You've probably often heard the story about the old western frontier fighter sitting around having a beer and telling about how he found himself surrounded one time. "There I was, nie and my trusty horse Flash, with Indians in front of us, Indians behind us and Indians on both sides of us - we were comnpletely surrounded. I knew there was only one choice ' could make - what else could I do? I bought a blanket!" It's a corny story to illustrate a point. I felt somehow the same way sitting in a halfway house in Brampton surrounded by prisoners, and 1 wasn't quite sure just what I should do. As I mentioned last week I had the recent pleasure of speaking to a group of prisoners who were serving their time in a halfway house in Brampton. The fact that it costs the taxpayers only $1000 per prisoner to keep them in a halfway house should be appealing to taxpayers in this day of the dollar pinch but more important, the program seems to be working very well and l'm unofficially told there is a plan to start another 100 such homes like the halC dozen running now. After enjoying a sumptuous meal with the prisoners staggered into the living room to talk with them and as I was,the guest everybody seemed to be waiting for me to make the- first move. I felt like I should buy a blanket or something. I tried to look at each prisoner and determine what kind of crime he had committed but I found out later my guessing was way off in many cases. Of course because the men were serving two years or less many of the prisoners were in for drug offences. But sitting in the living room relaxing after supper in their soiled work clothes after a hard day at various jobs in the community I found it difficult to believe the entire situation. Sitting in the living room i gazed around at what looked like a quite ordinary house except for the shuffleboard game in the hallway and the pooltable in the dining room. There was a TV and stereo and books to read although this particular night there was no activity in any area except the living room where the centre of attention was me. Recycling úse increases WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 1977, PAGE 5 A very special commitment lias been made by menbers of our comrnunity, Mr. and Mrs. David McKay of Whitby, have joined Foster Parents Plan of Canada. They have 'adopted' little Muji Utari aged seven years of Yogyakarta. Mr. & Mrs. McKay's monthly contri- bution of SI 9.00 brings help not oniy to the Foster Child, but every mnember of the family. The $i19.00 a month pro- vides the family with a mon thly cash grant or material benefits; free medical and dental care, frec prescriptions, the sustained guidance and counselling of social workers and the benefits of many special programs. All Foster Children and their brothers and sisters, age permitting, are encouraged to attend school. Where suitable, vocational training courses are made available, free of charge, for Foster Children, their brothers and sisters, Public use of the new recycling depot at the works centre on Taunton Road is increasing, says Public Works Director Dick Kuwahara. Mr. Kuwahara reported recently to council that signs will be installed on Rossiand Road indicated where the recycling deput is. The recycling drums for glass and tins were removed from two local service stations to the operations centre early this year, and the public works director was asked to report on how much they were being used. Play program changed Due to construction work, the Whitby recreation depart- ment is unable to have a children's playground program in Central Park in the West Lynde subdivision this year, says program co-ordinator Bob Caspell. However, the Town of Whitby, in co-operation with the West Lynde Community Association, has arranged for a children's playground program at the Kiddy Kare Centre across from West Lynde Public School. This progran begins July 4. Registrations must be made be fore June 27 by calling Vic Marks at 668-8800. CERAMIC & CRAFT SALE Friday, June 24 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Cannery Workshop Durham Centre for the developmentally handicapped (south of J. O. Ruddy Hospital) Whitby Phone 668-7745 ext. 397 I broke the ice by asking about the work the men did and I found out it was mostly harbor but that each employer had to bc approved by the Correctional Ministry before a prisoner would be allowed to accept a job. One prisoner had wanted very much to work in a local craft shop but couldn't because the woman running it was in the constant company of a man with a criminal record. But gradually each man warmed up and began to talk about the house, the staff, and the plan and most were very candid in their remarks and few had any bad comments. It was when they explained how they happened to be serving time, tit I realized you very definitely cannot tell a book by it's cover. In many instances the crimes were not very serious and the difference seemed to be that these people were just unfortunate enough to get caught. Their factories hadn't polluted local water thus poisoning hundreds of people. They hadn't evaded millions of dollars of corporate taxes and they hadn't accepted large bribes in business dealings. They committed small crimes and got caught. One nan sold mariauna to suppîltnent his income when times were tough and made the mistake of selling sorne to an undercover policeman. The prograrn was designed to cut down incarceration costs and rehabilitate the prisoners and the great part abotIt it is that the prisoners don't really get a chance to become alientated from society because they're in it every day. Their passes allow them out almost daily and many men have girlfriends or wives living in apartments nearby. A few of the younger men felt bitter at not seeing relatives and friends from their out-of-province hometowns but while they were alientated from home they were still part of Brantford's society. As the night went on and we talked more I got to know each man and Ilost all feeling of being uncomfortable. We enjoyed a late evening tea and coffee and when departing I had been made so welcome I felt I was leaving a group of friends. A few shock hands with me and I knew they too felt I was a friend. Now I have one additional problem. How do I explain to society that many of my friends are crooks? Famed entertainers to come to Whitby A different format and professional Canadian enter- tainment will add a new dimension to the Whitby Chamber of Commerce Peter Perry Award night this year. The main feature of the evening will, be a show by Dinah Christie and Tom Kneebone, who are currently playing at the Dell Theatre in Toronto. These well- known entertainers will be presenting a program of songs, jokes and dramatic readings which have delighted Toronto audiences this season. They are no strangers to Whitby, for Dinah Christie attended the Whitby Arts Ball last November, and Tom Kneebone was in the Santa Claus Parade a few weeks later. Tickets are available at $ 12.50 per person at the Chamber of Commerce office in the Centennial B ilding 416 Centre Street South, for the Peter Perry Award night, July 22 atL Heydenshore Pavilion. The evening will begin with cocktails at 7:30 p.m. foilowed by 8:30 p.n. with the first part of the Dinah Christie and Tom Kneebone show. At 9 p.m. the Peter Perry Award will be presented by the Chanber to the out- standing citizen of Whitby for 1976. This will be followed by the second part of the entertainment, and a dance starting at 10 p.m. A buffet dinner will be served at midnight. Chamber President Gord lanna says lie expects the Peter Perry award night to be one of the outstanding events of the year with its CHINESE FOGi> TAVERN GOLDEN GATE RESTAURANT AND TAVERN CHINESE & CANADIAN FOOD 105-107 BROCK ST. S. WHITBY (JUST SOUTH OF 4 CORNERS) Fully Licenced Under The L.L.B. . GOLDEN GATE' SURANT DINE IN OPEN GATEWAY TO TK U Mon Thurs GT ATER till 2 A.M. FINE CUISINE WEDDING Fri.-Sat. for HOME DELIVERY in PARTIES till 3 A.M. WHITBY. AJAX, AND BROOKLIN 8 OSHAWA, BANQUETS CAL L' TAKE OUT SERVI [UW 668-8321 new innovative format. Nomination forms are already in town banks, the Victoria and Grey Trust Company, the library and the Chamber's information booth at the Four Corners, to enable Whitby residents to noininate someone as outstanding citizen of the ye'ar. Since 1956 the Chamber of Commerce has been pre- senting the Peter Perry Award to an outstandin9 citizen of Whitby, chosen by a panel of judges. Any citizen ofWhitby may nominate one or more candidates by completing the nomination form and mailing it to the Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce at the Centennial Building. Candidates for nomination must be residents or taxpayers of the Town of Whitby, and no candidate shall be dis- qualified by reason of his office, employment, business or association with the Chamber of Commerce. The award may be made post- humously. Nominations to be con- sidered must be post marked on or before July 11. Mere numbers of nominations for any candidate will not influence the decision of the judges. The panel of judges will make the award to the candidate who has rendered outstanding service to the Town of Whitby over and above his normal duties of office, employment or business. and where practical, their parents. The objective is to provide the family with the tools to help them become independent and self-support- ing. All programs are adapted to the needs of each countrv and laterly tend to be con- centrated in rural areas, where the whole community can benefit, particularly through mass innoculations, etc. Foster Parents and Foster Children correspond monthly (letters are translated by PLAN) and often develop warm and affectionate rela- tionships which mean as much to the child as the material and financial aid. Foster Parent Plan is cur- rently working in thirteen countries in South America, Central America, Asia and Africa. Over 70,000 children are currently being aided by individuals, groups and families in Canada, Australia, The Netherlands and U.S.A. For more information on this nonprofit, nonsectarian, non- political independent organi- zation, write to Foster Parents Plan of Canada, 153 St. Clair Avenue West, Toronto, Ont. M4V 1 P8. Whitby is in top 10 The aquatics staff of the Whitby Recreation Depart- ment has received congratula- tions from the Royal Life Saving Society of Canada for having its programs place in the top 10 for municipalities in Ont'ario with populations under 50,000. In a competition for the highest number of life saving and resuscitation awards pre- sented, Whitby placed eighth and seventh respectively for the province. Whitby placed ahead of the Ajax and Pickering pro- grams, says Recreation Director Wayne DeVeau. Whitby couple become foster parents BROOKLIN RENTALS. Equipment Rental For Construction, Form & Homeowner Anderson St. south of Winchester St. BROOKLIN, ONT. 655-3381