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8- PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, March 28, 1995 Ll nto Our ce tL "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" Sigrid's crusty exterior To the Editor: How do you explain to someone who never knew or understood another, just oy much that person had affected your ife? The first time I saw Sigrid, she was rid- ing around on her lawnmower with 'Tour- ie' her German Shepherd dancing along beside her, while she listened to her German music on her walkman radio. Later 1 was to learn that this was one activity that brought her great joy and in a life that was fraught with loneliness and distress, her joys were few. Her foremost joy was her beloved dog, who to most appeared a ferocious guard, but, to those of us who knew him he was merely a big puppy. Other activities that brought her pleasure, were her correspondences with her family in Germany and her interac- tions with a handful of friends. She loved to spend time on her boat out in Lake Scugog and I hear tell that she used to enjoy playing the keyboard while her hus- band played the drums or the accordion. It took the better part of a year for Sigrid to realize that my friendship was genuine and that I didn't have any hidden agen- das. I had three German Shepherd dogs BL 2 our friendship. She had a quick wit and an amazing intellect that at times left me reeling. She taught me many things but her greatest gift to me and my son, was the lesson on not pre-judging someone on heresay. Ee aii Sigrid was not a popular person in our little village. I'm not sure where it all began for certain, but 25 odd years ago she and her husband Georg moved to the vil- lage to build a new home after their home on Scugog Island had been expropriated for park land. Their new home was built on property that had originally been used as a playground or mini golf. The residents I'm, told were not pleased at this "vio- lation" of their turf and never forgave the Boehms. The Boehms immigrated from Germany in the late 60s, and from the stories she told me, her life under Hitler's reign was terrible. She was quite a lovely wom- an when she was young- er, as I can tell you from the photos that she kept. She had been an actress in the old country, and they were the catalyst that cemented. but that came to an end when Hitler destroyed Germany's culture. Her father suffered greatly under Hitler's influence and I know upon arriving fn Canada she hoped for a better life. I don't think I have ever met someone as fiercely loyal to her adopted homeland. When Canada games hid a heart of pure gold > KI KooD AALVER SON . were on, or important political events, Sigrid would be watching her television with a thirst that never went dry. She was equally loyal to her proven friends. | Georg and Sigrid kept mostly to themselves, but on occasion gave demonstrations of their dogs abilities in obedience, search and rescue. One of the film boards actual- ly did a film on one such display, but I have as yet been unable to trace its where- abouts. Sigrid lost her hus- band over 10 years ago to cancer. A &/ While Sigrid looked rather : rough and had a crusty exterior, her heart was made of the purest gold and she returned kindness with kindness and generosity. On the other hand, if people were unkind (and many were) she repaid them in kind. She was a very proud woman, and the more that she feared something, the harder she fought. Sigrid was misunderstood by people know her. She lived her years here on a tenuous hope that she would be 'just left alone to enjoy her simple life,' Those here in the village know how she was torment- ed and few did anything to stop her degra- dation. She kept her property and doors locked, seldom ventured out and I believe much to her shame, lived in a fear that her pride wouldn't allow her to acknowledge. She replaced her "Tourie' with a year old rottweiler when the elderly Shepherd had to be destroyed due to illness, and she lav- ished the new dog with all the love that a mother feels for a child. She was so proud of her new 'Tourie' and I know that she eagerly told her relatives in Germany about him. My son came to love her as one of our family and she was dubbed 'Oma.' Our constant regret, was that we couldn't bring an end to her suffering from a debili- tating leg ailment, nor prevent the actions of those against her. We will never know for sure the events that led to her death...! We do know that when she was found, she had been waiting for rescue, and in her arms, her beloved dog lay. I will miss her indomitable spirit. I will miss her, for her faults as well as for her gift of love. I will miss her, and yes I loved her. She was my friend! Sigrid Boehm was the woman who died in the house fire in Caesarea on Saturday, March 18, 1995. | Pat Kirkwood Halverson The Oshawa Durham Home Builders' Association invites you to at the Sth ANNUAL NEW HOME BUYERS SEMINAR ALAN G. SILVERSTEIN B.A., LL.B. Featured Toronto Columnist Thursday, March 30th 7 p.m. Holiday Inn, Oshawa Bloor Street, just east of Harmony Rd. LINDA LEATHERDALE Financial Editor of the Toronto Sun p20 3 (0160.94 00 GB [6 S00 I Brampton Brick GIFT CERTIFICATE Rousseau Heritage House Sponsored by: GE MICROWAVE OVEN Mid Northern Appliances THERMAL GAS BBQ Consumers Gas 191010) 3 LY [4 OF. PRIZES! Oshawa-Durham Homebuilders' Association wh Dug, ANDREW BRETHOUR President, PMA Group of Companies 9 X 6 Parkwood Flooring who never took the time or energy to get to From page 6 gay or straight, are orgasm- seeking risk-takers. Over the years, the role of parents and churches has been undermind- . ed or neglected (as Rebecca Voth points out), leaving our youth wide open for the deadly results of promiscuity. But un- like Africa, we have a signifi- cant homosexual community. Usually women recognize more easily the need for a stable mar- riage in which to raise children. They can channel the male drives in a heterosexual rela- tionship. Homosexual males, however, don't have a female partner to provoke the longer view that child-rearing re- quires. So a bathhouse mentali- ty of multiple anonymous sex partners becomes possible. Combine this with young male delusions of immortality and much higher infection risk from anal sex, and the HI virus (and many other STDs) have a happy hunting ground. Where hetero- sexuals have this lifestyle (par- ticularly among prostitutes), disease abounds too. That AIDS is not a gay dis- ease 18 true, but male sex drives, physiology and psychol- ogy in the homosexual context invite much higher disease rates, and foster the rapid spread of HIV and other diseas- es. Anybody considering their life options should be able to know these things. Carol Switz- er's much-maligned letter, while ill-focused, attempted to raise some of these issues. It seems to me that the slo- gans to 'practice safer sex' need improvement. Given the known possibilities for condom failure through rupture, slippage or plain disuse, we need some- thing punchier to get through to RUG 5 4 To register please call: 54 R/2 Chingy 8 1-800-823-6146 New Homes Month our young people. How about borrowing from the anti-drug campaign with: "Promiscuity Kills?" TGA The New Way To Save! AIDS debate rages on The local debate has enough red herrings to satisfy the Span- ish fishing fleet for a year. I hope the overworked term "ho- mophobia" will die a natural death. Fear of such a label (ho- mophobia-phobia?) largely pre- vented the Red Cross from promptly instituting sexual his- tory screening of blood donors in the early 80s, as was done in the U.S. Hundreds of hemophi- liacs and their families have suffered greatly as a result. Open discussion should not be prevented by fear of political in- correctness. The stakes are too great. It would be absurd to ascribe to all gay men or lesbians the 'homo-terrorism' expressed by the gay activist in Mrs. Switz- er's letter. But it is also danger- ous to believe that any sizeable group has no fascist fringe, some of whom may be leaders. I disagree with Rebecca Voth's theology. I do not doubt her sincere piety or the depth and courage of her convictions. It 1s quite ironic that her per- sonal reflections were caught up into a debate about a disease from which lesbians are rela- tively immune. But there is something that rings hollow in her assertion that homosexuality is a gift. She states that affection be- tween members of the same sex is OK. True enough. I enjoy the company of other men too. But for that affection to become sex- ual is another thing entirely. To Justify it as normal because 'ani- mals do it' denies our spiritual ability to chose behavior accord- ing to understanding, not just impulses. There are lots of things that animals do natural- ly that could rightly put me in the electric chairifI tried them. But above all, why would God give a person all the amazing Turnto Page9 NRE, Bm --_--_-- oe Was WV Se Tr -- RR ARES ak Ca oo dsc CARR en tN lI, a Ths A