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Page 18, Whitby Fre Press, Wednesday, August 17,1994 OKLTN b>______ By Steve Webb Members of the Octagon Club of Brooklin will ho ventuing onc aginto Bruce National P'k or their third annual camping expedition. Octagon advisor Keith Wick helieves the trip to the park allows members to gain camping experience and maintain a high level of 'respect for Canada's natural environment. "The annual event gives the members and myself a chance to discover the outdoors in a dif- ferent 'geographical environ- ment,» says Wick who bas been involved with the club since Fehruary, 1992. Last year's trip was a complete success with 12 members attend- ing the expedition. Te programn operates on a group site where members can split up or do activities as a group. Some of the many activiies at the Bruoe include cimbing-sand- Stone clîffs, swimmin g in Geor- gian Bay and biking challenging terrain. "I had the time of my life at Bruoe Trail and I can't wait to go again,," says Mike Milson, one of the directors wbo went last year. "Bruce Trail mrade me feel like I was uplifted to a higher plane of understanding.» Members are expected to sup- ply their own food wbile the campground and transportation fees are paid for by Octagon fundraising. The club will depart Brooklin on Tuesday, Aug. 30 and return the following Friday. The club was formed on March 26, 1992. The group started with three teenagers and gradually grew to 17 over the course of a year. Wick had wanted a teenage Optimist Club and decided to put one together witb the youtb of Brooklin. Once formed, the group perfor- med many community service p rojects and made some money by fundraising around Durham Region., "The club has influenced niy life and sent me into a btter direction," says Milîson, who has hoon with the club for a year and a baif. "I like the friends I hiave made." The Octagon Club bas belped in many food drives and spon- sored a hi screon movie at Anderson CVI last Deceinber. The movie was titled 'Higher Ground' and its purpose was to steer teenagers away froim drugs and alcobol and towards a happy and profitable life. Besides doing many con- munit y service projects, the club has alIso done fundraisers such as Joe's Pizzeria discount carda and Christmas tree sales, but ne fundraisor has been perhaps as worthwbile as the Octagon bingo and Nevada ticket sales. The club bas made approxi- mately $13,000 from bingo and Nevada ticket sales in the past year. The bingo 'is held at the Hideaway in south Whitby and runs 5 to 7 p.m. every other Wednesday. Nevada tickets are being sold at a retail variety store in Whitby and are the club's best fundraiser. Aside frem fundraising and community service projects, the club also dees many fun activi- ties such as trips and camping expeditions. By Sepemr 1992, the club bad g onet St Louis, Ottawa andTobormory. Whilo in St. Louis and Ottawa, members attendod leadership conferences and Tobormory was the first of their camping trips te Bruoe National Park. Most recently the club went to Ottawa on a white water rafting experience and attended a lea- dership conférence in Montreal. The club's budget'is $15,000 a year and members are trying to p ut as much of it as they can hack into tbe community. Last week the club gave $800 to an Anderson student towards bis -post-secondary education in the faîl, and aIse g ave $1,800 to two Brooklin residents wbo are c dmin back te Brooklin from British Columbia early next month. Octaon meetings are beld at Brooklin Bulletin Signa on Thursdays and commence at 7:30 p.m. For more information caîl Wick at 655-4434. OCTAGON CLUB members include (front, f rom Ieft) Justin Bruckmann, Mike Milison, seated, from let) Graham Underwood, Wes Matt Sorichetti, Ray Paton, Steve Webb and Odgers and Brock.Heron; (back, standing, advisor Keith Wsck. Photo by Mark Reesor, Whltby Fme Press Optimi*sts' summer prograrn gives students.job exerience The Optimist Club of Brooklin bas again taken an active role in the development and education of area students. This summer the club initiated tbeir annual 'Sunimer Employment Experience Prograni in which local students obtain a employrnent expenience in conJunction with their summer sebool responsiilities. In addition, students were offered a series of job skills seminars that helped acquaint tbem witb resuine writing, interviewing tips' and otber job-related topics. The program was made possible by govermeént asponsorsbip in combination witb tbe Iùndraising efforts of tbe Optimist Club. The seven students -- Steve Webb, Brandon Spanger, Mike Milîson, Brock Heron, Jason Murray, Ian Walendzewicz and Kevin Limkilde bave been placed in a variety of local employment situations. The immersion acquaints students witb a particular profession so tbat they are botter able te evaluate- their career interests while improving their work ethic and self-esteem. Webb bas "an apprenticesbip et tbe Wbitby F'ree Press. He bas written articles tbat are scheduled te ho publisbed in future editiens of the paper. Milîson is employed in a sales capacity at tbe Outdoor Inn, a retail outlet for camping and hiking equipment, on Brock Street North in ýWhîtby., Spanger bas been working for the Martine Funeral Home, a newly built faeility on Brock Road in Pickering. Walendzewicz is employed as a groundskeeper et tbe Lyndebrook Golf Club on Hligbway 12 nortb of Whitby. Murray is aIse working as a groundskeeper at the Oakridge Golf Club in Asbburn. Limkilde is at tbe Heber Down Conservation Autberity in Broolclin deing outdoor taks that relate te conservation and tbe envfronfient. Heron is employed with the Town of Whiitby parks and recreation department on a crew tbat is involved in recycling and site dlean-up programe. RE"lrmjr I 'Misplaced direction' destroys local roadsides To the "dtS-. For several months now I have wetched the Town of Whithy works department aystemnatically destroy the roadsdes around Brooklin. They have tom eut mifles of shrube and trees while deing mucb damage te, the remaining metùre trees that many of these alpo wither and die after only a fËÏw'months. When crews are approached on wby this werk Ùs3hoing dene the responses are, "leaning up the reedades" and "liminating undesirable trees" or "making room for the snow plows.' Cleaning jup what? Cleaning up the cool green verges lined by split rail fonces that used te make a drive around the countryside a pleasure. Eliminating trees and sbrubs that were iundesirable in what wey? Undesirable beceuse tbey previded habitat for numereus birds and smail animaIs as well as a wide variety of flowers and plants whiîe creating natural windbreaks se we wouldn't see topsoil blowing across the open fields in winter. Make rom for the snow pîows? Nene of the plants or shrubs that are being tom eout could hope te impede a plow pushing-a ton of snew. No, Whitby bas apparently decided te dlean up these roadsides te establish a wasteland ef grass bereft of anything that crawls or sings. It dees this se, that it can bire yet otber crews te trira the grass neatly back. Whitby does seem te have the support of soine local fariners whe take advantage of the dlean-up opportniy te rip eut 100-ei-l cedar rail fences, thereby saving theniselves unteld maintenance probleins? Certainly Whitby is succeeding admirably in eliminating any charin tL region possesses ýn faveur of endiesa cheap tract heusing and gas stations wbile ursgiits ewn version ef urban lgtThere are apparently ne limita te the mnoey that Whitby can pour inte, destroying the naturel landsape. The Town ef Whitby must have deeper pocicets than anyone else ever imagined and an even deeper commitment te waste. It is perhaps just another small thing, but it diminishes us aIl while doing damage that could net hope te be. undone in les tban decades. It only serves te show tbe horribly misplaced direction provided by those chosen to hold sway over our lives at every level of administration. We would al ho wise te cheose again, and more carefully. M. J. EBuis ý Ashburn Bruce hike just i Of Octagon activities