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"Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, August 21, 2001 - 7 Question of the Week... Do you think the Arthur Lofsky province is properly Bill Roberts Bryan Grimes Mike Colle Frank Stella They are reluctant- They are only | think they are try- | think they are | would say an dealing with the ly dealing with the reacting. There is a ing to act, but they massaging the effort has been issue. We need to lot of money do not understand issue. made and | will Oak Ridges keep the pressure involved here and the level of protec- support the on them. the public needs to tion needed. moraine issues. Moraine issue? be heard. Try and make teens welcome From Page 6 I know I am not alone in my opinions. Not every shop or all the people in this town discriminate against these kids. But | think it is about time, they heard from us too and not just in their defense. Perhaps, instead of shooing them away like pests, or ludicrously sug- gesting a curfew and pri- vate security, we as a com- munity could find a place where they felt welcome. (Here's an idea, how about a skateboard park - in town where they want it and worked for it). Perhaps, if we offer a little respect, many would be surprised at the response we receive. Perhaps, if we smile rather than frown, the reflection we witness would perpetu- ate itself. Perhaps, if we try really hard to remember, what it was like... Shari Truax Port Perry Grief group provides needed support To the Editor: Six months after my husbands death | was approached by Low & Low to join a grief group. This group was excellent. Grief was very hard to under- stand and with the help from Marion Layzell, spon- sored by Low & Low itis a must for anyone who needs help with the pain of the loss of a loved one. | hope this group con- tinues so it can help peo- ple in need of it. Marion Bricknell Port Perry Hey neighbour, you doing some those old paint-by-number pictures away. They're collectors' items now. Yes, | know you enjoy auctions too. But I've been waiting all summer for a really good course. It makes Merle Heintzman widen her eyes when she thinks back to the extraordinary auctions in this area 30 years ago. You know The Front Room Antiques on Highway 7A, just west of Blackstock? That's Merle's place. I talked with Merle the other day about an auction Over Things from days gone by garage cleaning? No don't throw one. That kind of auction gets rarer every year of we will never forget. It happened 11 years ago this month at the Blackstock Arena. Yes, the Bruce Mountjoy. . auction! You were there too? Best one I've ever attend- ed. Remember how it took two 12-hour days and two auctioneers just to get through it all? Yet he was just a man of modest means with five children to feed. His genius was to see value in things that had ceased to have value for others -- old license plates, calendars, books, documents, ancient radios and telephones, early car manuals --remember that stuffed, two-headed lamb? And that wooden propeller from a rare Tiger You can e-mail the editor; editorial@portperrystar.co Moth biplane? And those early Marconi radio receivers? Heck, some of the people who gave him those cal- of them fetched $260. There were four antique cars and people will still remember that green, white-topped endars years ago were there to buy them back. A few enough parts to build a few more. I imagine many 1929 Ford Model A sports coupe he used to tour the fence by Kay Langmuir around town in. It went for about $8,200, a bargain by today's standards | expect. The difference between Bruce Mountjoy and most of us is that we usually start throwing things out when "we run of room, like you're doing today friend. But Bruce kept begging and borrowing space as his collec- tion grew. Merle was among those who kept a pile of his treasures in her barn. : : He would never sell anything. That's not what it was about for him. But how would you ever divide it up five ways in a will? He did the fair thing by stipulating that his estate be disposed of at'auction. Still, it was tough on his sons and daughters, not to mention the week it took to sort and move everything. : id It must have been one of the daughters 1 watched... bidding on a beautiful red sleigh. It went for a big price and she got it. But she was trembling and nearly in tears by the time the hammer came down. One of the sons bid with steely determination to get the Edison cylinder gramophone that his dad had loved listening to. There was no way those memories were leaving the family. : AT Bruce Mountjoy, like others who value what has gone before, has done us all a service. He preserved much that would have been lost. And every time | see: the old books and 130-year-old poster | brought home from that auction, | remember. i I never met Bruce Mountjoy, but I and many others will never forget his name. And that is his well-deserved reward. So friend, do you really want to throw all that stuff out? And another thing By Rik Davie Nothing doing With all the controversy you need, and then some, over recent problems with youth loitering, vandalism and intimidation in the area of the plazas on Water St, here's another thing. Accusations have flown that business owners are targeting youth, youth are targeting business owners, and that the root of the problem lies in young people without enough to do. Now there is one you don't hear often enough... there's nothin' to do! One business owner was allegedly assaulted by a group of youths, two of whom have been recharged with violating a release condition to stay away from the man's business. still haven't found anything to do apparently. There is a base problem here that the parents of these so-called youths don't seem to be getting. The excuse for acts that allegedly break the law is not "there is nothing to do." It would be a great defense, but one which would lose its weight after the young offender turns 18 years old. Judge: So what's your excuse for this string of bank robberies? Jesse James: Well, your honour, it's like, there's nothin' to do, you know. Like, if we had a skateboard park or youth dances or somethin'. Judge: I'm sorry Mr. James, | had no idea. Well under those crcumstances, you're free to go... oh, and take your brother with you. Have a nice day. The allegations have been heard that some elderly people living in the area have been intimidated and even spit upon, by youths with "nothing to do." Here is a thought to counter claims by one parent at a public meeting to discuss the problem with par- ents, neighbours and the police.... it is not my job, my responsibility nor the function of my tax dollars to provide things for your kids to do! There are, to say the very least, a number of things to do in Scugog Township. There are hockey leagues, soccer clubs, baseball, and tennis. For those who are not sports inclined, there are theatre groups, skateboard park committees, youth groups, scouts, army cadets and enough volun- teer organizations for every event you can think of to keep anyone busy and interested. There are a slew of part-time jobs that go unfilled every year in Scugog and if you're really hard up there is even the library and its internet access avail- able to anyone willing to take on the overwhelming task of walking in the front door of the place. All any youth in Scugog need add to this mix is the effort. The willingness to do something besides hold up a wall at a plaza. I grew up in the inner-city of Toronto on streets far more foreboding than the lovely thoroughfares of Port Perry. Even on those streets, seniors could walk unaccosted and for the most part, unafraid. That is the argument that over shadows all the others. If there is one senior in Port Perry afraid to go outside, one senior who feels -- rightly or wrongly -- intimidated by loitering youths and trapped in their own homes, then all the other arguments fall short. Period! As for the cause... nothing to do? The only people in this town with nothing to do are those who choose to do nothing! And another thing.......