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"PORT PERRY STAR -- Tues., February 10, 1987 -- § Viewpoint by John B. McClelland WOMEN IN THE ARMY Our national Defense Minister Perrin Beatty said last week that (finally) women will be given the {des tunity to qualify for front line combat jobs in the Arm- ed Forces. About ten per cent of the personnel in our Armed Forces are women, but until now they have been denied . the chance to be fighter pilots, tank commanders and gun crews on warships Now, says the Defence Minister, anybody will qualify, if they meet the physical requirements of the task at hand. In other words, if a woman can lift an ar- tillery shell into the breach, the job is hers. Chalk one up for sisterhood and equality. It is com- forting to know that should our Armed Forces ever become involved in a real war, women and men will share the fighting on the front lines. There are some, of course, who argue that Canada' Ss 85,000 member regular Armed Forces are using equip- ment so out of date, and the Forces is so under-staffed, it won't matter a tinker's hoot who's on the front lines in a live war. The results would be the same. This issue of total equality in the Forces has been - simmering for a couple of years, and from my perspec- tive, it is so typical of the way we seem to do things in Canada. First, the Armed Forces were integrated (no more Army, Navy or Air Force) much to the chagrin of career soldiers who happened to enjoy the distinc- tion and tradition of their particular branch of the ser- vice. Then, the uniforms were integrated. Everyone was stuffed into garbage bag green togs that looked like they had been salvaged from a rummage sale. supreme. If Canada put as much time, energy and money into making real soldiers with the absolute best in fighting equipment, as the country puts into things like integration, standard uniforms and equality for women, we might have an Armed Forces to be reckon- ed with in a time of war. Equality for women is necessary in a modern socie- ty. 1 have no quibble with that, But in some instances, the right to equality is not an absolute. The fighting | forces is one of those instances. THE CURLING WARS Curling is about to become a "demonstration sport' at the Winter Olympics in Calgary. That means there is a good chance that at future Winter Olympics, curlers could be sweeping for gold, silver and bronze medals. And if that happens, Canadians stand an excellent chance at winning some of those gold medals. After all, Canada has done very well over the years in the World Championship Curling. One of the best in this country is Ed Werenich, the Toronto fireman who has probably done more than anyone else (save Marilyn Dart) to spotlight this enor- mously popular sport. Ed is a competitive type of guy who isn't shy when it comes to wanting the lime-light and he would dearly love to curl for Canada in the 1988 w inter Olympics. He's a good enough curler, too. --. Butthere's a catch thrown in by Curl Canada, which is a kind of federal umbrella group for the sport which will have the authority to provide funds for would-be Olympic curlers, much the way other federal organiza- tions. fund gymnasts, track stars and swimmers. curlers to shape up (literally) and Ed Werenich has been ordered to shed some beef and be able to pass cer- tain fitness tests. It seems that the folks at Curl Canada are not too pleased with the fact that Werenich has a bit of a paunch under his curling sweater. That's a no-no for any athlete representing Canada at the Olympics. Werenich has put himself on a diet and he's been working on push-ups, pull ups and so on in an effort to trim sbme beef from his rotund frame. , He thinks it's all a bit of a silly joke. And he's right. What do they want from Werenich? Do they want him - to be able to do the 100 metre dash in 11 seconds, rap off 50 push-ups and 100 sit-ups and then go for a five mile jog just to limber up for a curling game? Or do they want him at the top of his curling form where he can throw a draw to the button in the last end with the last rock? Come on. If curling is going to be an Olympic sport, leave the training regimen up to the competitors. Who cares what Werenich and company look like, or what their overall fitness levels are, so long as they get the "job done. It would be far better for Werenich and friends to put their total efforts into throwing and sweeping, rather than push-ups and sit-ups. If they want to train on a diet of cold beer and hot beef sandwiches, so be it. Setting fitness levels for Olympic curlers is.silly. Curlers from Newfoundland to Vancouver must be chuckling as they sip their drinks in the club room after "a strenuous eight-ender. What happens if Ed and friends trim down to a svelte 175 pounds of muscle and sinew and then discover And now, goodness gracious, equality shall reign But Curl Canada wants our would-be Olympic (Turn to page 6) oY Yesterday's Memories < 70 YEARS AGO ' Wed. February 14, 1917 Sergeant Geo. Howsam of Oshawa was home over the fvakand The oyster supper and entertainment provided by the Women's Patriotic Society, Scugog was a splendid success. Mr. J. Carry and wife have returned to their home in Dundern, Sask., after spending a few months with his mother in Port Perry. Rev. Joblin visited friends in Belleville. Mr. E. HL Purdy was re-elected chairman of the Board of Educa: ~ tion for 1917. . 45 YEARS AGO Thurs. February 12, 1942 Miss Jean McDermott was in town for the Love-Jackson wedding. Fifteen hundred skiers from Toronto enjoyed the skiing at Dagmar on Sunday. Russ Creighton and his Variety Dance Band will be at the Port Perry High School Friday evening Under the auspices of Warriner Lodge. Mr. F. Howsam of Weyburn, Sask., has been a recent guest of Mr. and Mrs. R. Somerville. Congratulations to Mrs. George Preiice who celebrated her 82nd birthday recently. 30 YEARS AGO Thurs., February 14, 1957 In the hard fought hockey game in Sunderland Arena last week, 'Les Digby of the Sutton Greenshirts was suspended indefinitely. Mrs. J. Crane, Port Perry, was seen on the T.V. screen from New York on the "Good Morning Show."' She was chaperoning Grade 11 students from Essex High School. Born to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Crosier of Port Perry. a son. ! 20 YEARS AGO Thurs. February 9, 1967 Sixty mothers from this area marched for the March of Dimes Campaign last week and according to the chairman of the local com- mittee, Mrs. Grant McDermott, the amount collected was $583.43, a few dollars short of the $600. goal. Gordon Wakefield, Ontario Provincial President of the Royal Canadian Legion presented the Legion Charter to the first elected president of Branch 152 Brooklin, Mr. Fred Phillips, last Saturday evening. Mr. and Mrs. W_E. Williams, formerly of Toronto, have purchas- ed the old property on No. 7 Highway about 5 miles east of Port Perry. Rev. H.M. Buntain, B.A , minister of St. John's Church, Port Perry and Burn's Presbyterian Church, Ashburn, will be leaving his charges here for a new appointment in Pembroke. temporaril on ¥ (Turn to page 6) Interim Moderator, Rev. GH. Moore, Uxbridge, will take over services- Letters More on Fairgrounds issue To The Editor: It comes as no surprise that the Fair Board wants -to reopen bargaining with the council. It is en- couraging to see that common sense still prevails to;some extent. The Fair Board was made a fair and reasonable offer by council, and were it not for a few radicals on the - Fair Board the issue could have been settled amicably. It is howevér imperative that readers receive clarification of some statements recently made by Dr. Wm. Cohoon. The School Board's criteria for choosing a site for a new school was published in this very newspaper and I would point out that the pro- perty beside the Vachon plant on Simcoe St. does not meet that criteria. The pumping station at the end of MacDonald St. was not designed to, ~ nor is it capable of handling the school sewage.'A school which in a few years will double its original enrolment. As for the Doctor's skills in land appraisal, I would suggest he stick to practicing medicine. When one realizes a 50' serviced lot in Port Perry sells for $40,000.00 that puts one acre over $300,000.00. The remarks on the use of tax dollars are nothing more than a general accounting statement, ap- plicable to any situation in any municipality and have no direct" relationship to the issue whatsoever. I would also like to point out that a detailed engineering and planning study was carried out on the sug- gested relocation site by a reputable consulting firm when the arena was constructed. Having presented the 'Facts'. | will let our readers be the judge as to the credibility behind the Doctor's remarks. No one has ever questioned the honesty of the Fair Board members, but many dre now questioning their decision making skills, and their overall concern for this community as a whole. judge, if anything, will award the I would strongly Sie the Doctor Fair Board. to direct his energy toward reaching a solution rather than becoming part of the problem. 3 One requires very litfle ex- perience in expropriation pro- cedures to realize that the School Board will be successful. The only guestion remaining is what the In the interim, it is the innocent school children who must spend at least another two years in portables. | Respectfully, Roy Dixon, Port Perry. Ugly pollution To The Editor: I have worked in the Port Perry area for a few years now, and have. driven over the causeway at least twice a day since starting work here. Every time I drove over it | thought what a nice spot to sit and fish, or wile away a few hours, en- joy the scenery, watch the wild life. One morning I saw a pair of loons on the north side, further over among the reeds I saw a blue heron standing waiting for some unsuspec- ting fish to come along. Several times I thought that I have to get myself a boat and harvest some of . the wild rice, it would be just right for the Indian exhibit at the museum. One day last year my car was in for repair downtown so I thought it = would 'be nice to walk over the causeway, that was my mistake, I should have kept the false impres- sion I had and asked someone to drive me down, and never have 3 foot on the causeway. . I have seen places as bad as the shoreline down there but nobody in their right mind would want to sit and fish there, I was ac slutely disgusted with what I saw, bottles, cans, chicken and chip boxes, and anything else you care to name. How can you sit there all day and smell the stench, and see the mess. You are poisoning the fish you eat, let alone messing up the lake and the area. Just maybe these (Turn to page 6) Letters to the Editor our policy It has always been the policy of this newspaper to encourage our | readers to make use of the letters to the editor column. Our readers have a right to freely express their opinions and view- points on just about any subject, and we feel that a lively jetters column helps make a better community newspaper. We insist, however, that a letter writer sign his or her name. On rare occasions, we will agree to with-hold publication of a letter writer's name, "Under mo circurmtanees wil ths paper pri Under no circ to the editor. tances will this paper print an anonymous létter While we enjoy receiving letters from our readers, we must continue to insist on knowing the identity of the writer.