Southpoint Sun, November 7, 2012

Mayor Paterson to join fight to protect local food processing jobs

As a result of years of pressure from U.S. manufacturers, the Federal Government intends to repeal the law that regulates the sizes of packaged foods sold in Canada.

The change would put businesses that process food in Canada at a competitive disadvantage requiring them to adopt American sizes and formats. The food industry has been taken completely off-guard with these intended changes which are being forced on processors, farmers and communities without consultation or consideration to the impacts these changes would have on local jobs and economies.

Mayor John Paterson

Leamington Mayor John Paterson will be joining local processors, other local mayors, including Kingsville Mayor Nelson Santos, and the Food Processors of Canada at meetings in Ottawa this week, Nov. 7 and 8 to actively and strongly seek engagement with Agricultural Minister Gerry Ritz and Members of Parliaments to fully address the negative repercussions of the intended deregulation and to urge the federal government to fully commit to stakeholders to make improvements that support Canadian jobs, processors and communities.

Mayor Paterson, along with others in the region, recognizes the broad implications these changes could have on communities. Some of our largest employers are food processors, employing hundreds of local residents, providing a livelihood for farmers, and contributing significantly to assessment and the tax base.

Mayor Paterson says of the intended legislation: “Our history and prosperity have been shaped by food processing and agriculture. The proposed deregulation of food packaging sizes could see this history and prosperity disappear. For Leamington, such dramatic changes threaten the economic viability of our community.”

“What if a company like Heinz decided instead of spending millions here to comply, they just closed and took their business to the States? It would be devastating to this area,” he said.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency intends to eliminate several consumer protections including regulated package sizes for maple syrup, wine, honey, sandwich meats, (Continued on Page 2)

The Bank Theatre Friday Night Music Series kicked off with local names Billy Raffoul (top) and Justin Latam & Friends (below, from left to right, Charles Diab, Rick Latam, Benny Paloto and Justin Latam. Dale Butler also played, but is not visible in the photo.

The first in a series of Friday jam sessions was held on Friday, November 2 at The Bank Theatre. The next show scheduled will be Friday, December 7 when Generation “W” (Windsor’s own Wilkinson Family) will perform. (SUN Photo)

Mayor Paterson to join fight to protect local food processing jobs

(Continued from Front) bacon, canned and frozen fruits and vegetables, and more. Last spring the government surprised food processors with the following announcement found on page 219 of Budget 2012:

“The Government will also repeal regulations related to container standards to enable industry to take advantage of new packaging

formats and technologies, while removing an unnecessary barrier for the importation of new products from international markets.”

Deregulating consumer packages supports neither consumers nor Canadian farmers and food processors. The proposed deregulation distorts the playing field in favor of imports and confuses consumers. Cana-

dian food processors will be forced to make tough decisions…do they reinvest here or in the U.S? Do they keep jobs here, or send them elsewhere? Companies have options but farmers and consumers do not.

“We want to ask the federal government – before they implement this change – to talk to packaging companies and farmers and all

involved,” said Paterson.

The Facts:

• Canada and the U.S. regulate differently. For 50 years, Canadian package sizes have provided a level playing field and a stable investment climate, allowed consumers to make quick price comparisons and eliminated package downsizing.

• Food processing plants buy 34% of Canada’s farm production for frozen and canned fruits and vegetables; most of what they process is locally grown.

If production leaves Canada, local farmers will lose market opportunities – both domestic and export sales.

• Communities lose out as well. When Hershey closed its Smiths Falls facility in 2007, 15% of the town’s workforce lost their jobs. The town also lost the 400,000 tourists that came to visit the chocolate factory annually.

Leamington to upgrade its financial softwarecomes in under budget

Leamington’s finance department has been looking for financial software to assist in the complex task of keeping track of the municipality’s business. Last year Council allocated $300,000 in the budget for this solution to the existing software limitations, as well as $15,000 in the building department budget for building permit and inspection software.

At the Monday night, Nov. 5 Council meeting a recommendation was presented to Council that would provide the answer to both departments’ needs. A software company out of British Columbia called Vadim Software was awarded a contract worth just over $175,000 to supply, install and train users on a system that (according to the report) “will move the financial system from the current DOS based platform to a Windows based platform. It will upgrade the system to a current standard for ease of use, format, accessibility, and consistency with best practices employed by other municipalities. In addition, it will afford the opportunity to replace other outdated software (such as Drainage 2000 and Cemetery 2000) and move from a number of standalone systems to an integrated solution.”

The report also pointed out that, “The Vadim Software solution does allow for additional enhancements and functionality which may be added in the future. These enhancements may include e-services and mobile application functionality. Requests for further modules or system enhancements will be brought forward for budget consideration at the appropriate time.”

In the discussion, Mayor Paterson enthused, “This would be a huge step forward if we can implement this.” Members of Council agreed, and the contract was endorsed unanimously.

Hydro outage

TOP PHOTO: A Hydro One worker and Kingsville firefighter assess the damage to a hydro pole following a single-vehicle collision near the intersection of Essex County Road 20 and Union Avenue on the morning of Friday, Nov. 2. Hydro was lost for thousands of customers after a boom truck’s boom came loose and snapped two hydro poles into two pieces each. Ontario Provincial Police officers, Kingsville firefighters and Hydro One workers responded to the scene. Essex County Road 20 was closed to traffic from Graham Sideroad in Kingsville to Essex Road 31 in Leamington, as was Union Avenue as far north as Road 2. Hydro was out for several hours in the area while crews cleaned up the scene and made repairs.

A 57-year-old Windsor man was charged with Insecure Load-Commercial Vehicle. There were no injuries resulting from the crash.

BOTTOM PHOTO: Lawrence Dayman of Hydro One isolates power to a localized area near the scene of a single-vehicle incident that took place on the morning of Friday, Nov. 2 within close proximity to the intersection of Essex County Road 20 and Union Ave. (SUN Photos)

False 911 calls on the rise –costs police valuable time

By Sheila McBrayne

Ontario Provincial Police dispatchers have seen a rise in the number of false 911 calls and Leamington OPP Community Service Officer Constable Kevin O’Neil is asking the public to be more careful at home and on cell phones.

“There has been a noticeable increase in the number of 911 hang-ups, especially from cell phones,” said Constable O’Neil. “A lot of cell phones have a speed dial for 911 and the dispatcher can hear outside noise, but no one is there. Basically they’ve pocket-dialed 911 accidently, but each call takes our operators away from real emergency calls,” said Constable O’Neil.

Police advise the public to:

• lock the phone

• turn it off

• keep it in a holdster, instead of in a pocket

If you do accidently call 911 and know that you did–DON’T HANG UP. Tell the dispatcher that you accidently dialed it and that there is no emergency.

False 911 calls originating from landlines take up the most time for police officers. “We know where the call is coming from and officers must stop what they’re doing to respond to the call. We treat it as an emergency and respond immediately,” said Constable O’Neil. “If you do

Courthouse Lease Ratified

At Monday night’s meeting, Leamington Council voted to enter into a five-year lease with the Province for the Clark St. Courthouse. Leamington’s Director of Corporate Services, Brian Sweet, pointed out that Leamington’s is one of very few leases that will increase, even if it is only 2% for the five years.

Leamington is guaranteed to receive a minimum payment of $18,360 each year of the lease, but also benefits from the savings of not having to send police to escort prisoners to Windsor for court.

accidently call 911, again, stay on the line and tell the dispatcher that there is no emergency… If the police call back to check on a hang-up, answer the phone and explain that there’s no emergency,” explained O’Neil.

Another misuse of the 911 system that takes dispatchers away from real emergencies are people who call 911 for a non-emergency. “Know what an emergency is. A lost bike is not an emergency. Reporting something that happened yesterday is not an emergency,” explained Constable O’Neil. For non-emergency matters call the Leamington OPP detachment office at 519-326-2544 during office hours or 1-888-310-1122 after hours.

The police are asking for the public to be more careful at home and for parents to make sure their children know and respect the importance of the 911 system. If your child does call 911, please, let the dispatcher know that it was a mistake.

If I were a sweet bell pepper…

If I were a Sweet Bell pepper, I would be ticked with the reputation I have been given. Behind my beautifully coloured exterior ‘they’ say lies a toxic flesh, but it’s just not true, because I’m Canadian.

they’ve had enough of trying to compete with their distant relatives from Honduras, the U.S. and Peru.

The farm that I grew up on has practiced Food and Safety regulations that have included more stringent pesticide regulations. Every week a scout visits my home and goes up and down the rows of the greenhouse looking through a microscope. He searches for bad bugs, which may be eating the leaves of the plant that feeds me, as well as the good little buggers that are beneficial to my growth. The scout helps the farmer avoid spraying the crop with a product that endangers him, his workers and their customers –‘You’!

These restrictions have driven down pesticide use locally, but have had NO effect on imports that carry 80% of the pesticide risk. My farmer spent time and money to ensure that either no sprays or safer sprays (if necessary) are used in conjunction with biological programs. This means that ‘good critters’ eat the ‘bad critters’ that eat me! The outcome was a cleaner environment for me to grow in.

I was essentially put on a diet, one that measured my ‘Dietary Risk Index’ (DRI) or the average amount of pesticide found in me. Guess what? I not only passed with flying colours, but beat my U.S. neighbour by about half. My cute little Sweet Peppers to the south, with the sombreros on them, have 11.47 times my levels of pesticide in them. That puts their pretty little skins at 6 times above the maximum safe levels and that makes one hot tamale!

Yes, I am a competitive Big Bell Pepper and if it means spreading the dirt so that I don’t end up in a dumpster, then that’s what I’ll do. Yet, here we all sit, side by side, on your local grocery store shelf. No, I am not given the place of dignity that I deserve, in line with the organics. All of my fellow Canadian fruits and veggies are continually striving to be our best and the best for you.

I’ve had conversations with my friends, the cuke, the green bean and the asparagus, when they’re in season, and

One day in the aisles, I overheard rumours of an article in The Windsor Star that seemed to have many veggies wiggling their ears and opening their eyes. The tidbits that I overheard spoke of local greenhouse farmers having to deal with an influx of produce, including an over-abundance of their own from a bumper year, driving down produce price to below their cost.

How can you let this happen? Who wouldn’t choose me over those other guys, if they knew how I shone in comparison? You are the consumer and you can choose to vote, since you’re the one putting me in your mouth or not. If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for the little guy, since pesticides affect you in terms of body weight and that means your kids are taking the brunt of your foolish purchases.

Choose me, the lovely but lowly Canadian Produce, over the one sitting next to me, which has travelled in a transport or plane for thousands of miles, spewing toxins into the air. Why support the farmer abroad before your local one, who has spent more to pay local employees a higher wage, and heat their greenhouse, to ensure you can have fresh product all year long? They have put the cleanest systems in place to make your eating safe.

Sure, importing produce drives the price that my farmer gets down, but you’ll never see the dip in the stores. That difference goes to the marketer, to pay for packaging, labeling and transportation. Please, please, I ask you, “Make the choice to eat ME”, so they stop bringing in products that can’t compete with me, health wise.

I am not just another pepper; I’m a proud Canadian Pepper.

From one generation to the next. Lest We Forget.

Plaque Honours Municipalities

Leamington Councillors Hilda MacDonald and John Jacobs display a plaque from the Ontario Municipal Water Association honouring the founding members who met October 13, 1966 to plan the formation of the association. There are only fifteen municipalities named on the commemorative plaque, and Leamington is one of them. (SUN Photo)

Council housekeeping takes longer than expected...

By Bill Chaplin, Municipal Correspondent

Leamington Municipal Council has forwarded Official Plan Amendment #1 to Essex County Council for final approval—just four years after the housekeeping amendment was begun, and mere months before legislation requires a complete review of the plan. What happened? Well, shortly after the Official Plan was approved by County Council in February of 2008, Leamington Council wanted to review the plan for some ‘housekeeping’ considerations. Consultants were hired, and in November of 2008 a decision was made concerning what housekeeping amendments and reviews were needed.

By April of 2009 a draft was ready and circulated (as required by legislation) to ERCA, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, and the County of Essex. Comments were received, changes made, and by September of 2010 a final draft was complete. All that was needed was the final ‘stamp of approval’ from the three commenting agencies.

That is where it sat for two years. When a reminder was sent in June of this year, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, they said they had to ‘re-acquaint themselves with this file’, and ERCA and the County did not reply.

As a result of so much time passing since the public meetings and decisions that brought about this final form, and since the official plan is such an extensive document, consideration of whether or not to adopt it and send it for final approval to the County was deferred until the next Council meeting in the hopes that specifics that concern Council can be debated, and any concerns of citizens or special interest groups can be heard once again before a final disposal of the work.

Essex Power Board opening to be advertised

Leamington Council had to decide whether to reappoint its sitting member of the public on the Essex Power Corporation Board, or to advertise for interested individuals to apply. Leamington’s public representative has been Mr. Frank Ricci. About Mr. Ricci, the Mayor commented, “He has been an absolutely wonderful person to work with.”

In spite of this, Councillor Hilda MacDonald moved, “It’s time to advertise... We need to make this open to the public.”

The majority of Council agreed with her, pointing out that Mr. Ricci may well be re-appointed, but it is appropriate to gauge public interest and ability to represent Leamington’s interests.

Strategic Planning update

Monday evening, Nov. 5, Leamington’s CAO Bill Marck updated Council on what progress has been made in the past year on the strategic plan action plan adopted in the fall of 2011. Highlights of that report are as follows:

• Sewer Separation: Research has been undertaken to consider shifting the costs associated with sanitary sewers from the urban tax rate to the sewer surcharge to ensure equitable and adequate funding. It is expected that a report on this will be available in 2013-2014. Money will continue to be set aside for sewer renewal. (The amount in the 2012 capital budget was $1.35 million.)

• Community Improvement Program: The original 10-year program has now been condensed to five years. Applications for improvements including outdoor patios and facade improvements are expected in 2013.

• Sustainable and Flexible Funding Programs: To quote the report, “the present financial position of the province does not provide any opportunity at this time to develop or reintroduce sustainable programs.”

(Continued on Page 6)

Rodents Invade LDSS

Enthusiastic staff at Leamington District Secondary School combined forces and held a dress-up event to surprise their students on Wednesday, October 31. They created their own Mickey & Minnie Mouse Club – Leamington style! These rodents roamed freely within the school and could be found scurrying in the offices, halls, cafeteria and classrooms. The curious looks and whispered comments from the students made the effort all worthwhile. Last year the staff were a Village of Smurfs and this year a Club of Mice. What will they come up with next year? You’ll have to wait see!

(Submitted photo)

Council Notes

(Continued from Page 5)

• Shoreline Assistance: A report on the East Marsh Dyke is expected in early 2013. Engineering for sewers along the Bevel Line and Point Pelee Drive is continuing and should be shovel-ready should grants be announced by senior levels of government.

• Raising the Profile of Leamington: Council will be encouraged to place money in the 2013 budget and 2014 budget to fund a branding strategy and logo. Leamington’s new website will include Google Analysis which will provide detailed tracking information to better adapt to user needs.

• Long-Term Financial Plan: Work will continue on this after the new financial software is implemented; converting to the new system must be the first priority.

Free flu shot clinic

There will be a free flu shot clinic at the Leamington Half Century Centre on Thursday, November 15 from 2:00-8:00 p.m.

Flu vaccines are free to anyone who lives, works or goes to school in Ontario. There is no need to make an appointment for the clinic. All you need to bring is your driver’s license or your health card. Children must be accompanied by a legal guardian.

The Universal Influenza Immunization Program recommends that all individuals aged 6 months or older who have no contraindication (a specific situation in which a drug, procedure, or surgery should NOT be used because it may be harmful to the patient) receive the publicly-funded vaccine.

There are many different strains of flu and they change from year to year. A new vaccine is produced each year that provides protection against the three most common strains that are predicted for the coming flu season. The seasonal flu vaccination includes H1N1.

The flu vaccine will provide protection against the flu virus within two weeks of receiving the vaccine, and usually lasts up to 1 year in healthy adults and children. Those who receive the vaccine may still get the flu, but if they do, the symptoms are usually milder. The flu vaccine will not protect against colds and other illness that can sometimes be mistaken for influenza.

Most individuals who receive the vaccine have no side effects. Some people may experience soreness, redness or swelling at the injection site. The risk of the vaccine causing serious harm is extremely small and life-threatening allergic reactions are very rare. Anyone who has a serious reaction to the vaccine should report it to Windsor-Essex Public Health Unit.

Seasonal influenza is transmitted by coming in contact with respiratory droplets from someone who is infected through coughing, sneezing, or talking. It can also be spread by contacts with surfaces contaminated by the seasonal influenza virus, such as unwashed hands, toys and eating utensils.

People who get the flu may have fever, chills, cough, body aches, sore throat, weakness and headaches. Children may also experience earaches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

For more information call the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit at 519-258-2146 ext. 1425, 1438 or 1426.

Charges laid in hunting mishap

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) on Pelee Island conducted an investigation Nov. 1 after an Ohio man walked to the nurse’s station with an injury to both of his legs.

As it is hunting season, police were already stationed on Pelee Island and responded to a call at 10:50 a.m. The victim, a 66-year-old male from Sandusky, Ohio, had shotgun pellets in both of his lower legs.

On Nov. 2 the OPP charged Charles Stites, 69-year-old Sandusky, Ohio, man with Careless Use of a Firearm. Stites is scheduled to appear in a Windsor Court on December 13, 2012 to answer to the charge after he discharged his firearm, aiming at a pheasant, and accidentally hit another male party in his group instead.

The victim’s injuries were non-life threatening.

Kids keep warm with SECC Coats For Kids program

By Bryan Jessop

As many as 1,200 youths from Leamington and surrounding areas will experience a warmer winter thanks to the South Essex Community Council’s annual Coats For Kids program.

The SECC’s volunteer services leader Noreen Wiebe rallied about 50 volunteers who helped collect well over 1,000 coats donated by local schools from across Leamington and Kingsville, as well as from local individuals and other organizations. The lightly-used coats were donated and collected throughout the month of October and stored at the SECC’s Leamington branch on Talbot Street West prior to their distribution from the same location Saturday Nov. 3, Monday, Nov. 5 and Tuesday, Nov. 6. Those in need of winter coats for their young sons and daughters stopped by the SECC building from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday.

In addition to the 1,200 coats, 500 pairs of mittens and more than 400 winter hats were also collected and made available to those in need.

Coats were arranged and displayed into categories of small, medium and large for both girls and boys. Although there is consistently a demand for winter coats made for youths of all sizes, the biggest demand is usually for boys, who are typically faster to wear out their clothing.

Saturday’s group of SECC volunteers was greeted by about 80 families in search of winter clothing for their children, with the Monday and Tuesday hours established for parents who work on weekends and were able to stop in after school hours to help keep their sons and daughters bundled up for the harsh winter weather.

“That’s the goal, to simply keep kids warm,” said Wiebe. “We don’t want to see any of them go cold.”

Donated items were cleaned free of charge by Fletcher’s Cleaners, Canopy Cleaners and Kennedy’s Cleaners in Leamington.

“That’s a really important service for us,” said Wiebe. “This would get expensive very quickly without their generosity.”

Coats For Kids volunteers took on duties ranging from dropping off collection boxes at schools, picking up the filled boxes and sending them to the dry cleaner businesses, gathering the cleaned items for sorting into size and gender categories and helping recipient families find coats, mittens and hats suitable for their children.

Items not accounted for after the three-day program — which the SECC has run annually for more than a dozen years now — are sent to the Unemployed Help Centre in Windsor.

ON N8H 1N9

Please include cheque with form. All donations must be received by Monday, November 26/12

If you would like a receipt for tax purposes (donation of $20 or more) please fill out form below:

NAME:

ADDRESS:

TOWN/CITY:

Coats For Kids volunteers Tina Peters and Danya Klaibi organize donated coats by gender and size during the second day of the annual three-day program, hosted and organized by the South Essex Community Council.

South Essex Community Council Coats For Kids volunteer Liz Jackson categorizes donated coats. (SUN Photos)

Pillon-Abbs takes proactive approach

By Bryan Jessop

‘You can’t please everyone’ the old saying goes, but that isn’t stopping Tracey PillonAbbs from trying.

The Municipality of Leamington’s director of development services began her career after graduating from the University of Waterloo’s registered professional planner course, making her certified province-wide. Having been born and raised in the Leamington area, Pillon-Abbs took on duties as manager of planning services beginning in 2000, a title she held with the Municipality of Leamington until last year. Her promotion to director of development services last year also includes the supervision of fire, building and planning services departments, which includes a $2.8 million budget and overseeing a staff of 40 employees.

“I work with an amazing group of team players all focused on ensuring good customer services,” Pillon-Abbs explained.

With her new title, Pillon-Abbs takes on several roles with the municipality, including department and facility operation and development, addressing customer service concerns, advising council on policy and procedure creation and changes, financial management and working with department managers to ensure they are equipped with the amenities necessary to meet their own objectives.

NOVEMBER 7, 2012

WEBSITE OVERHAUL AND PHOTO CONTEST!

The Municipality has started the process of completely redoing its web site. Your participation and feedback in this process is very important to us.

Please complete the survey that is found on our current web site or pick up a copy at town hall, Kinsmen Complex or Library. The survey will be available until Mid-Nov.

We are also sponsoring a photo contest. Simply submit your LEAMINGTON pictures to us at photos@leamington.ca or drop them off at town hall marked “Photo Contest”. To enter your pictures you must agree to the Terms and Conditions, so make sure you sign this and include it with your entry. We will have some great prizes for the top three photos selected. Feel free to enter more than one…just make sure they are from in and around Leamington. Contest closes Dec. 31/12. Good Luck!

LEAMINGTON KINSMEN RECREATION COMPLEX

P.A. Day from school Fri. Nov. 16th

Bring the kids ages 4 - 7 & 8 - 12 to the Complex Day Camp for swimming, skating, crafts, ‘& games galore. Register in advance. Free public skate – Fri. Nov. 16th 1:00-3:00 pm sponsored by Fahrhall Home Comfort Specialists.

Book your Holiday Work Party or Team Party Now! 519-322-2337

• Ice Rental times-available for pick-up hockey groups, or for recreational skates.

• Work or Team Holiday parties-swimming/skating/or fitness activity-and finish off with a pizza party

• Meeting Rooms-for small or larger workshops, bridal showers, family reunions or company events.

Buy everyone on your Christmas Gift List the gift of Healthy Living at the Leamington Kinsmen Recreation Complex - Gift Certificates in any dollar amount

• To meet with a Personal Trainer

• New Year Shape-up Special $115.00 & HST

• Student memberships

• Youth Skate/Swim/Gym Pass

DOG REGISTRATION (TAGS)

2013 Dog Tags for Male or Female dogs are now available at the municipal office for a fee of $18.00 per dog tag. A late fee of $18.00 will be included on the cost of the dog tag as of Tuesday, April 2, 2013. Every dog owner shall keep up to 2 dogs per dwelling unit. Failure to purchase a licence may result in a fine.

For general dog information or for a dog registration application please refer to our website under Animal Control.

UPCOMING COUNCIL MEETINGS

Nov.19, 26, Dec. 3, 10, 17. Council Chambers 7:00 pm.

View Leamington’s latest council agenda at www.leamington.ca

ENVIRONMENTAL TIP:

Follow the yard waste collection rules.

LEAMINGTON ONTARIO CANADA

MUNICIPALITY OF LEAMINGTON 111 Erie

For the upcoming year, Pillon-Abbs’ professional goals are to streamline the development approval process to assure Leamington residents that their municipality is ‘open for business’. She plans to accomplish this by scheduling more open houses, revamping the development manual, reviewing the development charge fee, the use of monthly newsletters and social media and implementing Leamington’s Community Improvement Plan for the uptown core. Currently, the CIP is going through the pre-approval stage of applications for the year 2013. This stage began in September, by which point eight applications had been filled and received. Pillon-Abbs expects several more CIP applications to arrive, as she has directed a steady schedule of pre-application consultation. The length of time to determine whether or not a CIP application is approved depends on the business/property owner’s requests, which range from replacing windows to entire front facade and interior renovations. Other projects that can be funded with CIP grants include roofing, wheelchair accessibility and energy efficiency upgrades.

“It’s a new and exciting time for us,” Pillon-Abbs said. Pillon-Abbs first developed an interest in public service after taking on a co-op program as a Grade 12 student at Leamington District Secondary School in 1986. At that time, she worked in the clerk’s department and later offered co-op services in Waterloo.

“That’s what inspired me to work for the government,” Pillon-Abbs said. “Specifically, I wanted to get into urban planning, to help the town grow.”

After graduating from university, she worked for the County of Wellington (the Guelph, Fergus, Elmira area) before taking on planning jobs with Industry Canada and then the Essex Region Conservation Authority. It was following her employment with ERCA that she began working for the municipality of Leamington.

“This has been my dream job since my co-op,” PillonAbbs explained. “By the time I got back to Leamington, I was well-rounded in different planning areas. Being able to see Leamington grow in a way that’s healthy has been very rewarding. I’ve always wanted to see this as a place that is healthy for people to work, play and live.”

She explained that the transition from planner to director has been a smooth one over the past year, as she has enjoyed the opportunity to meet and work with other departments to achieve the same overall objectives. While planning was largely made up of looking 20 years ahead to ensure residents were able to access developable land to purchase and build their homes and businesses, her current responsibilities include more ‘in the moment’ duties, such as helping the Leamington Fire Department ensure the municipality is well-protected.

“By being more proactive, there is less time needed to actually fight fires, meaning people can escape faster and damage is reduced,” Pillon-Abbs noted. “Dealing with fewer fire calls is important with an aging community, where more people are living in nursing homes and have limited mobility.”

The director of development services job entails several meetings where policies are created and consulted with various managers for presentation during council meetings. (Continued on page 9)

Pillon’Abbs

(Continued from page 8)

Pillon-Abbs explained that dedicating a large portion of her work week to these meetings while allowing departments enough time to manage the other components of their duties can be challenging. However, by practicing what she refers to as “creative time management,” such challenges have been dealt with successfully.

“Good time management means we won’t take away from the time needed for others’ responsibilities,” PillonAbbs said. “At the same time, we’ve done all work in-house so far.”

While working on long-term policy projects, Pillon-Abbs and her co-workers must also be able to respond to changes such as new standards in the Ontario Building Code. She is also currently overseeing plans for a new addition to the existing fire hall and regularly tours schools to help figure out an approach to accommodate students using wheelchairs.

Lately, one of the most difficult issues to approach regarding municipal policy is where recreational vehicles can and should be parked during their ‘storage’ seasons. With boats and RVs being prepared for storage by owners across town, Pillon-Abbs and her staff have fielded several calls from neighbours complaining about such vehicles obstructing their views of opposing traffic. The matter has been an issue of contention in council chambers for the past three years. Pillon-Abbs explained that it has been difficult to come up with regulations on the number, size, time and location of where such vehicles can and cannot be stored and parked.

“Actually, that’s what’s cool about the job,” she said. “The challenge makes it interesting.”

In addition to her duties with the municipality, Pillon-Abbs is also taking on the tasks involved with raising a family. Along with her husband Jim, who happens to be a planner with the City of Windsor (they met in Waterloo during the planning program), she is raising two children — 15-yearold daughter Alisa and 12-year-old son Mason. The family organizes weekly game nights and manages a vegetable garden while also volunteering at the John R. Park Homestead between Kingsville and Harrow. Day trips and community

Local Rotary Club will host Christmas Gift Show

One-of-a-kind vendors will offer unique gifts

The Leamington Rotary Club Christmas Gift Show will be held on Saturday, November 17 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and on Sunday, November 18 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Leamington Kinsmen Recreation Complex, 249 Sherk Street.

One-of-a-kind vendors will have unique gifts available for shoppers wishing to start their Christmas shopping early. Art activities for children will be provided by Katherine Burton.

Admission to the Rotary Club Christmas Gift Show is $3 per person, and children under 12 are admitted free. Proceeds from the Gift Show will be used to support Rotary Club projects such as LDMH Women’s Centre Digital Mammography, yearly bursaries for area high schools (LDSS, Cardinal Carter and UMEI), and Southpoint Minor Hockey.

For more information contact Diane Samson at 519326-6379 or dsamson259@sympatico.ca

fundraisers are also integral parts of the family’s day-to-day life, as Tracey’s mother is a cancer survivor.

In her spare time, Pillon-Abbs enjoys golfing, curling, yoga, soccer, hockey and training for marathons and Ironman triathlons. For the latter two, she has raced in Ontario, Michigan, Ohio, Nevada and Indiana. She is now preparing for the Nashville Marathon, to be held in April of next year.

“I do it because I really enjoy getting out, exercising, being active, relieving stress, seeing new sights and living an overall healthy lifestyle,” Pillon-Abbs stated. “Training is very easy to schedule around family and work as I can be very creative with time management.”

LET US TEST YOUR FORD BEFORE WINTER DOES.

Cold weather demands more of your vehicle. Every part has to work harder to get you where you need to go. Our Ford-Trained Technicians can prepare your vehicle to perform at its best. They’ll examine your vehicle from headlight to tailpipe so that when winter does arrive, it fails to make an impact.

TRUST THE EXPERTS WHO KNOW YOUR FORD BEST.

Each of our Ford-Trained Technicians is certified to check more than your Ford’s oil and filter. As a complete service package, your vehicle will undergo a comprehensive inspection of up to 83-points, including rotating and checking all four tires. So you can drive away knowing everything works the way it should.

Tracey Pillon-Abbs, a volunteer firefighter, works alongside the Leamington Fire Department on a regular basis as the municipality’s director of development services.

Essex OPP welcomes Interim Commander

This week the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in Essex County welcomes a new, Interim Detachment Commander.

Inspector Rick Derus has taken a Deputy-Chief Position with Windsor Police Service and begins that posting this week after serving nearly 30 years with the OPP, the last six 6 as Detachment Commander of Essex County.

Inspector Glenn Miller will step in on an interim basis until a permanent replacement can be found. Inspector Miller brings over 30 years of policing experience to Essex County and some of the highlights of his career are not limited to the following: instrumental in developing the Biker Enforcement Unit; Intelligence Unit Commander; performed several undercover assignments in Ontario and elsewhere; was in charge of the OPP GHQ Technical Support Section; Regional Manager Business & Finance, West Region OPP; served time as Director Criminal Intelligence Service (CISO); served with Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS); served as Acting Superintendent of Provincial Operations and Intelligence Bureau.

“I am committed to ensuring the safety and security for all citizens of Essex County,” said Interim Detachment Commander Inspector Glenn Miller. “This interim position will be a seamless transition until such time as the successful incumbent is selected. It is an honour and pleasure to lead the talented women and men who make up Essex County OPP.”

“Lock It or Lose It” campaign this week

Police find several unlocked vehicles, valuables

in plain sight

OPP officers in Essex County participated in a “Lock It or Lose It” program Nov. 5 in conjunction with Crime Prevention Week across the province.

Officers check vehicles and leave a gentle reminder, in the form of an information pamphlet, to lock your vehicle when unattended, do not leave valuables in plain sight and ensure windows are not left open when unattended.

Officers checked approximately 550 vehicles in Kingsville, Harrow and Essex, and found several vehicles that were unlocked and a handful that had purses, GPS units, cell phones and other valuables left in plain sight. Similar programs will be conducted throughout the week in Leamington and Tecumseh.

Theft from, and theft of, vehicles is an ongoing crime which directly impacts victims and places a strain on valuable police resources. This type of crime is not new, but it is very often preventable through community engagement. “Lock It or Lose It” is an award-winning crime prevention initiative developed with the support of Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), aimed at encouraging drivers to take simple precautions to help prevent crime and victimization.

Lock it or Lose it has been around in different forms for many years. In September 2007, the program was professionally enhanced and re-packaged and launched by the OPP across Ontario.

Through its communication strategy, the program incorporates effective prevention through public awareness and education, in support of enforcement activities.

Police are reminding the public to “Lock It or Lose It”. Everyone needs to work together and individually take steps to prevent property crimes.

Happy 75th Anniversary Happy 75th Anniversary

Elvira & Pasquale Serafini

Congratulations!! We're so blessed to have amazing parents & grandparents like you!

Pasquale and Elvira Serafini were married on October 28th, 1937 in Agnone, Italy.

They have 4 daughters, 9 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren & 2 great-great-grandchildren. With Love, From Your Family! We love you both so much!

The OPP Weekly Blend

Leamington: Leamington OPP were called to attend Grandview Crescent for a theft from a vehicle. Sometime between Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, someone entered an unlocked vehicle and removed a GPS unit from within the vehicle.

A vehicle was “keyed” while parked in the upper parking lot at Seacliff Park on Nov. 1. The owner was walking his dog and returned to find damage to the exterior of his vehicle.

A vehicle was entered while parked on Anfred Avenue and a GPS unit and Coach sunglasses were stolen from the vehicle.

Forget the tux and gown - join us for an evening of dressed down

Help your community and have fun doing it. Bring a canned good for the

Two vehicles were entered while parked on Danforth Avenue on Nov. 4. A GPS unit was taken from one vehicle and small change from the other.

Anyone with information about any of these incidents is asked to contact Leamington OPP. Police are reminding residents to lock their vehicles when unattended and not to leave valuables in plain sight.

Kingsville: Two residents on Torquay Drive in Kingsville reported property stolen from unlocked vehicles while parked in their driveways, sometime around Oct. 25. Two GPS units were taken.

The “r” word strikes again!

Words are powerful tools... Lisa Raffoul

LISA RAFFOUL

Practical Advice...

It’s happened again. Another celebrity has used the “r” word. This time it was shock-seeking journalist Ann Coulter who described President Obama as “retarded.” During an interview on Inside Edition she was asked if she was sorry about using the word. She emphatically replied “no!” She was not sorry. She continued to say that commonly used words like “moron” and “idiot” also came from terms that were used to diagnose people who had a mental disability. True, however that doesn’t mean its right to use any of those words.

For people who have an intellectual disability, family members, advocates and professionals alike, the use of the words “retarded, moron and idiot” is infuriating. Not to mention that it’s hurtful and insensitive. Unfortunately, members of the general population like Ms. Coulter, who do not have a child or a close family member who has a disability, are not aware of the offensive nature of the word and continue to use it as a common adjective.

“It’s only a word,” she states, “What’s the big deal?”The big deal is that for many years people who have an intellectual disability and their families have worked so hard to try

Leamington Rotary Club Welcomes New Members

Leamington Rotary Club President Diane Samson expressed pleasure in welcoming three new members to the local club. Their ideas and involvement in the club’s many activities, both local and international, will further contribute to Rotary’s mandate “Service Above Self”. Pictured from left to right: Barb Towns, Daryl Towns, Leamington Rotary

President Diane Samson, and Elmer Kochie. The Rotary Club meets Monday nights at 6 p.m. at Colasanti’s Tropical Gardens. New members are welcome. Learn more about Leamington Rotary by accessing their website at www.clubrunner.ca/leamington

to get others to realize their abilities rather than their disability. Their message teaches us that they are people first and their disability is just one aspect of who they are. They have told us that they want to enjoy life and have the same opportunities as everyone else. They want to live as full citizens and contribute to society through employment, volunteering and other activities. For advocates and professionals alike, they feel very defeated and disappointed when the term is used, especially in broad public media. If disabling terms like the “r” word continue to be used, the mental image doesn’t promote what people are working so hard to achieve.

My son Eric, who had multiple disabilities, faced many challenges in his life. He couldn’t talk or walk, his health was very fragile and he needed assistance for all that he did. At first glance it would be difficult to realize what he could achieve or contribute to others. The truth is Eric was an accomplished teacher and life coach. He was a positive factor in the life of everyone who knew him. This is what he taught us:

• People working together can accomplish more than working alone

• Diplomacy and tact will encourage peace

• A sense of community and people connecting for a purpose removes barriers, strengthens relationships and develops neighbourhoods

• With a positive attitude you can learn new skills, overcome adversity and achieve personal growth

• Success can be defined in many different ways

• Every person has the ability to express themselves and direct their own lives

• Media has the power to influence, spread and broaden perspective. Rather than focus on the people who insult and offend others, it would be helpful to spread a message that respects diversity and believes in the possibilities for everyone.

We can all make a difference, simply by the words we choose to use!

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9 - 10th Anniversary

Kittenaide Benefit at Colasanti’s, 5-8 p.m. Adults $15, seniors $12, ages 4-12 years $6. Pasta & salad buffet, entertainment by Jody Raffoul and Gone Wrong, cattail auction and bake sale. Tickets: 519-324-2729.

NOVEMBER 9, 10 16, 17, 18 - Talbot Trail Theatre Company will present Disney’s Aladdin Jr. at Wheatley Baptist Church, 47 Talbot St. E. General admission shows: Fri. Nov. 9, Fri. Nov. 16, Sat. Nov. 17. Doors open at 6 p.m., show at 7 p.m. Tickets $5 for ages 6 & up, 5 & under free. Dinner show Sat. Nov. 10 at 5:30 p.m. $20 advance tickets only by Nov. 5. Matinee and Chocolate Fondue Feast with the cast Sun. Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. $15 advance tickets only by Nov. 12. Tickets are limited so get yours now. Call Susan at 519-825-7433.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9 - Chili Lunch at Knox Presbyterian Church, 58 Erie St. S., Leamington, 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Adults $7, children $3. Dessert and beverage included. Takeout available.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9 - Tenth Anniversary Benefit for Kittenaide. Featuring Jody Raffoul (6pm) & Gone Wrong (6:45pm) at Colasanti's, 5-8 pm.Tickets: adult $15, seniors $12, -12yr $6 includes pasta & salad buffet. Also Cattail auction, baked goods sale, mini flea market, draws. Proceeds to Kittenaide medical expenses. Call 519-324-2729 for tickets.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10 - Knox Presbyterian Church presents the Dale Butler Band at 7:00 p.m. Free will offering. Proceeds to the Salvation Army Community Food Bank. Non perishable

goods gladly accepted. Refreshments to follow. 58 Erie St. South Leamington.

Saturday, November 10 - The Essex County Orchid Society is hosting an Orchid Show & Sale from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at Colasanti’s Tropical Gardens, Ruthven. Free admission. Vendors will be on hand. Seminars on growing orchids through the day. View artistically arranged orchid displays as well as photography, painting and sketching competition. Info will be available to visit a local winery. More info at www.essexcountyorchidsociety.webs.com

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11 - Production of “Gadfly” at The Bank Theatre and Meeting Place, 10 Erie St. S., at 7:30 p.m. One-act play based on true story of Sam Steiner, an American draft dodger. Adults $12, seniors and students $10. Available at Guardian Drugs, Gilligan’s or Sun Parlour Players at 519-326-8805.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10 - 4:30 - 7:00 pmRoast Beef Dinner at Olinda-Ruthven United Church, 1907 Queen Blvd, Ruthven. Cost: adults $15; children 6-12 $6. Children under 5 Free. Call 519-326-2506 or 519-326-4570. We are wheel chair accessible. Support persons for people with Special Needs ~ FREE. Take-outs available.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12 - Ladies, you are invited to a Dinner Event at 6:30 p.m. at Colasanti’s Tropical Gardens. Guest speaker Cynthia Pohron: Healing Heart Wounds. Special feature: Mary Beth Sharpe from Stitch in Time. Music: Sarah Elachkar and Tina Friesen. Call Sharon 519-326-0421 or Darlene 519-733-5595 for reservations by Nov. 9. Presented by

Leamington Christian Women’s After 5 – affliated with Stonecroft Ministries. Invite a friend and come enjoy this informative and uplifting evening!

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13 - Roast Beef Supper at St. Andrew’s United Church, 6425 Main St. Comber, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Adults $15; children 612 $6; ages 5 & under Free. All you care to eat roast beef, potatoes & gravy, baked beans, squash, coleslaw and delicious homemade pies for dessert. Takeouts available - $15 each. For more info call 519-687-3174.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15 - Turkey Dinner, 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 311 Sherk St., (corner of Sherk and Seacliffe Dr.). Adults $12, children 6-12 years $6, children 5 & under free. Tickets available at door. Takeout available. Handicap accessible. For info call 519-326-3966.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16 - CJ ’13 Parent Committee is hosting a Perch Dinner fundraiser at The Cliff, 388 Erie St S, Leamington. Proceeds will assist the Scouts attending the Canadian Scout Jamboree in Alberta next summer. Sittings are at 5:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Adults $16, kids up to 12 yrs of age $10. Tickets available in advance from committee members or email Scouter David at cj13scout@gmail.com

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17 - 9:00 am - 3:00 pm - Snowflake Christmas

Joe Hickson recalls service as tailgunner

By Bryan Jessop

It is a tiny percentage of the world that is as familiar as Joe Hickson with the perils that were a part of World War II.

Before the war broke out, Hickson recalled frequent discussions about World War I — then known as ‘The Great War‘ — taking place throughout Wheatley and surrounding areas. He recalled thinking about how difficult it must have been to fight in the miserable, muddy conditions faced by ground troops on a regular basis.

“Before the Second World War started, I thought it must have been horrible to fight in the trenches (during World War I),” Hickson recalled. “That’s why I wanted to enlist with the air force.”

In 1942, Hickson and a small group of other Wheatleyites decided to join the allied war effort in Europe. Joe desperately wanted to be a pilot, but during the interview process, was told that this particular role wasn’t suited for him.

“They told me I didn’t have enough education,” said Hickson, who grew up on the farm of his father Webster Hickson. Now 89 years old, Joe continues to live on the same property where he was raised.

Instead of pilot, Hickson was told he would be wellsuited for the position of tailgunner — believed by many to be the most dangerous duty on a bomber crew, as enemy fighter planes frequently and intentionally attacked allied bombers from the rear. ‘Tail gun Charlie’, as the tailgunner was often called, had the least amount of maneuverability within his position on the bomber.

Hickson and his crew were one of the few to complete a tour, a sum of 30 missions. The group of seven men flew a Halifax Mark III bomber, a plane Hickson described as a vast improvement over previous versions of the same aircraft.

Dave Van Kesteren Member of Parliament Chatham-Kent-Essex

Tel: 519-358-7555 Fax: 519-358-1428 dave.vankesteren.c1@parl.gc.ca

Leamington Office 15 Princess St. Leamington ON N8H 2X8 Tel: 519-326-9655 Fax: 519-326-2042 dave.vankesteren.c1a@parl.gc.ca Chatham Office 8 King St. W. Chatham ON N7M 1C6

“The first Halifaxes used Merlin engines and were underpowered,” he explained. “The Mark III was good from the start — it had Hercules radial engines and a better tail.”

(Continued on page 14)

Joe Hickson on his first leave after finishing basic training, Spring 1943.

Joe Hickson with his medals

Hickson

(Continued on from page 13)

Although other allied bombers are better-known to this day, Hickson declared that Canadian crews were fortunate to utilize the Halifax Mark III.

“The Lancaster got the glory, but the Halifax got the job done,” he said.

Hickson and his fellow crew members were stationed at the Thalthorpe Air Force Base in northeast England, utilized by both Britain’s Royal Air Force and the Royal Canadian

Air Force. Hickson still owns an aerial photograph of the base framed in his Erie Street South home.

As tailgunner, Hickson manned a four gun Boulton Paul Type E turret with .303” machine guns. Although situated in a dangerous position, he was able to make an attack from the rear by German Messerschmitts a risky venture. By taking evasive action in a maneuver called a ‘corkscrew’ Hickson could point his guns straight outward and open fire, making it difficult for enemy fighters to approach the Halifax without flying into the path of his volley.

Despite being in the rear of the plane, he could turn the turret toward the side of the aircraft enough to crane his neck and see the front of the plane. On one particular mission, he discovered this was not the best practice for his nerves.

The Churches of Leamington and District Welcome You

ANGLICAN

St. John The Evangelist

60 Erie St. N., Leamington 519-326-3111

Sunday Worship Services

8:30 & 10:30 am

St. Mary’s Church

East West Road, Pelee Island

1st & 3rd Sundays from June to September at 10 am

Calvary Church

North Shore Road, Pelee Island 1st & 3rd Sundays from October to May at 10 am

BAPTIST

Calvary Baptist Church

475 Bevel Line Road, Leamington 519-326-0876

Sunday Worship 10:30 am

First Baptist Church

3 Fox Street, Leamington 519-326-4372

Sunday Worship 10:45 am

Heritage Baptist Church

555 Talbot St. W., Wheatley 519-300-1400

Pastor Francisco Penner

Sunday 11 am & 7 pm, Wed 7 pm

CONGREGATIONALIST

Faith Everlasting Congregational Church

589 Hwy 77, Leamington 519-322-2994

Sunday Worship 11 am

220 Erie St. N., Leamington 519-322-1644

Saturday Services: Bible Study 9:30 am Worship 11:00 am

LUTHERAN

St. Paul’s LutheranEvangelical Church

311 Sherk Street, Leamington 519-326-3966

Sunday Worship Services

9:30 am (Germ), 10:30 am (Eng)

Sonshine Lutheran

194 Talbot St. E., Leamington 519-398-8179

Thurs. Bible Study 7 pm Worship Sercvice Every Sun.10 am

MENNONITE

Faith Mennonite Church

269 Sherk Street, Leamington 519-326-6391

Sunday Worship Services

10:50 am (Summer 10 am)

Leamington Evangelical Mennonite Mission Church 1408 Deer Run Rd, Leamington 519-326-9734

Sunday Worship Services 9:15 am (German), 10:45 am (English)

Leamington Evangelical Mennonite Church 108 Mersea Rd 3, Leamington 519-322-9915

Sunday Worship 10:30 am

Leamington United Mennonite Church 78 Oak Street East, Leamington 519-326-2727

Sunday Worship 9:45 am

Summer Worship Services 9:30 am (German), 10:15 am (English)

Meadow Brook Fellowship 219 Talbot Street East, Leamington 519-326-3605

Sunday Worship Services 9:30 am & 11 am

North Leamington United Mennonite Church 625 Mersea Rd 6, Leamington 519-326-7928

Sunday Worship 10:00 am

South Point Community Church 55A Talbot St. W., Leamington 519-322-1858

Sunday Gatherings 10 am

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

Iglesia La Buena Semilla 269 Sherk Street, Leamington 519-733-0342

Sunday Worship 6:30 pm

Leamington District Memorial Hospital

194 Talbot St. W., Leamington 519-326-2373, Chaplain’s Office ext. 4443

PENTECOSTAL

FGT Family Church

285 Talbot St. E., Leamington 519-322-2316

Sunday Worship 9:15 & 11 am

Leamington Christian Centre 98 Elliott Street, Leamington 519-322-1504

Sunday Worship Services 10:30 am

English/Spanish 6:30 pm

Templo Christiano De Leamington

39 Talbot St. E., Leamington 519-325-9654

Sunday Worship Services 3 pm

Mount Zion Full TabernacleGospel

6 Mill Street, Leamington 519-252-0031

Sunday Worship 7:30 pm

United Pentecostal Church

312 Erie St. St., Leamington 519-326-7056

Sunday Worship Services 11 am

PRESBYTERIAN

Knox Presbyterian Church

58 Erie St. S., Leamington 519-326-4541

Sunday Worship Services 11 am

ROMAN CATHOLIC

St. Michael’s Parish

29 Elliott Street, Leamington 519-326-2643

Sunday Masses: 7:30 am.(English) 10:30 am (English/Children’s Liturgy) 10:30 am (OLBS, Wheatley, English)

3 pm (Spanish), 7 pm (Youth)

St. Joseph’s Church

310 Sherk Street, Leamington 519-326-2643

Saturday Mass: 5 pm (English)

Sunday Masses: 9 am (Italian, English) Noon (Portuguese, English)

St. Anthony’s Parish (Maronite Rite)

280 Talbot Street East, Leamington 519-322-2282

Sunday Masses 9:30 & 11 am (Lebanese, English)

SALVATION ARMY

The Salvation Army Citadel

88 Setterington Street

Leamington 519-326-4901

Sunday Worship 10:30 am

UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA

Leamington United Church 9 John Street, Leamington 519-326-9461

Sunday Worship Services 10:30 am

Mersea United Church 1301 Mersea Road 8, Wheatley 519-825-4157

Sunday Worship Services 9:30 am

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST

Unitarian Universalist Church of Olinda

2953 Olinda Sideroad, Ruthven 519-326-4352

Sunday Service 10:30 am

“All I could see ahead of us were black clouds of smoke from the flak (anti-aircraft fire from the ground),” Hickson recalled. “There was so much of it, it seemed like the entire sky was black. I thought ‘there’s no way we’re going to make it through that’, and I turned around so I was looking behind us again. I thought ‘at least I can’t see anything that’ll hurt us this way’.”

Fortunately, Hickson and his crew survived the mission and returned to base unharmed. For a bombing mission to the port city of Keil, Germany in 1945 (just south of the Denmark border), the crew wasn’t quite as lucky. This particular mission saw the group expand from a crew of seven to a crew of eight, as they drew straws for a bomber that was equipped with positions for both upper and lower mid gunners — the group was more accustomed to bombers without a lower mid gunner.

During the early-morning hours of the mission, their bomber was hit and heavily damaged by flak. Once it became obvious that

they wouldn’t make it to England, the crew briefly considered attempting an emergency landing in northern Holland.

“It was just too dark to land in Holland,” Hickson said. “Without being able to see anything, it would have been too risky.”

Instead, they decided to land the bomber in the North Sea, where there were no hidden obstacles to destroy the aircraft. Despite the damage and near-empty fuel tanks, Hickson’s pilot still had control of the plane and made a smooth transition into the water.

“He made a perfect landing,” Hickson said. “I can’t imagine how the lower mid gunner felt — he didn’t know any of us and we didn’t know him... he knew he was going to be the first to hit the water. He must have been scared shitless.”

Upon hitting the water at about 4 a.m., a sensor in the craft’s left wing allowed an exterior panel to pop open and allow a dingy to be released and inflated. Being the furthest from the dingy, Hickson was the last to reach the inflatable device, although nobody noticed the pilot make it aboard.

“We all asked ‘where’s the skipper (pilot)?’,” Hickson said. “Nobody saw him make his way to the dingy.”

The pilot was able to exit the cockpit, climb to the top of the floating plane and walk the length of its top before sliding down the fuselage and into the the dingy. The device was too small for eight men, leaving Hickson to spend much of the 16 hours floating at sea hanging on from the outside until the group was finally rescued. All eight men survived the ordeal.

For the past several years, Hickson has displayed a painting in his home by local artist Carol Ives. The painting depicts the scene of the bomber floating in the North Sea, with Hickson reaching into the dingy with his feet still planted on the trailing edge of the plane’s left wing.

C H U R C H S E R V I C E

St. John's Anglican Church, 60 Erie St. N. Leamington 9:30 am - Rev. Rob Lemon officiating

Followed by the Parade to the Cenotaph.

Parade will be forming at the back of the Legion.

After the service at the Cenotaph, we will be parading back to the branch and there will be a light luncheon served.

Protocol for the Church:

Choir will proceed first, followed by the colour party, veterans, then all others, followed by the clergy.

Flags will be placed at the front for the service.

There will be reserved seating at the front of the church for those in uniform and/or parading.

At the conclusion of the church service we will recess in the same formation as the procession.

There is a special invitation for the Cubs, Scouts, Brownies, Cadets and anyone else who would like to participate in the Church Service.

The church would like to know ahead of time for flags so they can arrange the appropriate number of stands.

Royal Canadian Legion Branch 84 27 Erie St. N., Leamington 519-326-0073

Charges

laid in poppy box thefts

On October 31, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in Leamington were notified that four red Poppy boxes had been stolen from four separate locations in Leamington. Those locations include the Wendy’s Restaurant on Oak Street West, as well as all three Tim Horton’s locations in Leamington. With the assistance of video surveillance, 29-year-old Mathew Dacosta of Leamington has been arrested and charged with three counts of theft as well as one count of Breach of Recognizance. He was held for a show cause hearing.

Behind the lens during World War 11

By Bryan Jessop

When it comes to recollection of his service during World War II, part-time Wheatley resident Bob Dumouchelle has a photographic memory.

Dumouchelle, a Windsor resident who has spent the warmer four to five months of each of the last 50 years at Holiday Harbour along with his wife Mary Jane, served with Photo Reconnaissance Squadron 430 in Europe. Dumouchelle enlisted in 1939, shortly after the war began, and was stationed to locations throughout Canada before being called to Europe in 1941.

Although stationed with the Bomber Command in England, Dumouchelle spent the earlier portion of his overseas services on American-operated air force bases, along with other Canadians. At this time, photo reconnaissance missions were conducted using American fighter planes known as Mustangs.

One fateful event, however, led Squadron 430 to switch to the highly-regarded, British-made Spitfire. On the morning of Jan. 1, 1945, the base attended by Dumouchelle and his cohorts fell victim to a German strafing invasion.

“They caught us sleeping,” Dumouchelle explained.

“Most people know what kind of shape a group of young Canadian men would be in on New Year’s Day.”

With a pile of 500- and 250-bound bombs near his tent, Dumouchelle decided he would be better off taking cover underneath a truck further away from the collection of powerful explosives. From there, Dumouchelle and a friend made a desperate run for a nearby field during which time they caught the attention of one of the German fighter pilots.

The Messerschmitt, Germany’s rival to the Spitfire, flew in behind the Canadian duo and opened fire at low altitude. Fortunately for Dumouchelle and his friend, they were situated directly between two sets of the enemy craft’s guns when the trails of deployed ammunition reached and passed them.

When the Luftwaffe (German air force) plane came around for another run at the two men, it descended to an altitude low enough for Dumouchelle to clearly see the pilot’s face.

“He was just a snot-nosed kid,” recalled Dumouchelle, who along with his friend, was lucky enough to survive the ordeal.

The members of Squadron 430 were content to learn that their missions from that point onward would be conducted using Spitfires.

“The Mustang was big and could take a lot of damage and abuse,” Dumouchelle explained. “But the Spitfires were very fast and readily available to us.”

Throughout the war, Dumouchelle served as a member of the RCAF’s ground crew, referred to by British squadrons as ‘Erks’. Eventually, members of the Canadian air force adopted the same term.

As an Erk, Dumouchelle made several friends during the war, including famous Canadian fighter pilot turned author, major-general and lawyer Richard Rohmer. Rohmer was one of the Canadian pilots flying an American P51 Mustang before the German strafing attack of Jan. 1, 1945.

Dumouchelle recalled an occasion where the American base they were stationed on was the subject of an inspection by renowned U.S. general George S. Patton. Patton, Dumouchelle explained, walked down a row of pilots and their respective planes, inspecting each briefly one by one. Upon reaching Rohmer, the general was surprised by what he saw.

“Richard looked like he was about 16 at the time,” said Dumouchelle. “The general looked at him and said ‘You fly this Goddamn plane?!’ Rohmer answered ‘yes sir’, and he (Patton) just walked away, shaking his head.”

Prior to the war, Dumouchelle took flying lessons at Walkerville Airfield, now Windsor Airport. Unable to afford a car, he ride his bicycle both to and from each instructional session.

“I can’t for the life of me remember how I was able to afford those lessons,” he stated.

Through the war, Dumouchelle carried a Rolleicord, which, ironically enough, was a German-designed camera. During reconnaissance missions, he used an F24 aerial camera that he modified himself. In the meantime, his brother Albert was an air force radar technician.

“One advantage we had was radar,” Dumouchelle said. “England always had superior radar to the Germans. We often knew exactly where they were going and when they were going to get there.”

Nearly 50 years after the war ended, Dumouchelle’s daugther Carol Ann Duronio discovered a box full of photo

negatives her father took while in military service. Although Dumouchelle rarely speaks of the war, Carol was able to convince him to write a book on his experiences, accompanied by several of his photos.

“She just sort of cornered me and talked me into it,” said Dumouchelle, who refers to Wheatley as his “second home.”

The book was published in 1997 by Benchmark Publishing of the co-authors hometown of Windsor and is titled Memoirs of an Erk: The Chronicles of One Man’s World War II Journey. Although the book is no longer being printed, it can still be read through the Windsor public library system.

Just over 10 years ago, for his 84th birthday, Dumouchelle’s family took him to Windsor Airport to take a flight on a Tiger Moth bi-plane, an aircraft used by the RAF during World War II to train pilots. Dumouchelle briefly took the plane’s controls while traveling over Amherstburg.

We could talk all day about how the right hearing aids could change your life, but we want you to hear for yourself.

On November 21st & 22nd, Helix Hearing Care invites you to book your no obligation two-week test drive prior to making a purchase decision. Now you can discover the lifestyle improvements that investing in hearing aids can provide and hear what you’ve been missing.

United Church donating dresses to Haiti

By Bryan Jessop

Leamington United Church members are working to put smiles on the faces of girls in Haiti.

About seven or eight parishioners, with the help of a couple Grade 7-8 students, met at their church on John Street every Tuesday from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. to sew the dresses, made up of new fabric from their own collections and donated by friends and family members as well as t-shirts purchased new from bargain and discount stores. Other shirts have been donated.

“The idea was to give them something new,” said Susan Ross, one of the church’s volunteer sewers.

Rosalind Dundas came up with the idea after making similar outfits to stuff into Christmas shoeboxes for underprivileged children in Cuba. Haiti, which lies just east of Cuba in the Caribbean, is an impoverished nation sharing an island with the Dominican Republic. The country has been subject to exceptionally difficult times since being devastated by an earthquake in January of 2010, a disaster that affected roughly one third of Haiti’s nine million people.

“It began just because we wanted to make a difference,” said Dundas. “Once you get the idea going, people can fly with it. They’re so easy to make.”

The collection of dresses, a sum of about 30, will be taken to an orphanage/school at the end of November by Kathleen Chant, daughter of former Leamington District Memorial Hospital president and CEO Warren Chant. Kathleen, a recent university graduate, will begin teaching at the Haitian school upon her arrival.

The colourful dresses represent a variety of sizes, designed for girls as young as four to those in their teens. Trina Hoekstra has been in charge of the project, dubbed “We Can Make a Difference.” When it began, about five members of Leamington United Church were involved. It picked up momentum a short time later and although plans have not officially been mapped out, the group may undertake a similar project in the spring of 2013.

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From left to right, Brenda Tansley, Susan Ross, Betsy Gradwell, Rosalind Dundas and Margaret Ross display a portion of the dresses made at Leamington United Church to be donated to young girls at a school orphanage in Haiti. The dresses will be delivered by Kathleen Chant at the end of November as she begins teaching in the impoverished Caribbean nation.

Remembering my brother…

The following is by Abbie Sider (nee Nigh) as told to her daughter, Betty Vandervecht of Wheatley. Abbie and her brother, Joe, were from Stevensville in the Niagara Peninsula, near Fort Erie. Abbie is now 91 years old and lives in a nursing home in Fort Erie. Here are her recollections about her brother Pt. Joseph Simeon Nigh, who was killed during the Second World War on D-Day, June 6, 1944: On this Remembrance Day, I remember my brother, Joe, who voluntarily enlisted into the army on October 17, 1942 at the age of nineteen. Through excerpts from his letters we can catch a glimpse of his thoughts even today, 70 years later.

October 24, 1942 – Dear folks: We had a little training in marching and getting into formation today. I enjoyed it greatly… Joe chose to volunteer to become a paratrooper in the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion.

February 17, 1943 – After a 5-week strenuous training programme in Fort Benning, Georgia, Joe wrote: It gives a guy a great deal of confidence to have 3 jumps on his record sheet!!! Oh boy! And a day later: Today I am a parachutist!!! I have now succeeded in making five good parachute jumps. The colonel gave us a speech and awarded each of us with a set of wings. I’m beginning to like it now, I don’t get nearly as much afraid as I did on the first few jumps. Love, “Joe, the parachutist” ha! ha! P.S. IS MY CHEST STICKING OUT!!!

May 8, 1943 – at Camp Shilo, Manitoba: Well, I am one of the first paratroopers to land on Canadian soil in tactical movements. We jumped and gathered up our equipment and made an attack on a stronghold under gunfire. We ran like the dickens for two or three miles with our packs and equipment. The officers watching said that we made the best show of the day.

July 28, 1943 – Joe arrived in England and on Sept. 9, 1943 wrote:

I hope to qualify as an English Paratrooper very shortly. It will be quite a thing to be an American, Canadian, and English Paratrooper

PRESENTS

WANDA�SYKES�

Friday, November 9

SO�YOU�THINK�YOU�CAN�DANCE TOUR������

Saturday, November 10

Open to all ages!

SUPERTRAMP’S ROGER�HODGSON� Sunday, November 18

CESAR�MILLAN

Friday, November 23

THE�BRIAN�SETZER�ORCHESTRA Christmas Rocks! Extravaganza Saturday, November 24

MOSCOW�BALLET’S�

Friday, November 30

Open to all ages!

LET’S�MAKE�A�DEAL�LIVE™ December 5-8

all in one! Hah! Hah! By the way, I’ve got a little girl over here that wants to go back to Canada after the war with me. That would be drastic, wouldn’t it?

November 6, 1943: – Well, Mom, we’ve decided to take the plunge and get married. She’s the nicest girl I’ve ever met which is fairly obvious. I’m sure I’ll have a very happy time with her as my companion. If you like, you can write to my darling May. I am sure you can’t help loving her just as I do.

January 1, 1944 – May writes: Joe told me how he had written to you and told you that we are going to get married. I would like you to know that I really love him dearly and I will always do my best to look after him and make him happy.

(May was a member of the Women’s Land Army where more than 100,000 Land Girls farmed the land to fill the places of the men who were called up for military service.)

TERRY�FATOR Saturday, December 15

THE�CANADIAN�TENORS Saturday, December 22

STEVE�MILLER�BAND Friday, December 28

BILL�ENGVALL

January 11

18

February 5, 1944: – Well it’s my birthday tomorrow and I am spending it on the largest scheme carried out by parachute troops up to date. I owe a lot of letters but don’t even know who they are from any more as I have had to destroy all letters and diaries in my possession. I guess you already know I have quali-

fied as a signaller. I suppose I owe Abbie and her (school) “kids” a lot of mail. Tell them to keep their fingers crossed for when the big day comes. I certainly hope to write again but if I don’t, keep on praying, Mum, it may help a lot.

May 17, 1944 – Dear Folks: As you probably know by now, I was married on April 22nd at May’s home church. We had a very lovely wedding. I’ll be very pleased when all this fooling around is over and I am back in civvies. I’m afraid we don’t have the start in married life we would like, but we’re both very happy together.

May 30, 1944 – Dear Mother: My wife writes that I should write to you so I guess I’d better… I’ll certainly be happy when we can settle down together and this ‘blinking’ war is over. I hope you two keep in correspondence together as she is my “next of kin” now but I think if anything happens to me that you would be notified as well. I got good courage and a heck of a lot to live for so keep your thumbs up and wish me luck. Lots of love, Joe

The following letter was written on June 27, 1944 by my mother and stamped, RETURN TO SENDER:

My dear Son, I am always so pleased when I hear from you. I am so glad you and May love each other’s company and trust it may always be so and that your love and confidence in each other may increase as the days go by. You are the only Paratrooper people around here are acquainted with so everyone asks me if I have heard from you since the Invasion. Many prayers have ascended for you. Hope you are praying to the God who knows the thoughts and intents of the heart. When you write May tell her I would be very grateful if she would write me a weekly summary of the daily news she receives from you, not necessarily the part directly meant for her but the information a mother is so anxious to hear from her devoted son so far away. News sent here states some of the Paratroopers sent on Invasion have returned to England. Hope you were one of those fortunate lads. Send my love and best wishes to May. Trust when this life is over we may meet on the happy golden shore. God be with you till we meet again.

Mother Nigh

July 7, 1944 – Our minister, Rev. Charlton brought a telegram saying that Joseph was MISSING IN ACTION. Days, weeks and months passed with no word. It was a hard time for us, not knowing whether he was alive or dead. Then, nine months later May writes on April 8, 1945: Dear Mother, I received the following letter from Capt. Simpson: “May I extend my deepest regret and sympathy on the loss of your husband. I had every hope that he might be discovered as a prisoner, so did many others. I know that you must have felt his loss terribly and yet I hope that you derive a great deal of comfort knowing that he died doing his duty and was a wonderful soldier. May God grant him peace and happiness forever. He was one of the cheeriest men in my platoon and was under my command for a great length of time, and his loss is greatly felt. We had much in common as he came from the same part of Ontario as myself and to me he was almost like a son or a brother…

Joe was an ordinary nineteen-year-old Canadian boy, from a small village, with a great sense of humour, loving his family, full of life. His country went to war and he volunteered to do his bit to rid the world of a tyrant. He pushed his body to new limits to become physically fit. He was an ideal soldier, ready to do what was required of him. He met a very special lady friend and fell in love. He dreamed of a time when the war would be over, because “he had a lot to live for.” But his life was cut short, at the age of twenty-one, on D-Day, on his first and only jump after almost two years of intensive training. Many of his friends came home, but he did not. I am thankful for his courage, to give his life for something he believed in. I am pleased and proud to call him my brother… Joseph Nigh (1923-1944)

There was a Nigh on D-Day when, to win was all the cry, Who strapped his ’chute upon his back, resolved to do or die.

A widow’s son from Stevensville, he was not great or grand, But I can never him forget, nor wholly understand.

– Abbie Sider (nee Nigh)

Area’s newest 12-step program addressing the hurt of abuse

The first annual board meeting of the successful Beyond Abuse - Emotional, Sexual, Physical, a 12-step program is being held December 1st. The meeting is open to all who are interested in finding out what the program is about and whether or not they would like to participate at some level as a volunteer, facilitator or board member or just get information to tell others about this program.

Beyond Abuse Emotional, Sexual, Physical is a 12step program for men and women with the same principles and guidelines as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and similar groups. It is the first program of its kind to consider and address the core of what truly hurts a person, affecting the emotions, changing the belief system, creating unfinished business and causing the use of unproductive behaviour (mismanagement of funds, destructive relationships with self and others) and coping mechanisms like drugs, alcohol, overworking, isolation, etc.

The goal of Beyond Abuse is to assist victims of emotional, sexual, and physical abuse hurts to overcome its negative effects and to become empowered to “Move from Victim to Victor”. “Everyone”, who has experienced emotional affects to their thinking process and emotional being/spirit, can be assisted by this program. Traumas are a form of emotional abuse/hurts and can take the form of words and various circumstances such as divorce, financial and health challenges, and the death of a loved one (including pets). These traumas have an everlasting effect, until addressed through a healing process.

Sexual and physical abuse/hurts have an element of having been touched in an inappropriate way, causing issues with trust, with relationships and many other issues. Abuse/hurt is when an individual has had his or her personal power taken away. The scars or effects of this are long lasting, but can be modified and healed using the 12 steps giving inner peace.

All who are interested are invited to attend the meeting of this non-profit organization. Please, contact Connie L. for information and reservations at 519-325-0723. The meeting will be Dec. 1 from 10 a.m. to noon, with registration beginning at 9:30 a.m. at Tecumseh Rd. E in Windsor. The exact location will be on the RSVP registration.

The magic of The Nutcracker returns

A beautiful sugarplum fairy, a delightful Clara, precocious Fritz and a flurry of snowflakes will take to the stage to perform The Nutcracker Nov. 16-18 at the Capitol Theatre in Windsor. This ballet will be performed by over 100 elegantly costumed dancers to the much loved score by Tchaikovsky that is sure to be a winning holiday event for the entire family.

The production is presented by Edmunds Towers School of Dance under the Artistic Direction of Ms. Kristyn Wiklanski.

Tickets are on sale now at the WFCU Box Office

1-866-969-WFCU or www. wfcu-centre.com.

Nominations Open for the 2012 Ontario Junior Citizen Awards

Who are tomorrow’s leaders? Take a look around - there is one in every crowd and most don’t even realize they are making a difference. Across Ontario, youth are dedicating their time and energy to bettering their communities and the world. Every year, the prestigious Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Awards Program recognizes over one hundred outstanding youth from across Ontario. These are the special young people that will have a lasting impact on their communities in the future.

The program is coordinated by the Ontario Community Newspapers Association with the support of its 300+ member newspapers and its sponsors. Nominations may come from anyone in the community who wishes to recognize a deserving young person for all they do. Nominations should document the activities of the nominee with letters, newspaper clippings, recommendations, photographs, etc.

Nominees from previous years who continue their noteworthy endeavours are eligible to be nominated again. New nomination forms and updated documentation are required. Nominations will be accepted until November 30, 2012. Nomination and supporting forms are available in both pdf and Microsoft Word formats at http://www. ocna.org/juniorcitizen. If you use the ‘Word’ format document you will be able to complete it on your computer. The PDF document can be printed and written on. Forms can be e-mailed to - jr.citizen@ ocna.org, faxed to 905639-6962 or please bring it in to the Leamington Southpoint Sun office at 14 Talbot Street, West, Wheatley.

Each submission must include at least two supporting nominations. Parents/Guardians must sign to acknowledge the PIPEDA policy.

The Award

A committee of community newspaper publishers, editors, and our sponsors will select the award recipients from all nominations received.

Up to 12 individuals will be recipients of an award. Recipients and their families are invited to attend an awards ceremony in Toronto in March 2013. Final recipients will be announced on this web site on Wednesday, January 25, 2013.

The Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Awards Program strives not only to recognize the dozen or so outstanding young people who will be the recipients of awards, but to also give recognition to hundreds of others who represent the ‘good kids’ we all know.

To achieve this, everyone nominated receives a Certificate of Recognition from their local community newspaper.

Cougars feast on Cardinals

By Bryan Jessop

It has become apparent that the Cardinal Carter Cougars senior football team is not afraid of facing some stiff competition.

The Cougars hosted their first playoff game of the season against the WECSSAA Newman Division’s Brennan Cardinals Thursday, Nov. 1, a preliminary game that determined which team would spend the rest of the post season vying for the Tier 2 title and which would take

aim at the more challenging Tier 1 championship. Cardinal Carter decided to take the tougher route, defeating Brennan 38-19.

The Cougars were forced to punt the ball early in the first quarter, but recovered a fumble on the same play, setting up an Andrew Valle pass to Matteo Del Brocco for the first touchdown of the game. The Cardinals were forced to punt the ball on their next possession, a kick that was blocked and allowed the Cougars’ offense to start on Brennan’s 16-yard line. Valle took advantage of the opportunity, feeding Mike Mastronardi with a pass that he ran into the end zone for a 14-0 Cougars lead going into the second quarter.

The Cardinals replied with a touchdown to pull within eight points, but the ensuing extra point kicked was blocked to keep the score at 14-6. Late in the half, criticism of the officials’ time-keeping accuracy from the Brennan coaching staff led to 20 yards in penalties for the Cardinals. The pair of infractions proved costly for the visitors, as Valle hit Del Brocco with another pass followed by a short run for another Cardinal Carter touchdown with less than 10 seconds remaining before the break.

a WECSSAA senior

off game.

A bad snap by the Cougars for a punt attempt early in the third quarter gave the Cardinals ideal field position for their second touchdown of the match. Again, the extra point attempt was blocked, giving the Cougars a 21-12 lead. Before the quarter ended, Matt Gayer eluded (Continued on page 22)

Matt Gayer of the Cougars eludes would-be tacklers during a preliminary playoff game against the visiting Brennan Cardinals Thursday, Nov. 1. Cardinal Carter won 38-19 and will take on the undefeated Herman Griffins on the Tier 1 side of playoffs.

Matteo Del Brocco and a Brennan defensive back collide as they try to catch an Andrew Valle pass during

football preliminary play-

(SUN Photos)

Cardinals, Cougars

(Continued from page 21)

a series of tackles for a lengthy run into Brennan’s end zone for a 28-12 advantage going into the final quarter.

Mike Dos Santos booted a Cougars field goal from 20 yards to start the scoring for the fourth quarter, followed shortly thereafter by Valle running the ball into the end zone to bring the home team’s lead to 38-12. The Cardinals later pushed the ball into the Cougars’ end zone from the oneyard line and this time kicked a successful extra point to finish the scoring at 38-19.

“We came out fast this time,” said Cougars coach Chris Church. “We can’t afford to come out slow any more — there are only good teams left now. We eliminated some mistakes, but we’ll have to make even fewer next week.”

In the first Tier 1 playoff game for Newman and Wilson Division teams, the Cougars will face the undefeated Herman Green Griffins Thursday, Nov. 8. The Green Griffins completed their regular season undefeated, during which time they allowed only a single touchdown. At the same time, Herman has wracked up 273 points, 73 better than WECSSAA’s second best offense (Sandwich) of 200 points. During the regular season, Brennan put up the most spirited effort against the Green Griffins, losing 23-0.

In the Arnott Division, the Leamington District Secondary School Lions discovered that their semi-final opponents will be Riverside, who defeated Forster 16-6 in the quarter finals. The game will be played at LDSS Thursday, Nov. 8 at 2:30 p.m. In the other semi final match, St. Joseph’s will host L’Essor, who defeated Assumption 12-7 in the quarters.

Amanda Ingratta of the Cougars moves in towards the net for a layup against the Herman Green Griffins Thursday, Nov. 1 at Cardinal Carter. The Cougars won the WECSSAA senior girls Tier 2 basketball game 48-28, with Katrina Paty leading the way by collecting 18 points. Ingratta chipped in with 11 points for the Cougars. The victory brought Cardinal Carter’s record to 3-7 while Herman fell to 1-9.

RECREATION EVENTS RECREATION EVENTS

Recreation Events from the Leamington Kinsmen Recreation Complex – Live your life in motion!

REGISTRATION for the Winter 1 Session runs now through Nov. 11. Check out the activity guide at: www.leamington.ca and get your entire family enrolled in a physically active lifestyle! We have programs for toddlers and children, teens, adults and seniors.

Complex Weight Room: Elliptical machines, treadmills and stationery bikes will increase your cardio heart rate, and the weight equipment and free weights will strengthen and tone your muscles. Come for a tour and meet with a personal trainer. Set your goals high and reach your personal best!

Rock ’n Swim Fri. Nov. 9 from 7-9 p.m. Bring the family and swim to the sounds of all your favourite tunes. Music sponsored by Dr. K. Archer Family Dental Care. Within Arms Reach Policy applies.

World Diabetes Day Wed. Nov. 14. There will be an Educational Forum of awareness, prevention and management led by the Leamington and Area Family Health Team in the Complex lobby from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and again from 4 p.m.-8 p.m. FREE for all in the community.

P.A. Day from school on Fri. Nov. 16. Bring the kids for:

• P.A. Day Camp for ages 4-7 and 8-12 – an action packed day!

• Free skate sponsored by Fahrhall Home Comfort Specialists from 1-3 p.m. at Unico Arena.

Register Youth: Red Cross Babysitter Training, Home Alone Courses.

Register Adults: Red Cross First Aid Training at the Complex.

Come exercise! Increase your energy and decrease your stress at the Leamington Kinsmen Recreation Complex!

We have something for every...body!

B Hockey Leamington Flyers Thursday, November 8 vs. Cambridge at Heinz Rink 7:10 pm Thursday, November 15 vs. LaSalle at Heinz Rink 7:10 pm

Junior C Hockey Wheatley Sharks vs Wallaceburg Monday, November 12 7:30 pm at Wheatley Area Arena

Brook records 3 consecutive holes in mini golf

Fifty-eight golfers braved the windy weather on Nov. 1 and were rewarded with a tidy 106 aces over 36 holes – a record which may be difficult to match.

Leading the way with 6 aces was Ken Brook who also recorded 3 consecutive holes on greens 8, 9 and 10. Congratulations Ken! Andy Orsini netted 5 on the day, followed closely by Barb Arner, Frank Lasi, Bill Mayville, Al Stockwell, Doug Vickery and Steve Vigh with 4 each. Recording 3 apiece were Kathy Bradley, Ethel Ferguson, Dorothy Johnson, Floyd Johnson, Betty McManus, Bill Taylor, Ernie Vandenberg and Bryon Walker. Chipping in with 2 each were Jim Allan, Iggy Arner, Caroline Ascott, Mike Binder, Eunice Cascadden, Fran Clifford, Carolyn Daudlin, Pete Daudlin, Lloyd Honey, Marie Lasi, Rose Taylor, Mary Ann Vickery, Linda Walsh, Ken Womack, Mavis Rutter and Gerrit Vriesen. Sinking 1 each were Madeline Butler, Dorothy Cascadden, Stephanie Dick, Nancy Hill, Gary Honey, Eva Kah, Cam Keith, Audrey Knox, Murray Knox, Julia Kos, Mary MacRae, Angus MacRae, Winnie Moore, Bill Ward and Pat Womack.

Low score of 16 for 9 holes was shared by Ken Brook and Barry Sweet followed closely by Doug Vickery, Fran Clifford and Frank Lasi with 17.

Honors for 18 holes with 36 went to Marie Lasi, Ken Brook and Fran Clifford. Rose Taylor, Carolyn Daudlin and Andy Orsini each shot 37.

Taking top spot for 36 holes was Andy Orsini with 75, Ken Brook with 76, Lloyd Honey and Pete Daudlin with 77 and Marie Lasi with 78.

First place with 236 was nailed down by team 7 (Mavis Rutter, Betty McManus, Steve Vigh, Carolyn Daudlin). A two-way tie for second place with 238 was shared by Team 2 (Shirley Thiessen, Doug Vickery, Floyd Johnson, Ken Brook) and Team 4 (Bill Mayville, Winnie Moore, Colleen Pearse, Lloyd Honey). Team 8 came in 3rd with 241 (Julia Kos, Linda Walsh, Ethel Ferguson, Pete Daudlin).

Remember to join the mini golfers every Thursday at 9:30 a.m. at Colasanti’s for some fun and fellowship. It only costs $10 to register and $5 each week for 36 holes.

Baseball early sign-up

Session #2 Indoor Youth Volleyball Registration Opens this week.

Mondays: Youth Development Academy at Leamington Kinsmen Recreation Complex. Ages (5-7, 8-9, 11-13)

Tuesdays: Youth Development Academy at UMEI Christian High School. Ages (5-7, 8-9, 11-13) Tuesday's and Thursday's: Girls Club Volleyball Training at UMEI Christian High School. Ages (12-18) All REGISTRATIONS at: www.velocityvolleyball.ca

Boys and girls planning on playing minor baseball this season can take advantage of an Early Registration special on Saturday, November 10 in the lobby of the Leamington Kinsmen Recreation Complex.

Leamington District Minor Baseball Association (LDMBA) will hold the Early Registration from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Players can sign up for $100 for the 2013 season ($125 after Nov. 10).

LDMBA offers baseball for boys and girls between the ages of 4 and 17 in the Leamington and Wheatley area.

“The Early Registration allows us to begin planning and forecasting numbers for the upcoming season,” said LDMBA president Sue Holiga. “Baseball representatives will also be available to answer any questions anyone may have.”

Bantam #12 takes first loss and ties a nail biter

The Bantam House League team #12 suffered its first loss this past week to a highflying Essex team.

Essex struck first for a 1-0 first period lead. Anthony Cervini got the good guys on the board with a great hustling single-handed effort. Assists went to Riley Gabriele and Michael Moavro. The deadlock didn’t last long with Essex taking a 2-1 lead into the third period. Southpoint had some great chances to draw even but couldn’t find the equalizer. Essex scored into an empty net to take the game 3-1. Riley Fast was very steady for team #12 and Colton Horne and Josh Toews had solid games as well.

On Sunday it was a clash between two of the Southpoint teams that had a record crowd at the Heinz rink. The 50/50 netted the winner over $100. Team #12 dominated most of the game with the opposing goalie playing great. Team #12 made a defensive zone mistake late in the third period and it cost them the 1-0 lead with the other Southpoint team capitalizing.

With under one minute to play, the good guys pulled their goalie and the 6th attacker took to the ice. With a mad goalmouth scramble, Ty Simpson finally broke the golden goose egg and knotted the game at 1-1. Assists went to Connor Ribble and Anthony Cervini. The game ended in an exciting 1-1 tie.

Next action for Team #12 is this week at Essex and at home to face a solid Harrow team. Tickets are on sale now at all Southpoint box offices.

Southpoint Minor Hockey Schedule

Tues. Nov. 6

7:30 pm Bantam LL: Southpoint #13 vs Belle River 2 @ Unico Arena

Wed. Nov. 7

8:00pm Travel: F.M. Nassif Ltd. Bantam Major vs Essex @ Unico Arena

8:30 pm Travel: Bob Dick Plant Farm Midget Minor vs Erie North Shore @ Heinz Arena Fri. Nov. 9

7:00 pm Travel: Reid Funeral Home Novice vs Erie North Shore @ Unico Arena

8:15 pm Travel Girls: Rhine Danube Peewee vs Petrolia @ Unico Arena

8:40 pm Travel: F.M. Nassif Ltd. Bantam Major vs Riverside @ Heinz Arena Sat. Nov. 10

10:30 am Tyke/Novice LL: Southpoint White vs Kingsville @ Unico Arena

11:30 am Atom LL: Southpoint White/Yellow vs Southpoint Red @ Heinz Arena

12:30 pm Peewee LL: Southpoint #11 vs Harrow-Blue @ Heinz Arena

1:30 pm Travel: Uni-Fab Atom Minor vs Windsor @ Heinz Arena

2:30 pm Tyke/Novice LL: Southpoint Blue vs Kingsville-Black @ Wheatley Arena

2:45 pm Travel: Hub International Atom Major vs Amherstburg @ Heinz Arena

4:00 pm Travel: Jose Bar & Grill Bantam Minor vs Riverside @ Heinz Arena

4:30 pm Peewee LL: Southpoint #12 vs Kingsville-White @ Wheatley Arena

5:30 pm Bantam LL: Southpoint #14 vs Belle River #4 @ Heinz Arena

5:30 pm Travel: UFCW 459 Peewee Minor vs Belle River @ Wheatley Arena

6:45 pm Midget LL: Southpoint White vs Belle River – Grey @ Heinz Arena Sun. Nov. 11

2:00 pm Atom Girls LL: United Communities Credit Union vs Lakeshore @ Heinz Arena

3:00 pm Bantam Girls LL: Wheatley Optimists vs LaSalle @ Heinz Arena

4:15 pm Intermediate Girls LL: Lions Club vs Windsor @ Heinz Arena

5:00 pm Travel: Bob Dick Farm Plant Midget Minor vs Amherstburg @ Unico Arena

5:30 pm Bantam LL: Southpoint #12 vs Harrow #8 @ Heinz Arena

8:00 pm Midget LL: Southpoint Burgandy vs Harrow –Blue @ Heinz Arena

Rhine Danube

action Southpoint Girls Hockey

On Sunday the Rhine Danube Intermediate Girls team posted a big 4-1 victory over Lakeshore. Scoring for the Stars were Shelby Davison, Jessica Nash, Kayla Leipold and Caitlyn Ford. Jessica Nash and Hilary Leipold had a pair of assists each. Holley Taves played solid in Goal holding Lakeshore to only one goal.

In Peewee action the Southpoint Stars Community Trophy Girls Hockey Team lost 3-2 to Tecumseh. This was a very close and exciting game. Brienne Mastronardi and Paige Thompson scored for the Stars, while Mckenzie Church collected assists on both of Southpoint’s goals. Erica Taylor was spectacular in net once again for the Stars! The Fox Ready Mix Bantam Girls lost 6-2 to a strong LaSalle team. Scoring for the Stars were Claire Phibbs and Jada Schiefer. Acacia Hutnik had the lone assist for the Stars.

On Saturday night the Wheatley Optimists Bantam Girls team lost 3-0 to Windsor. On Friday night the Southpoint Stars Intermediate Lions Club Girls Hockey team tied Lakehore 0-0. This was a very tight checking game with each team not give the other much time and space. Shayna Augustine was once again brilliant in net for the Stars.

Major Midgets takes two

This past weekend saw the WFCU Major Midgets come away with two home victories. On Friday night, WFCU defeated Riverside Rangers 7-4. Cale Phibbs, Scott Florence and Ryan Clifford each scored two goals to lead the team. WFCU’s other goal scorer was Austin Thompson. Earning assists were Thompson (2), Ty Scratch (2), Frankie Ciacelli (2), Clifford (1) and Deryck Badz (1). Tyler Jackson earned the victory in goal.

Belle River Jr. Canadiens were the visitors on Sunday afternoon and were defeated by WFCU 3-2. Belle River held a 2-0 lead after two periods but WFCU turned the game around in the third. At the 7:45 mark, WFCU hit the scoreboard when Thompson scored

from Phibbs and Ciacelli. Trailing 2-1 with less than 1 minute to play, WFCU pulled starting goaltender Everett Omstead for the extra attacker. The move paid off when Scott Florence, from Thompson and Derek Toews, scored with 50 seconds remaining to tie the game. Not wanting to settle for a tie, WFCU controlled the next face-off and won the game with 25 seconds left to play on Florence’s second goal of the game, from Ciacelli and Badz. Everett Omstead earned the win.

Blenheim’s Owen Bateman puts his elbow into the side of Kyle Quick’s head as Quick attempts to steal the puck from the Blades’ defenseman during a Monday, Nov. 5 game at Wheatley Area Arena. The Sharks claimed a 3-1 victory for their seventh win in the last eight games.

Sharks continue to bounce back

By Bryan Jessop

Over the past month, the Wheatley Sharks have found an unusual key to success — let the other team score first.

The unintentional strategy again proved beneficial for the team’s Monday, Nov. 5 game against the Blenheim Blades, won 3-1 by the Sharks. Although the visiting Blades struck first, just beyond the midway point of the first period, Wheatley bounced back with three unanswered goals in the third period. The Sharks haven’t lost a game where the first goal was scored against them since Monday, Oct. 1 — a 5-1 win for the visiting Belle River Canadiens.

“Getting behind in the score is still something we want to avoid,” said Sharks assistant coach Brad Hyatt. “But in the last couple games, coming back from a deficit has built up our confidence.”

Over the past three games where the opposition has scored first — Oct. 15 against Mooretown, Oct. 31 in Wallaceburg and Nov. 5 against Blenheim — the Sharks have won by scores of 5-4, 6-5 and 3-1, respectively. On the flip side of the same coin, Wheatley’s only loss since the Oct. 1 contest against Belle River was an Oct. 29 game versus Kingsville — a match where the Sharks scored first.

The Nov. 5 contest appeared to begin on even footing between the two teams, with Wheatley’s passing game being uncharacteristically inaccurate and Blenheim hastily icing the puck several times. The only goal of the first 40 minutes was netted by the Blades’ Aidan Wiebenga, a shot that Sharks goalie Marc Tremblay got a piece of, but not enough of to prevent the puck from bouncing over the goal line.

The goal, scored at the 11:18 mark of the first period, was scored five seconds into a Blenheim power play. Although Wheatley’s defense kept Blades forwards at bay for the rest of the game, its offense struggled to generate scoring chances as well, leaving the scoresheet blank through the second period.

The Sharks’ forechecking game sprung to life in the third and the hosts were quickly awarded for their efforts. Mike Reid fired a wrist shot that solved Dylan Vanderpol during a Wheatley power play about two-and-a-half minutes into the third frame, with assists going to Dylan Impens and Jon Woelk.

Craig Adamson claimed the game-winning goal, as he deflected a Kurtis Ouellette shot that grazed the inner left post before soaring into the Blenheim net. Ouellette fired the shot after taking a feed from Lucas Raffoul less than five minutes after Reid’s game-tying goal.

The two goals inspired the Sharks to continually pressure Blenheim from both sides of the puck. Although the Blades held a slim 8-6 shots on net advantage through the opening 20 minutes, Wheatley outshot their guests 20-10 over the following two periods. Blenheim was anxious to pull Vanderpol for the extra attacker in the dying minutes of the game, but persistent Sharks offense didn’t allow the opportunity.

With just over a minute remaining, Woelk fired the puck at the Blenheim net, hitting the crossbar. A fraction of a second after the puck dropped straight down and landed on the goal line, Impens swatted it into the visitors’ net before a scrambling Vanderpol could turn around and smother the bouncing disc. Woelk and Kyle Quick were credited with assists on the insurance goal.

The game was a quiet one on the penalty front, with both teams committing only six minutes of infractions. With two penalties offsetting each other at the end of the second period, both teams went one for two on the power play. Wheatley held a combined 26-18 shots on net advantage.

“I thought we played pretty well on defense the whole game,” said Hyatt. “Our team’s strength is now in its defense. They’re starting to bond. We’ve got a lot of young players who are now getting used to junior hockey and good things are happening now.”

The 275 spectators in attendance witnessed the shortest game so far this season in the Great Lakes Junior ‘C’ loop, lasting a running-time duration of only one hour and 44 minutes.

The game was the first of the season as a Shark for forwards Cale Phibbs and Austin Fontaine. Fontaine, like Quick and Brian Johnson, was acquired by Wheatley from the Western Conference Junior ‘B’ LaSalle Vipers.

The win over Blenheim gave the Sharks a sum of 18 points and sole possession of fourth place, with Alvinston (17), Dresden (15), Mooretown (14) and Wallaceburg (13) close behind. It also marked the first time this season that Wheatley has had a winning record both at home (5-4-0) and on the road (4-3-0) and allowed the Sharks to pull within four points of the third-place Blades.

The Sharks have been given a week off between games, with their next contest scheduled at home against the Wallaceburg Lakers Monday, Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m.

Blenheim goalie Dylan Vanderpol stops a close-range Craig Adamson shot during the second period of a Monday, Nov. 5 game between the Blades and Sharks. Adamson finished the night with a goal and an assist en route to Wheatley’s 3-1 win, their seventh victory in the last eight games.

Flyers Participate In Movember

A number of the Leamington Flyers will be growing moustaches in November as part of Movember. The goal of Movember is to raise funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and male mental health initiatives.

During each home game in November the team will have updated photos of the players at the merchandise table so fans can see their moustache progress and fans are encouraged to make donations to the player who they think has the best moustache. At the end of the month all money raised will be donated to the Movember campaign. The player with the most donations at the end of the month will get his very own poster that will be handed out to fans be-

Cold predicted to make comeback this winter

Following the third warmest Canadian winter on record last year, AccuWeather.com forecasts snow and cold to make a comeback across much of the nation this winter.

Southern Ontario and Quebec should have a return of winter with near-normal temperatures and snow, especially during January and February.

Atlantic Canada and the Maritime Provinces will be one exception to colder weather, but long-range forecasters expect major winter storms to have an impact on the region. Slightly colder-than-normal weather with near-normal snow is predicted for most of the Prairie region. While portions of Alberta and British Columbia may be chilly, a drierthan-normal pattern is expected.

In Ontario, meteorologists anticipate a slow start to winter with a mild and quiet December. More typical winter conditions will take hold of Southern Ontario later in Janu-

Weil’s Peewees tie Essex

By Joline Driedger

On Sat. Nov. 3, Weil’s Food Peewees tied Essex 3-3. Steven Wiebe started up the scoreboard with a 1-0 lead for Weil’s, but Essex came back to tie the game 1-1. During the second and third period, Southpoint Weil’s and the Essex team both scored two more goals to tie the game at 3-3. This was an intense game from start to finish. Weil’s goals scored in the second were by Owen Lindsay with an assist by Cal Epp, and Mitchell Tiessen assisted by Steven Wiebe. Goalie Curtis Drewitt played a great game, stopping most of the shots on net. Good job, boys!

Southpoint #10

and #11 Peewees tie it up

fore a future game. On top of that, long time Flyers press box volunteer Jerry Sleiman has declared that if the Flyers can raise more than $10,000 for Movember then he will shave his familiar moustache which has only been done once in 52 years.

The players participating in Movember are Mitch Amante, Brett Babkirk, Riley Babkirk, Nick Beaune, Kyle Bowman, Cole Chevalier, Troy Cox, David Dalby, Bryce Doan, JP Grineau, Jake McGhee, Dakota Olvin and Alex Seguin. Fans can begin voting/donating for their favourite moustache starting this Thursday, November 8th when the Flyers host the Cambridge Winter Hawks at 7:10 p.m.

ary and February with a stronger storm pattern coming up from the south and some cold air getting tapped in the north, with the possibility of above-normal amounts of snow.

Along with the comeback of snow, arctic air invasions will be possible, particularly across Ontario. The most bitter cold will have a harder time making it into areas farther north and east.

With the unusually warm water of the Great Lakes, there is a greater potential for heavy lake-effect snow events as long as cold blasts reach the region.

Southpoint #10 Peewees played Southpoint #11 Peewees on the Heinz rink in a very closely matched game. There were plenty of scoring opportunities for both teams, but thanks to the excellent goaltending at both ends the final result was a 1 to 1 tie. In net for Southpoint 10 was Dante Butera, and in net for Southpoint 11 was Kyle Cervini.

Southpoint 10’s goal was scored in the second period by Derrick Antunes, assisted by Aiden Rodriguez. Southpoint 11 tied the game late in the third with a goal scored by Joep VanGellucum, assisted by Anthony Fehr.

Leamington natives Brett Babkirk, Riley Babkirk and JP Grineau with their ‘before’ photos taken on November 1st and longtime Flyers press box volunteer Jerry Sleiman with his familiar moustache.

Brett Babkirk Riley Babkirk

JP Grineau

Jerry Sleiman

It wasn’t pretty, but the Flyers earned two crucial points against the Lambton Shores Predators in the race for first in the Western Conference.

Both teams scored goals in sets en route to a Flyers’ 76 victory against the visiting Predators in a game peppered with undisciplined penalties from both sides. Although Lambton Shores is in last place among the nine teams of the Western Conference, it marked the second time this season the first-place Flyers have edged them by a single goal — dating back to a 6-5 overtime win in Forest Sept. 29.

“We’ve got to give them credit, they battled hard,” said Flyers’ head coach Tony Piroski of the Predators. “They’ve got some guys with a whole lot of skills. That’s a team that’s going to get better as the season goes on.”

The Flyers wasted little time taking the lead, as Alex Seguin beat Lambton Shores netminder Justin Tugwell 14 seconds into the first period. An assist went to Mitch Amante.

Nathan Opblinger followed up just over three minutes later with a point-blank shot that found the back of the net after taking a Chris Scott pass from behind the net. Eric Leardi was also credited with an assist. Troy Cox picked up a loose puck in the crease about five minutes later and tapped it over the goal line during a power play to give his team a 3-0 lead with an assist going to Opblinger.

Flyers earn ugly win against Preds

By Bryan Jessop

“We’ve got to give them credit, they battled hard,” said Flyers’ head coach Tony Piroski of the Predators.

Despite the early setback, the Predators remained undaunted, starting their comeback with the first of four goals by team captain Adam Arseneault. Conner Annett pulled his team to within a goal just over two minutes later.

The visitors tied the game when Keegan Hnatiw intercepted a passing attempt near his own blueline and charged toward the Flyers’ net on a breakaway, beating Matt Mancina with a backhand shot. Leamington appeared to take over from there, potting the next three goals within a span of 92 seconds. J.P. Grineau and Cole Chevalier both scored on slap shots that sailed past a screened Tugwell, Grineau from the outer ridge of the faceoff circle and Chevalier from just inside the blue

line. Chevalier and Jared Dennis drew assists.

Opblinger scored his second of the game by diving for a loose puck and chipping it diagonally into the Predators’ net, giving his team a 6-3 lead. Brett Langlois and Scott were credited with helpers.

Early in the third, Scott buried a pass from Riley Babkirk, allowing no chance for Tugwell to slide across his crease to make a save. Babkirk in turn took a feed from Leardi. Arseneault took over from there, scoring three in a row, starting by planting a rebound during a Lambton Shores power play.

Arseneault’s fourth of the night, scored with 56 left in regulation, came during a scenario where Predators skaters outnumbered the Flyers 6-3 — Leamington was simultaneously serving minor and major penalties while Lambton Shores pulled Tugwell for the extra attacker.

“It was one of the ugliest wins I think I’ve ever coached,” said Piroski. “With stupid penalties in the third, we had to just hang on. We’ll take the win, but we have to get better. At times we were pretty good, but at other times we were pretty bad.”

the Nov. 1 contest. Manchurek and Doan were expected to return to the ice within the next week, but Beaune, who suffered a fractured thumb during a 5-3 loss in Sarnia Oct. 30, will likely miss the next three to four weeks. Seguin scored twice in the recent loss to the Legionnaires, with Dennis netting his team’s third and final goal before the hosts put the game away with an emptynetter. The Flyers outshot Sarnia 40-25.

Four days earlier (Oct. 26), the Flyers lost 6-5 in St. Marys. Spidalieri scored twice with singles going to Brett Babkirk, David Dalby and Scott. Leamington outshot the Lincolns 39-22.

With no road games between the first two home games of November, the Flyers have had time to prepare for a Nov. 8 cross-conference game against the Midwest-leading Cambridge Winterhawks. The game will begin at 7:10 p.m. at Heinz Arena.

The Rest of the West

The win against Lambton Shores snapped a four-game losing streak for the Flyers that began with an Oct. 21 3-1 loss in St. Thomas. Leamington outshot Lambton Shores 5640 while going one for seven on the power play. The Predators went two for eight.

Joe Manchurek, Bryce Doan and Nick Beaune were sidelined with injuries for

On Wednesday, Oct. 31, the London Nationals blanked the Chatham Maroons 4-0 while the LaSalle Vipers defeated the Strathroy Rockets 3-1. Sarnia beat St. Marys 3-1 on Nov. 1, followed by a 4-1 win for Chatham over St. Marys on Friday, Nov. 2. On Saturday, Lambton Shores lost 4-2 to St. Thomas while London defeated Strathroy 5-3.

Two-thirds of the conference was in action Sunday, Nov. 4, with Chatham hosting Sarnia, St. Thomas hosting London and Lambton Shores hosting Strathroy. Winners were Chatham, St. Thomas and Strathroy by scores of 3-0, 4-3 and 3-2 in a shootout, respectively.

Upcoming Home Games: THURS, nov 8 vs cambridge 7:10PM THURS, nov 15 vs lasalle 7:10PM

Upcoming away Games: sat, nov 10 at stoney creek7:30 pm sat, nov 17 at lambton7:30 pm

Leamington’s Nathan Opblinger (#14) and Chris Scott look on as Opblinger’s point blank shot finds the back of the Predators’ net to give the Flyers a 2-0 lead.. (SUN Photo)

The Flyers’ Chris Scott circles the Predators’ net while being chased by Conner Annett and Cale Duberry. Scott finished the night with a goal and two assists. (SUN Photo)

Freddy’s Soups It Up For Cancer

Freddy Maklouf of Freddy’s in Leamington is busy cooking up a pot of his signature soup and will do the same for the 21st annual Soup ’n Salad Luncheon. Even though Freddy closes for the season, he opens up to cook up some soup to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society. He hopes everyone comes out to the Leamington Portuguese Community Club on Wed. Nov. 28 to see him, say hello and try some of his favourite soup. Freddy’s is just one

The 175-year-old melodeon at J.R. Park Homestead will be restored and repaired, thanks to a $746 grant from Questers.

of 33 restaurant and clubs to prepare soup for the event. Soup, salad, dessert and coffee – all for $9 advance tickets or $10 at the door. Tickets available at Century 21 offices in Leamington and Kingsville, United Communities Credit Union offices in Leamington and Kingsville, or by contacting chairperson John Woelk at johnwoel@hotmail. com. Last year the committee raised over $17,000 for cancer research and hopes to do the same or better this year. (John Woelk photo)

Questers donation brings sweet music to JR Park Homestead

The John R. Park Homestead Conservation Area will be soon be filled with the sounds of song, thanks to a donation from the Ontario Provincial Organization of the Questers. A grant in the amount of $746 was presented to the Homestead to restore the melodeon, which was donated last year. The melodeon is a parlour organ, and when the repairs are finished the Homestead will have a working 175-year-old musical instrument. Its beautiful melodies will add ambiance to the living historical home and farm museum. The Questers is an antique study organization with several chapters in Windsor and Essex County, including a local chapter, the Pelee Past Questers. Questers preservation and restoration grants assist many local museums and heritage groups. In 2006, the Questers were honoured with an award from the Essex Region Conservation Authority for their support of local heritage.

Leamington Rotary Club’s

Saturday, Nov. 17th - 9 am - 5pm Sunday, Nov. 18th - 11 am -4 pm

Kinsmen Recreation Complex, 249 Sherk St., Leamington Admission: $3.00 Donation to Rotary; Children under 12 Free. Unique Gifts. One-of-a-kind Vendors. Children’s Activities. Call Diane Samson for details 519-326-6379

Engaged Communities Prevent Crime

Breaking and entering, theft from and theft of vehicles, and armed robbery are ongoing crimes that directly impact victims and place a strain on valuable police resources. These types of crime are not new and are very often preventable through community engagement, empowering communities to play an active role in crime reduction initiatives. Strategic partnerships working diligently towards a community-based shared responsibility can also prevent crime and strengthen community relationships in support of a community’s greatest natural resource — it’s youth.

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) recognizes community engagement is a key component of crime prevention and that strong community partnerships are an essential element of an effective crime reduction strategy.

“Community safety is everyone’s responsibility and crime prevention is everyone’s business,” said OPP Inspector Leslie Craig, as Crime Prevention Week in Ontario commenced. “Police need to work together with our communities to find viable solutions as there is no one solution. Partnerships, information sharing and collaboration are the keys to success as crime prevention through community engagement is working.”

By educating communities and being proactive in the reduction of crime, the OPP remains dedicated to eliminating the opportunity for crime in support of the OPP’s vision of Safe Communities – A Secure Ontario.

Gift-filled shoeboxes will help brighten children’s lives worldwide

Meadow Brook Fellowship accepting shoeboxes

The 2012 Operation Christmas Child shoebox collection season – an annual project of Samaritan’s Purse Canada – kicked off Oct. 9 as thousands of individuals, families, churches, businesses and community groups prepared to fill shoeboxes, for a boy or girl, with toys, school supplies and hygiene items, plus personal notes and photos.

Samaritan’s Purse will deliver shoeboxes to children around the world living in the midst of poverty, disease, war, and natural disaster. Tens of thousands of shoeboxes will be sent to Haiti again this year to help bring hope, joy, and love to struggling children there who are still suffering from the effects of the 2010 earthquake and subsequent hurricanes and cholera outbreak.

Last year, Canadians filled 672,274 shoeboxes with gifts that shared God’s love and hope with children in the developing world. This year, Operation Christmas Child is striving towards collecting and distributing their 100-millionth shoebox globally since the program began.

National Shoe Box Collection Week is November 19-25. Operation Christmas Child gift-filled shoeboxes will be received locally at Meadow Brook Fellowship Church (at the last set of doors), 219 Talbot St. E. in Leamington, on Tues. Nov 20 from 2-5 p.m.; Wed. Nov. 21 from 10 a.m.-12 noon, 2-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.; and Thurs. Nov. 22 from 2-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.

Each shoebox collected in Canada will make a long journey to the outstretched hands of a needy child in Haiti, South or Central America, or West Africa.

For more information contact Lisa Sawatzky at nlsawatzky@hotmail.com, 519-3263748 or 519-326-3605.

The voyage continues…

When Grade 3 students from Princess Elizabeth Public School heard that their teacher’s husband found a yellow toy boat on the shore at Point Pelee recently, they didn’t realize that the discovery would awaken an interest in geography, meteorology and communication.

The 15 centimetre plastic toy was found a couple of weeks ago by the husband of teacher Vinka Gervais

during a visit to the National Park. A message, written in black marker, indicates that the boat was dropped from the Jiimaan ferry on October 1, 1995, and asked that whoever found the little vessel to contact a school in Hilliard, Ohio, to report when and where it was found.

Mrs. Gervais has been using the boat to cultivate class discussions about its travels during the past 17 years and the boat’s pur-

Preparing last year’s poinsettia for Christmas

pose. The students quickly determined that they would do as the message requested and put the boat back in the water.

On Friday, November 2 at 12:45 the students relaunched the boat near the Peace Fountain in Windsor.

In the back yard...

Fall has arrived and you should be thinking about bringing last year’s poinsettias inside from the garden. Reduce your water schedule at this point, but don’t let the plant dry out. During the summer, pruning would be required to keep the plant bushy and compact. Stop pinching back no later than Labor Day weekend. In order to produce blooms by Christmas, the poinsettia will require 6-8 hours of sunlight per day and temperatures between 60-70ºF (15-20ºC), otherwise blooming time will be delayed. Stray lights of any kind, such as streetlights or indoor lighting, will also delay or even stop the flowering process. This lighting schedule must start no later than October 1st and continue to the end of November.

Even the experienced gardener will agree that reaching the size and quality of blooms are hard to achieve compared to the original purchase. When selecting a new poinsettia, choose the plant with colour. Avoid plants with too much green around the bract edges. The coloured parts of the poinsettia are called bracts. The actual flower is small and is green or yellow, situated in the middle of the bracts.

Look for poinsettias with dense, plentiful foliage. This is a sign of a healthy plant. Select plants with stiff stems and no sign of wilting. Stay away from crowded store displays in paper or plastic mesh sleeves — a healthy poinsettias needs air circulation and the longer it remains in shipping packaging the more the quality of the plant will deteriorate.

Always check the soil for moisture. If the plant is wilted and the soil is waterlogged, this is the first sign of root rot. Check the bottom of the decorative wrapping to make sure there is a hole for the water to drain, as poor drainage will be the start of yellow leaves, causing the plant to die.

Most poinsettias will last for 4-6 weeks before the bracts begin to fall off. A quality plant with the proper care and location will stay in colour for up to six months.

Now is the time to test your green thumb. First, cut the stems back by half, leaving some leaves. Place it in a sunny window and continue to water and use a water-soluble fertilizer. Avoid cold drafts and continue this until spring planting.

Your questions and comments are always welcome. Email inthebackyard74@yahoo.ca or visit my new website www.bptreemarketing.com

BILL PLUMB

OBITUARY

Dave Kroeker

Dave Kroeker passed away peacefully at Leamington District Memorial Hospital on Monday, November 5, 2012 after a brief illness at 83 years of age.

Beloved husband of Anne (Woelk). Dear father of Ken “Terry” and wife Helen, Joan Epp, Phil and wife Marlene, and the late David Allen (1972). Loving grandfather of Ryan and Aleda, Jocelyn and Wes, Adam and Robyn, Kerri and Mike, Ashley and Mike, Alison and Allan, and greatgrandfather of Sienna Kroeker. Dear brother of George and Elsie Kroeker, Rita and the late Art Harder (2005), the late Ed (1990) and the late Barb Kroeker (2003), Veronica Tann, Henry and Marg Kroeker, and brotherin-law of the late Jake (2007) and Helen Woelk, the late John (2010) and Freda Woelk, Mary and the late George Neufeld (2005), Walt and the late Irene Woelk (2011), the late Katie Hamm (1999), Jake and Erika Hamm, Elvira and Ernie Brown. Also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Dave established Dave Kroeker Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning in 1975 where he worked until his retirement in 2002.

Special thanks to the staff at the Leamington Hospital for their loving care.

Visiting at the Reid Funeral Home & Reception Centre, 14 Russell Street, Leamington (519-326-2631) on Wednesday from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.

Funeral service to celebrate Dave’s life held at the North Leamington United Mennonite Church, 625 Road 6 on Thursday, November 8, 2012 at 11 a.m. Rev. Bruce Wiebe officiating. Interment Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made by cheque to the Leamington Hospital Foundation or North Leamington United Mennonite Church.

Friends may share memories at www.reidfuneralhome.ca

Leamington Br. 84 Legion news

By Lisa Cowen-Tehonchuk

See everyone on Sunday, November 11th for the Remembrance Day Service. Check advertisement elsewhere in this paper for details.

Volunteers: A very big thank you to all who helped with the Poppy Campaign this year.

Seniors: The next Seniors Dinner is Nov. 14 with ham and scalloped potatoes. Entertainment will be provided by Gord Ciliska. Christmas Dinner tickets will be available at the November dinner for $10 per person. Seniors Dinners are held the second Wednesday of the month.

Sports: Friday night fun darts starts at 8 p.m. Cost is

Kiwanis Club Holds Quilt Raffle

Leamington Kiwanis Club held a quilt raffle and conducted the draw on Oct. 4 at the Kiwanis Boys & Girls Camp on Seacliff Drive. Kiwanis President James Ivy (left) presented lucky winner Cheryl Barber with her beautiful new quilt on Fri. Nov. 2. Erie Shores Quilters Guild donated the quilt to the Kiwanis Club for the purpose of holding a raffle to assist with their fundraising efforts.

$2. Everyone is welcome to join the fun.

Junior Darts are held on Saturdays at the Branch.

Ages 7 to 18. Costs is $2, it includes hotdog and pop.

You do not have to be a member for your children to join in the fun. Call the Branch at 519-326-0073 for more info.

Branch Happenings:

Come out each and every Saturday for the weekly meat draw. The first daw is at 3:30 p.m. and the last one is at 5 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

APARTMENTS

Security Building Fridge & Stove Utilities included For viewing please call 519-322-1924 tf

SOUTHPOINT SUN

na systems, satellite dishes, aiming & accessories, specialty and non-denominational free religious programming. TBN 3ABN 7th Day, etc. on G19 satellite, burglar alarms, telephone, paging, intercom and background music systems. Sales and service. Prewire your new house. 519-326-8973, ricci@mnsi.net. no7-ja30

MEETINGS

T.O.P.S. - Take Off Pounds

Sensibly. Weigh in from 6 pm - 6:45 pm, meeting from 6:45 pm - 7:30 pm every Monday at Wheatley United Church. Call Cheryl at 519825-9194 or Ellen at 519326-0730 or visit website: www.TOPS.org. Everyone welcome. tf

ma30-tf

PRINTING: Business envelopes, invoices, flyers, business cards, custom print jobs, whatever your printing needs, call Rick at The Wheatley Journal for quick and economical service. 519-825-4541. tf

from fishing areas. May prepare and cook meals for crew members. Apply by sending CV at sacofish@mnsi.net no7-14

PURCHASING AGENT-

Job Description: Develop specifications for equipment, materials and supplies to be purchased, invite tenders, consult with suppliers, review quotations, determine contract terms and conditions, establish delivery schedules, monitor progress of delivery schedules, contact clients and suppliers to resolve problems. Prior experience in food product, manufacturing and processing equipment. Salary: $52,000 annually. Apply by e-mail: erik@prestevefoods.com no7

Pelee Past Questers study mustard pots

At the September meeting of the Pelee Past Questers, held at the home of Ann and Phil Mocan, Bev Cyr presented a program on mustard pots. Members and guest Patricia Churchill were in attendance. Questers is an organization for the study of antiques, preservation and restoration of artifacts, existing memorials, historical buildings, landmarks and education.

The program started with the history of mustard being used to hide the smell and taste of not-so-fresh meat. This was when mustard pots came into use. During the Victorian Days they had a special plate or dish for everything. The manufacture of mustard included sour grapes for Dijon for flavour and turmeric for colour.

Bev’s collection started with a gift for being provincial president, and then she remembered she already had a mustard pot, a gift from her grandmother. Her philosophy is you need three to have a collection. Don, her husband, discovered ebay and ordered additional mustard pots as gifts.

A few words of caution were shared: if the mustard pot is silver it needs a liner to prevent tarnish; also, some dealers will “marry” items, as an example a spoon with a pot that may not be the original pairing.

At Questers, the importance preservation and restoration were explained to us. There are grants available for the Questers group to apply to for aid with this worthy endeavor.

All in attendance benefited from a very generous undertaking by Bev. She had made three different types of mustard for the attendees to choose from to take home and try – cranberry, Oktoberfest, lemon sage. A delicious bonus to an enjoyable evening.

Photo of a19th century Victorian mustard pot available on ebay.