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np -------- PORT PERRY STAR -- Wednesday, January 3, 1990 -- 7 REGRETS AND SHOULD HAVES Welcome to the New Year. | trust you ushered in the 90's Sunday night with a touch ol class. After all a new decade comes along only once each cen- tury, and who knows where we might be when the 90's make way for the Year 2,000. Spooky thought. This column is going to be a hodge-podge of a few thoughts, regrets, should-haves and might- have-beens, but no resolutions or predictions. First a regret that until now, | had not taken the opportunity to give a group of ple in our com- rounity a weli-deserved pat on the back for a tough I'm talking about Scugog's volunteer firefight- ers, the 50 or so guys who work out of the halls in Caesarea and Port Perry. Remember the word "volunteer," because that's what these guys are, and for my money, the people of the Township are being well served by these volunteers. Over the last few years, they have become more than just "smoke-eaters." Using sophisticated hydraulic equipment known as the "Jaws of Life" your volunteer firefighters have freed countless vic- tims rapped in the twisted wreckage of a vehicle accident. Their skill and knowledge has saved lives and prevented serious injuries from turning to critical ones. Over the past dozen years, | have seen these guys at work numerous times at fires and acci- Hens, and believe me, they know what they are do- ng. . Viewpoint by John B. McClelland " REGRETS One regret | have is my support for the free trade deal. | thought at the time it would be good for Canada. These days I'm not so sure. Philosophically, | remain a "free trader" for the same reason | support Sunday shopping: | don't think governments have any right to tamper in the market-place. | don't like "protectionism" on the part of gov- emments, but I'm not so sure Canada is getting the _ fair end of this free trade deal. The jury is still out, of course, and perhaps Jive will be some benefits, but | haven't seen any yet. | feel sheepish that in two successive federal elections, | voted for the Conservatives. After so many years of Trudeau "liberalism," | was con- vinced Mulroney was the answer for Canada. There are some days | wish Pierre would con- sider coming our of retirement. It's not so much what Mulroney is doing as how. Despite all this nonsense about truck driving as a young man in Baie Comeau, Mulroney is not a man for the little guy. His style is strictly "presiden- tial," and if he ever wandered into a working man's tavern in any large city or small town, he'd get turfed out on his ear. When are we going to elect somebody who doesn't look down his (her) nose at the millions of every-day Canadians who get up in the morning, put their boots on, go to work, and get a little dirt under the nails once in a while. MORE REGRETS | forgot to send my father a birthday card in mid-December. Sorry about that, Skipper, but hope you had a good one. | didn't play enough golf last summer. Every spring | promise to somehow find (make) the time for more golf. | never do. Each November, | put the sticks in the basement and wonder where the sum- mer went. As in previous years, | spent too much time in 1989 worrying about things over which | had abso- lutely no control. SHOULD HAVE ! should have quit Seking In '89. The kids are nagging me about it, and rightly so. it's a nas business, smoking, and if | do nothing else in '90, I'll be happy if | can stamp out the weed for good. | should have spent more time in our Scugog Library. What a marvellous place it is. So much in- formation and good reading. | should have paid more attention to national issues last year. But the truth of the matter is, | think | OD'd. | used to be a real junkie for politics, especially the process. These days the stuff coming out of Ottawa and Queens Park is either boring or revolting. | guess you really can get too much of a bad thing. Finally, | know it's been said before, but this has to be the decade to clean up this planet. The time for talking is over, or we may not see the 21st century. Remember When? -45 YEARS AGO Thursday, January 4, 1945 A crowd of over three hundred attended the Port Perry Hockey Clubs Euchre and Dance which was held December 20th in the high school. The lucky draw for a five pound New Year's cake was won by Sam Griffen who in turn gave it back to the club to be auctioned. Euchre prize winners were: the half ton of coal - Mrs. J. Dowson, high lady and Ivan Gray, high man. Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Ploughman won both second prizes while C. Ptolemy 4nd Len Colbear were third prize winners. 35 YEARS AGO Thursday, January 6, 1955 The volunteer Fire Brigade report that they answered only 22 calls last year, only three in Port Perry and 19 in the surroun- ding district. y The Family Doubles closed the first half of their series on Friday, December 17. Prizes for the series were won by: 1st Lady - Lorraine Raines; 2nd Lady - Kayse Harper; 1st Gent - Al Cawker; 2nd Gent - Frank Hastings. 30 YEARS AGO Thursday, January 7, 1960 Mr. Ray Litt of Port Perry District High School Staff was among 250 delegates from all parts of Ontario who attended the three day annual assembly of the 11,000 member Ontario Secon- dary School Teacher's Federation in the last week in December. The Port Perry Hockey Club wish to thank the following business men for their generous donations in helping to make our 50-50 draw night a success: Scugog Cleaners; Carnegie Hard- ware; Brock's Department Store; Cawker Bros. Butchers; and Beare Motors. 25 YEARS AGO Thursday, January 7, 1965 The first Port Perry baby to be born in 1965 was a little girl, Jacqueline Dawn, a daughter for Mr. and Mrs. Johp Warren, Queen Street, Port Perry. She was born on Sunday, January 3, at the Uxbridge Cottage Hospital. Mrs. Lucille Gray, first lady member of Reach Township Council, took the Oath of Office from clerk-treasurer A.R. Johns during the Inaugural meeting held in the Township Hall on January 4. Mrs. Job Graham quietly celebrated her 98th birthday at her home, 211 Scugog Street on December 28. Mr. Ian Bowie, former assistant to Baptist Church Pastor Brown, has accepted the call to be pastor of Port Perry Baptist Church. Pastor John Brown has left the charge and is now work- Be very careful when jump starting battery Very cold weather can spell trouble for you and your car, as you find out all too often each winter. Probably the most com- mon, and most aggravating result of that cold weather is a dead battery. While jump-starting a battery is not difficult, the Canadian Automobile Association suggest that you should take some safety precautions: -- Check your owner's " manual/manufacturer's manual for specific advice on jump- starting your particular model car. Vehicles equipped with on- board computers and/or mobile telephones may require slightly different procedures to avoid equipment or accessory damage. -- Be sure the jumper cables and clamps have no loose or missing insulation, which could lead to electrical or acid burns, or sometimes an explosion. -- Never light a match or smoke OK, we goofed To the Editor: In my letter to the Star last week I transcribed the words 'cacique' and 'caciquismo' as "kah-see-kay" and "kah-see- keezmo," in order to indicate their pronunciation. Kah (pro- nounced like the ca in 'carton') was wrongly printed as kay, thereby making it appear as though I didn't know how to pro- nounce the words. I do, however, in six languages. Warren T. McCready Greenbank, Ont. near the battery. -- Don't lean over the battery as you attach the clamps, and always protect your eyes. Remember that batteries contain sulfuric acid. ' -- Be certain the vehicle giving the boost and the vehicle receiv- ing it have the same voltage. Most car batteries are 12 volts. -- The two vehicles should be close together, but not touching. Both vehicles should be in neutral or park. -- Shut off the engine of the assisting vehicle. -- Fasten the POSITIVE RED (plus) clamp to the POSITIVE battery terminal of the assisting vehicle, then the other POSITIVE clamp to the. POSITIVE terminal of the battery of the stalled vehicle. -- Fasten the NEGATIVE Smile For The Day BLACK (-) clamp to the NEGATIVE battery terminal of the assisting vehicle. Then fasten the other NEGATIVE clamp to the engine block of the stalled vehicle. -- When the cables are secure, start the assisting vehicle and rev it to a fast idle. Wait a few seconds before attempting to start the stalled vehicle. -- Once successful, remove the cable connections in the precise reverse order to which they were attached. -- Of course, there's an easy way to avoid all this, says CAA Toron- to. Cold weather starts require a battery that is fully charged. Recharge or replace weak bat- teries. If appropriate, check the fluid levels and make certain that battery posts and cable clamps are clean and tight. f --T "MMMM! YOUR BEEF STEW IS DELICIOUS TONIGHT, DEAR. WHAT WENT WRONG?" TT EET AT ENTIRE Le A