught. not politically motivated propaganda and half truths. AIDS committees do missionary work for homosexuality and their only solution is a condom Teens are smart enough to know that a fragile, puny piece of rubber offers them little protection against one of this century's deadliest diseases With natural holes in the latex construction of the condom measuring five microns and the AIDS virus measuring 0.1 to 0.3 microns, you don't have.to be a rocket scientist to figure out the disastrous medical consequences of this scenario. The Ottawa-Carleton Health Dept. instructed its doctors to caution HIV-positive patients not to have sexual intercourse with their spouses, as one in five would contract the virus, even with 100 per cent condom usage Yet, this is not the information our teens are given. They are led to believe that condoms are 98 per cent safe Public Health determines what our children should not know, as was demonstrated at the last Family Life Education Advisorv Committee meeting When Durham Board of Education officials sat down at the FLEAC meeting April 7, and discussion brought to light the fact that some people are allergic to spermicide as well as latex condoms, and that this allergic reaction could actually facilitate the entry of HIV into the blood stream Public Health Co-ordinator for Durham Schools Jean Nesbitt quickly cautioned the committee not to include this information in the sex-ed program as it might discourage teens from using condoms. Their condom programs were to be protected at all costs. Unfortunately, this conspiracy of silence could cost our children their lives. Who made Public Health "God," to sit and determine "what group should be sacrificed, what knowledge given?" C. 8. Lewis once said "The greatest evil is not done in those sordid dens of crime that Dickens liked to paint....it is conceived and moved, seconded, carried and minuted in clean, carpeted, warmed and well- lighted offices by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voices." Norma Withers, Oshawa, Ont. Just want to say thanks To the Editor: We would moment to like to take a thank all the merchants, businesses and individuals who made the Chamber of Commerce Elimination Draw and Dinner such a success Your co-operation and commitment through the years has made our job much or and pleasant. Excellent work, Brenda Casteels! We would especially like to thank Warren and Tracy from the Framers Gallery and Kent Farndale from the Commufity Memorial Hospital Association. Your donation of the "lee Palace" was a great success and helped the Chamber of Commerce complete our pledge to the Hospital. We were both shocked and pleased, to say the least, to find it was our ticket that won the print It will be cherished dearly Your continued support to the Chamber of Commerce will not go without many thanks Stacey and Bill Dowson, Scugog Chamber of Commerce Made her day To the Editor: | would like to thank the Scugog Citizen for the "Best Secretary" feature this year. Also my thanks to the Personal Touch for the beautiful flowers. T and C Limo for the lpxurious transportation and Emiels Place for the great lunch. And, finally, a very special thank-you to a considerate boss Malcolm Bliss for the nomination. You certainly made this secretary's day! Janet Rankin, Frank Real Estate, Port Perry