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34 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, August 30, 1988 JOHNSTON POOTS Johnston Poots passed away at the Community Memorial Hospital in Port Perry on Thurs- day, August 11, 1988. He was in his 82nd year. Johnston Poots was born in Belfast, North Ireland on September 30, 1907. He was the son of the late Robert and Lizzie Poots. Johnston had 8 brothers and sisters, some of whom are still living in Northern Ireland and Canada and the U.S.A. He sought a better life for himself in a new country and immigrated to Canada in the early 1920's to work on farms with the Bernardo Boys Group. Settled finally in Ontario (Scarborough) where he married Mary Agnes Perry and set up housekeeping in the Regents Park area of Scarborough. Johnston served in the Cana- dian Armed Forces during World War 2 from 1939 to 1946, rising to the rank of Sargeant. Returned overseas in 1945 and remained in the arming during 1946. He returned to civilian life and held a variety of jobs. In 1972 he retired from the Property Depart- ment of Metropolitan Toronto. Johnston knew the value of hard ork and he did his way until the end. He built three homes for his family. The family will have many fond and happy memories of country rides to picnics and swimming while collecting stray animals and wildflowers. They had a cottage at Balm Beach, Georgian Bay for many years, where the entire family would gather to have fun, including playing cards with much good natured heckling. Johnston had a sharp wit and natural musical ability which were always in fine tune to enter- tain everyone. Irish songs sung with Dad playing the accordion made an evening enjoyable. Pad- dy McGintys Goat was his favourite Irish tune. He had a great appreciation for nature and kindness to animals. He always had a dog and a cat. He was an ex- pert gardener. He particularly liked to grow gladiolos and iris flowers which were second to none in quality. Also he had vegetable gardens which he took great pride in. He was always busy and never lost interest in ife. Many years ago Johnston was a master in the Orange Lodge in Oakridge. Ireland was his bir- thplace, but Canada was his beloved home. He did make a return visit to Ireland in 1987 to show his wife his place of birth. He enjoyed this visit but was very happy to return home to Canada. CHINA PERSPECTIVE A FOUR PART SERIES by Diane Lackie PART IV: POSTSCRIPT - HELLO HONG KONG Rocking in the backwash of Typhoon Warren and following a two-hour delay while nine Chinese mechanics reassembled a stubborn engine on Beijing's tarmac, the Ontario Educators' plane hightailed it out of China and into a whole new subculture. Day twenty of the tour said goodbye to the geography, history, politics, culture -- and food -- of the Peoples' Republic of China. Gone were the Gobi Desert, the massive tombs, the Wall and, for the most part, the patient hardworking people of the Republic who labour long hours (often on into the dark) to provide for their own, and to bring their country into the next century. : Gone too was the Chinese cuisine, which had varied from magnificent to downright questionable. Our final night in Beij- ing had been made memorable by a very special Peking Duck banquet at the world famous Hongbinlou Restaurant, hosted by a highly placed government representative. Peking Duck alone would have been special, but the accompanying dishes, unusual liqueurs (rice wine), and good fellowship made our "Last Sup- per" into an event. It also helped to blur recall of other "special" dishes served elsewhere -- the sea cucumbers (gelatinous leeches), barbequed bitty birds (replete with beaks, eyes, and legs), carp, carp, and more carp -- and Frank's fricasseed frogs (Frank being one of our group who was finding oriental cuisine quite a culture shock). The final dinner also brought to mind a wonderful Sechuan dumpling dinner a few nights previous -- seventeen different steamed dumplings served, one type at a time, from steaming bamboo baskets, No one balked that night under the guilded dragon ceiling. Now what, as we finally lifted over the South China Sea? At one point our stewardess announced into her handset, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your fright attendant...(pause)...(gig- gle)...excuse me, flight attendant. The captain is expecting some turbulence. Please fasten your seat belts." Understated, as usual. Then soon, glittering below us as we joggled in, a jewel in what used to be Britain's tiara -- the crown colony of Hong Kong. What a way to end -- or begin - a day! New Territories encircling the northern extremity of the Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong Island with storied Victoria Peak soaring over it just across the famed international harbour, some 236 bordering islands, rocky and weatherworn or lush and green, and the multimillion dollar homes of the fortunate few gleam- above Bay, this British Territory is a s after utilitarian . Here is a spot obviously dedicated to excess - and to capitalism of any and every sort. Hong Kong has over 6,000,000 inhabitants, mostly Chinese, ws into its towering modern buildings, older 'sweatshops,' and tiny territory. Bilingual in Chinese and English, it is cur- rently governed by the British, but will be returned to China, through a long-standing treaty, in 1997. This fact has generated much current unease in the trading community, for trade is Hong Kong's heart, soul, and staple diet. Whatever you want, there in that subtropical Seeeitony you can probably get. Okay, so what do you do, now that you've been educated, got culture, seen relics in so-serious China? You feast, you play, or....you "shop 'til you drop!"' It's been said that an ma can be had in Hong Kong. This may well be true; the author didn't have sufficient time to find out -- but she tried. Handtailored clothes, shoes, and purses can be fashioned for the customer overnight, of mostly Se) pis) and price (ultra suede is popular, as are specialty ma such as lizard, snake, or cashmere). Service with a smile at all hours. Jewellery stores, fea gold, opals, and precious stones flourish; even your own des can be intricately worked by Hong Kong's in- dustrious artisans. Electronic goods of every whizzing sort -- games to vidcams -- or cameras of any and every gree -- Hong Kong's got 'em. The author even offered one hustler her plane ticket home, he was so busy trying to sell her all his goods. She might as well have stayed and assumed his business, if she'd weakened to his pitch. Factory outlets for world-famous designers, handcrafts from China and other countries, rugs, an- tiques, boutiques (although nothing to match the moment in China when our guide, struggling with the English language and wanting to extol the country's plentiful food, flung his hand toward a roadside stand towering with watermelons, the bumper crop of the month, and crowded; 'Look, a watermelon...boutique!)" There isn't space or time to list it all, wo you CAN shop 'til you drop!"' -- or the numbers wear off the plastic. Then drag the weary body for a soak in an elegant tub in any one of the innumerable world-class hotels for which Hong is justly renowned: the Mandarin, the Peninsula (an oldy but goodie --- with elegant high tea in the afternoon), the Regent, the New World, the Shangri-la, the Royal Garden - dozens of them, each with impeccable service, shops, and selection of eateries (pub grub to pheasant-under-glass). Even the English-speaking YMCA on Salisbury Road in Kowloon, spartan though it is, has cleanliness, efficiency, and location to comment it, at least to the budget traveller. We were booked in there, but spent the se- cond of our three nights at the sumptuous Royal Garden. What a world apart, from dusty China! And how decadent to immerse in a gold-tapped tub! 'Clean again, and unfortunately, with no time left for much of the abundant night life winking in neon like fireflies all about us, we did head for 'real food.' Well, not exactly. It's not likely many restaurants in the world are as faultless as Plume in the Regent Hotel. Overlooking the spectacular, entertaining har- bour, subdued in decor and unparallelled in service, this restaurant crowned the Hong Kong experience: blueberry/champagne aperitifs, superbly cooked sea foods, tan- talizing chef-baked breads, liqueured soufflees for dessert -- whoa! This is becoming a restaurant review! That's what "escape from the leeches can do to one! Also try Restaurant Lali- que in the Royal Garden -- excellent service, French cooking, and the guest gets a tiny Lalique memento. Pricey but classy. That was food -- and fashion --- what about the fun? Try a romantic ten-minute Star Ferry ride across the harbour to Hong Kong Island (it'll set you back a fat 6 cents), or a longer cruise of the entire harbour, perhaps with dinner included, or do what the author and party did. Take a day tour of the city and end up with an 'optional' (they took our money anyway) tour of the harbour from the Hong Kong side in a sampan. Talk about Disney World bumpercar fun, this was it! Thirty-some minutes of playing water tag, ten customers to a sampan, dodging debris, es, and each other in the world's most vivacious harbour. We sloshed past dredgers, yachts, steamers, punts, junks, trawlers, freighters, everything afloat and some not, in our mad- cap race, nearly swamping one lone fisherman obstinately angl- ing for breakfast from a tiny rowboat. Sure there's dirt, but delight, too, in that harbour. Jumbo Palace Restaurants cater- ing to luxury, secluded sandy beaches, and lifeblood trade all Iai their mistress -- the Jezebel Hong Kong. What's to become Tr? The twenty-first century will tell. But for now, that sampan ride bobs in the author's memory as a symbol of Hong Kong frisky, busy, saucy, and seductive. The business hub of Asia, the world's third largest financial centre, and quite possibly, the most vibrant, vivid, varied metropolis on earth. And only half a world away. Exit China Perspectives IV. It's been a pleasure sharing. The author would like also to acknowledge help and informa- tion from the many China officials, guides, and publications, the Ontario Ministry assistants, Marilyn Wallace, Peter Talbot, and patient partner, Pat Procunier. '"Tshi Chien!" - Obituary-Johnston Poots passes away at 81 Johnston Poots was a doer, a fair person, a family man, a com- munity: man, a fun man, a tinkerer, an enterprenour and a loyal Canadian. He is survived by his wife Mary Agnes, 3 children; Jack and his wife Marlene of Scarborough, Mary and her hus- band George McLaren of Leaskdale and Kathleen and her husband David Wasylenky of Ux- bridge. Loving grandfather of 8 and great grandfather of 3. A funeral service was held at the Wagg Funeral Home in Port Perry on Monday, August 15, 1988. Rev. Stuart McEntyre officiated. Interment at Pine Grove Cemetery. The many donations and floral tributes were grateful- ly appreciated. Obituary Herbert McColl Herbert Arthur McColl of Nestleton passed away at the Port Perry Community Hospital July 5, 1988 in his 74th year. Art as he was known by friends and family was the son of the late Harold Edwin McColl and Margaret Anne Tressia Wait. He was born on the family farm in Glamorgan Township of May 10th, 1915, and received his educa- tion at Gooderham's Public and Continuation School. Growing up he helped his father on the farm, lumbered in the winter months and was a Fire Ranger in the summer as it was called then. He continued this work after his father's death in 1936. On January 1st, 1937 he married Gladys Beatrice Hutchinson, and- they had four children. In 1943 he sold the farm and moved to Fenelon Falls where he accepted the position of manager of the Fenelon Falls Cataract Co- op "Gris Mill" with 63 shareholders and 7 directors till 1952. While in Fenelon Falls he was an active member of the Rotary Club and the Masonic Lodge Spry 406. On September 22, 1952, he join- ed the work force of General Motors of Oshawa till ill health overcame him and he was forced to retire in Dec. 1979. He was a devoted family man. Fishing, hunting, wood carving, and carpenter work were his hobbies. Art leaves to mourn his pass- ing: wife Gladys; their four children, Donald (husband of Valerie Smart), of Oshawa, Margaret (Mrs. Neil Lee) of Nestleton, Susan (Mrs. John Elliott) of Oshawa, and (Mrs. Donald Morey) of Brooklin; grandchildren, Rick, Jeff and Leanne McColl of Oshawa, Deb- bie and David Lee of Nestleton, and Erin and Megan Elliott of Oshawa. He is also survived b two sisters, Grace Green of - say and Elsie Belanger of Toron- to. Art was predeceased. by grandson Robbie McColl, sister Bertha McColl and brother Ross McColl. A funeral service was con- ducted by Rev. Dale Davies at Wagg McDermott Panabaker Funeral Home, in Port Perry, on - Thursday, July 7, 1988. Interment - Glamorgan Cemetery in Gooderham. Donations may be made to Port Perry Hospital. Pallbearers were son Donald McColl, grandsons Rick McColl and David Lee and son-in-laws Neil Lee, John Elliott and Donald Morey.