Southpoint Sun - December 10, 2014

$2.3M surplus for Leamington in 2013

By Bill Chaplin

Leamington’s Manager of Accounting Services, Ginny Campbell submitted a report to Council reporting that at the end of 2013 the Municipality had a cash surplus of $2,357,356.

In 2013 Leamington got an unexpected break in policing costs that amounted to over $700,000; did not spend the over $500,000 budgeted for the reconstruction of Erie Street from Askew south to Oak; and experienced much less than expected demand to exploit the grants available for the Community Improvement Plan. Combined with investment income, supplemental tax assessments, a fire service that came in under budget, and capital contracts that have been delayed and will not be paid until 2015, and the interest the Municipality charges itself for loans from the development charges reserve, it added up to a lot of money.

That doesn’t mean there is spare cash. Rather, administration has recommended that the Municipality replenish some sadly neglected areas and follow through on recommendations to comply with new legislation. In the long run, it allows Leamington Council to not raise taxes because of an individual year’s large project — a ‘rate stabilization’ reserve. Administration has proposed the following transfers: $420,000 to the exhausted Winter Control Reserve; $250,000 to a Drainage Act Reserve to improve the ability of the Municipality to offer speedy service for agricultural drainage problems; $250,000 to establish an Engineering Reserve to help Leamington approach sustainability in the roads section of its comprehensive Asset Management Plan; $300,000 to the Kinsmen Complex Reserve to start to address the deficit identified in the 2012 Facility Condition Assessment; about $750,000 to the Contingency Reserve; and small transfers to operations that generated small surpluses.

After much discussion of the importance of these reserve accounts, Council agreed with the disposition of the funds.

OPP asking public’s help finding lost wedding ring

OPP in both Leamington and Kingsville are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a wedding ring that was lost on Thursday, Nov. 27.

The wedding ring is 50 years old and belongs to an 83-year-old lady who resides in Leamington. The distraught owner suspects that she lost it inside or outside Annabelle’s Tea Room in Kingsville on Thursday afternoon (Nov. 27), or inside or outside Armando’s Restaurant in Leamington between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 pm Thursday night. She thinks that it may have slipped off her finger when she was removing her gloves.

The ring is described as 14K gold with a basket-weave design. It has one diamond in the middle and two on each side. It was custom-made and does not resemble a typical wedding ring.

The ring has great sentimental value, and police are requesting that anyone who happens to locate it to call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 519258-TIPS.

Melissa Gebrael of the Cardinal Carter dance team performs in ‘Birth of Fire and Ice’

at Cardinal Carter

After months of hard work, dozens of dancers took to the stage last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at Cardinal Carter to perform ‘Dance-o-logy 2014’. Groups from the Community Living Class, the CC Dance Team, the junior and senior dance classes, the CC dance crew, an alumni group, an adult dance troupe, the dance club, summer dance group, as well as groups from their feeder schools, Queen of Peace, St. Louis and St. John de Brebeuf performed a variety of dance styles to sold out performances, under the direction of Maggie Sonoski, assisted by Laura Rubino. (SUN Photos)

performances, including ‘Sounds of Silence’.

Leamington Council ready to test the waters

By Bill Chaplin

Brian

Sweet,

acting as the Clerk of the Municipality, served as master of ceremonies for the inauguration of the 2014-2018 Leamington Council.

Sweet started with an amusing apology to his fellow municipal staff who worked during Election Night. “This is my chance to acknowledge Peter Neufeld and Tracey Pillon-Abs, our Director of Community and Development Services.

They asked if they could help with the election and I told them I had a great job for them. I told them that it was an easy and fun job. I told them it was the best job in the whole election process. I told them on election night they could wait at the recreation complex with the candidates and we would send over the election results to them and they could announce the results to all the candidates and their supporters. See, this

was shrewd on my part because Peter is my new boss and I was giving him an enjoyable and high profile election job. I thought that would make a big impression on him. As most of you know, we expected election results around 8:30 and finally delivered them around 11 pm. I am certain that evening did leave a big impression on Peter because he has remarked about it several times.”

After the brief address to the new council by Mr. Neufeld, Mr. Sweet introduced the members of Leamington’s new municipal council, beginning with the councillors.

“John Hammond is married to Judy, who is here tonight. For any of you who attend Leamington Flyer hockey games, you know that John is the announcer at all of their home games. He is the voice of the Leamington Flyers. And if you ever need to talk to John, and if you get there early enough, you can find John most mornings having a coffee at Blonde’s.

“Although this is John’s first term on Municipal Council, he is certainly well known to us and already understands how things work because John is just recently retired from the Leamington Fire Department after serving 45 years. That’s amazing. That’s dedication. John was captain of squad one when he retired. John thought when he retired from the fire department his days of putting out fires was over. John, you just signed up for four more years.

“Tim Wilkinson is one of our first-time councillors. I admit I don’t know Tim that well to be able to properly introduce him. I know that Tim was born and lived his entire life in this community and that he is married to Laura and has a son and a daughter. I know the Wilkinsons have a strong connection and record of service to the municipality. When

Leamington was first settled it was known as Wilkinson’s Corners.

Tim’s father Dave served as Mayor of Leamington from 1997 to 2003. Tim’s brother Scott also serves this community as a sergeant with our local OPP detachment. I am certain Tim will do an excellent job carrying on his family’s commitment to this community.

Leamington Council 2014-2018

“Larry Verbeke has been and continues to be very involved with the community. During the last term of council he became very involved with Leamington’s local television station CFTV, Southshore Broadcasting. Among other things, Larry hosts a show on CFTV called Morning Roast. The show is broadcast from different coffee shops within the municipality and they discuss issues affecting the municipality. Here at the town hall we have always heard secondhand what’s being said in the coffee shops, what we are doing right, but mostly what we are doing wrong. But now, thanks to Larry, we get to hear the scoop firsthand if we watch his show.

“Rick Atkin was first elected in 2006, again in 2010, and this year he was re-elected again for a third term. Prior to running for council, Rick worked for this municipality for over 20 years. While an employee, Rick played a major role in the development of our municipal marina, our beautiful waterfront, the Leamington Kinsmen Recreation Complex, our new arena, and he helped plan the development of the municipal trails now being completed on the former Railway prop-

erty. These are all things that contribute to Leamington’s identity and its quality of life.

“When Rick was one of our directors I learned a lot working with him. I really did. Not so much since he became a councillor; I always appreciate it when Rick stops into my office to discuss an agenda item that will be coming up at the next council meeting. Well, I almost always appreciate it. You see, Rick owns and takes care of a couple of race horses and once or twice he has come to talk to me straight from working in the stables.

“John Jacobs was first elected to municipal council in 2006 and Leamington voters must have thought he did a good job because this election he led the polls. There were 15 candidates running for five councillor positions and John finished first with almost 3,600 votes. That is really an accomplishment.

“John is married to Donna, who is here this evening. John is retired from a family business where he was one of the owners and they supplied ambulance service in Essex County and in Chatham-Kent.

“It’s great to be here, surrounded by this outstanding group of people that are committed to improving our community. I’m excited to get started. I want to be part of the renaissance of Leamington through these unprecedented times. Our previous council did a fantastic job with a bad situation forced upon them during the last term,” said Wilkinson.

Deputy-Mayor Hilda MacDonald was introduced by her daughter Laura Wilkinson (newly elected Councillor Tim Wilkinson’s wife). After being sworn in, Deputy-Mayor MacDonald addressed the audience packing the council chamber in her familiar, honest, straightforward style, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to continue to serve the municipality she loves, and dedicating herself to the type of teamwork that will be needed to help Leamington progress into a brighter future.”

“Every election there are usually one or two comments made that stick with me for awhile. This election there were two such comments and one was about John: this elderly man came into the town hall to vote. He must have been in his nineties and we talked a bit, and during our conversation he mentioned to me, ‘I like that young Jacobs boy, I’m going to vote for him.’ ”

Front, from left, Councillor John Hammond, Deputy-Mayor Hilda MacDonald, Councillor John Jacobs. In back, from left, Councillor Rick Atkin, Mayor John Paterson, Councillor Tim Wilkinson and Councillor Larry Verbeke.

Mayor set to steer Leamington for next four years

By Bill Chaplin

“When John Paterson was first elected as Mayor in 2010, at our inaugural meeting his wife, Betty, and daughter, Chelsea, introduced him. It was a great introduction and we couldn’t top that, so we decided not to introduce John this year,” said Brian Sweet.

While describing the role of a mayor, Sweet used the analogy of steering a canoe.

“Just what is it Mayor Paterson has gotten himself into for another four years?

“Imagine the municipality is a large canoe and the people of Leamington have handed the mayor a paddle and told him it is his job to launch the canoe and find the best course for the canoe to take. To assist the mayor, the people have also handed paddles to six other people who they selected for a variety of reasons. The people of Leamington did not ask the mayor who the mayor would like to have on his paddling team. The people simply said, here are the six people who are going to help you, now the bunch of you better get going. We want to see some progress.

“The mayor has an idea of which way he wants to take the canoe. But the other six paddlers each have their own ideas of the best direction to take. Some paddlers have a tendency to paddle to the right and some paddlers have a tendency to go to the left. And sometimes there are paddlers that just want to paddle in whatever direction the wind is blowing that day.

“And to further complicate the mayor’s job, this is an old canoe. It has been patched many times. And the canoe is going to continue to spring leaks, multiple leaks, without warning, and there are limited resources for patches. Sometimes decisions will have to be made about which leaks to fix because there are not enough resources to fix them all. Do they fix the leaks where people are complaining the most, or do you fix the leaks that have the potential to cause the most problems in the future, or do you accept a provincial government program of matching funding to purchase more pails to help bail the water from the bottom of the canoe?

this, a lot of advice from a variety of sources will be offered and it is up to the mayor and his fellow paddlers to consider the advice, debate the choices and to make a decision. And once the group makes a decision about the most appropriate course, regardless of each paddler’s individual opinion, the only way this canoe is going to get anywhere is if all the paddlers are working together.

“The mayor has no legal authority to force his paddlers to row in any specified manner, or to even paddle at all for that matter. So that is the mayor’s job. Whether it’s through persuasive logic or leading by example or some other technique, it is the mayor’s job to work with his paddlers to determine the best course to take, to weather the storms, and to navigate through the fog. If the canoe stays in one place, or loses its way or goes around in circles, it will eventually sink. The mayor’s job is to keep everyone paddling in the same direction and keep that canoe moving forward.”

Sweet then gave mayor Paterson a symbolic miniature canoe paddle, as well as one for each of the other six council members/paddlers.

In Mayor Patterson’s inaugural address, he said: “… It goes without saying that the last four years certainly offered their fair share of challenges and controversies. But my team on council rose above each and every one of them and continued our efforts to move Leamington forward. We had our disagreements and differences of opinion, but always found a way to resolve the issue at hand. To me, that is what the word ‘team’ means: a group of dedicated individuals working together for the better-

ment of our municipality. No one tries to outshine the other, but we all work together and try to get to a decision that will benefit all of Leamington… The open communication we [members of council] have with each other, the freedom and ability to explain our positions without offending, and the obvious desire we each share to reach the goals we set for Leamington are the reasons I see our next four years being nothing less than great…

“We have yet to hold our strategic retreat where council will discuss its goals for this term, but I believe the new reality of Leamington will direct our focus on economic stability and growth through business retention, expansion, and attraction. Our new Economic Development officer has hit the ground running and has already made headway in several areas of manufacturing and commercial interests.

I’m sure it will sound somewhat repetitive for those who have followed council’s decisions over the last term, but we have opened the doors to the stakeholders

in the residential, commercial, industrial and building development sectors… With guidance from our Director of Planning Services, we asked for their advice and have acted on the information gathered: for the next three years, Development Charges will be 0%, and it is council’s hope that this will act as a stimulus to re-start the growth and pros-

perity we once knew here in Leamington…

“Ladies and gentlemen, let me just conclude by saying what an honour it is to be re-elected as Mayor of Leamington and by such a decisive margin of votes. It gives me a clear indication of what is expected of me

and I will do my best to live up to the expectations of all of Leamington’s residents. Challenges still remain, but I believe our new Council will be able to meet them, especially with the support of our dedicated staff and administration,” concluded Mayor Paterson.

“To further complicate the mayor’s job, sudden storms will come up and big waves will try to throw the canoe off course, and often, too often, on the water heavy fog sets in and it becomes very difficult to determine which is the best way to go. At times like

From left to right: John Jacobs, Larry Verbeke, John Hammond, Mayor John Paterson, DeputyMayor Hilda MacDonald, Rick Atkin and Tim Wilkinson. (Cartoon by Phil McLeod)

Games of Christmas

Ahhhh... ’tis the season, isn’t it?

The hustle and bustle of holiday shoppers is in full swing, R.I.D.E. programs dot the nighttime landscape and Christmas lights twinkle and sparkle on every street.

I remember as a child, making the trip into town just to cruise around and look at the lights that the ‘rich people’ put up. I remember there was an electrician who lived on Seacliff Drive across from the park who always had a spectacular light display at Christmas and we’d always pull over out front to have a look at it.

to play several card games. I learned euchre and cribbage at a fairly young age and still play them both to this day.

My mom was a gambler of sorts. She liked to play penny, nickel and quarter games like Loo, Rumoli and In Between.

I also remember the board games. Not that my family played a lot of them, but I remember seeing lots of games at Christmas time and thinking, “Wow, I’d like to have that!”

We had our own Rumoli board and filled those hard-toget sections of the board with pennies.

My earliest memory of a board game was Mouse Trap. I vaguely recall being involved in an early game of Mouse Trap when I was very young and was amazed by the mechanical movement involved in the game. I asked for it every year when I was a young boy. Never got it, but still asked for it. Mom always said there were too many parts and it would end up with missing pieces.

We had many rip-roaring Loo games for years. Even my grandmother got into the action and played Loo. Not very well, mind you. My Grandma Sovie was an absolute sweetheart, and she loved to be included in our card and dice games, but rarely won anything. She was happy to make the donation, though.

That fascination with Loo spread throughout our family and friends, to the point where I even had co-workers like Mike Thibodeau and Val Church playing with their spouses in our family game nights. It was a lot of fun.

I also remember going to my aunt Eleanor McCormick’s house on Maple Street and getting into a game of Life with cousins Kelly Rekuta and the Garant boys, Craig and Kevin. We had a lot of fun with that. I remember the first time we played, I thought it was so cool to stick those little plastic stick people into those plastic cars and spin that wheel.

Twister was another game that I could never understand. I played a few times as a teenager and I think it was more for the thrill of contorting yourself against an already contorted girl, than actually trying to win the game.

I know that today the game of choice is Texas Hold’Em, but those days of Loo and In Between were lots of fun.

As for that game of In Between, I saw Brad Dunmore lose his paycheque to Larry Balkwill one night many years ago. It wasn’t funny to Brad back then but I’m sure he chuckles about it now.

Nowadays, I just wouldn’t be able to play Twister without throwing out my back or dislocating a hip. Just a fact of life. Maybe they have Twister Senior? I don’t know. I sometimes feel like I’m playing Twister just trying to get out of bed in the morning.

Risk was another board game that I loved to play when I was younger. I was turned onto it by Scott and Ian Wilson, my ex-brothers-in-law. Ian and I usually formed an alliance to take on Scott, who would play for hours until he finally wore you down.

Another game I was curious about as a kid was called Mille Bornes, which was a French card game based on highway signs and trip mileage. Played it a couple of times but never had one of my own. Seems every yard sale in Leamington when I was a kid had a Mille Bornes game for sale.

As I grew into an adult, my love for board games and games in general continued to grow.

This Christmas, I have a new version of Trivial Pursuit, the party version, that I plan on pulling out when the family settles in after turkey dinner. I bought it last summer with hopes of playing it during the holidays.

Games have changed quite a bit with technology, but the general idea is still the same. A friendly competition among family members and friends. Someone will get the bragging rights until next time.

Monopoly is one of those games I can take or leave. It really takes too long to hold my interest, and I’m not ruthless enough to ever win.

I was fortunate to have parents who showed me how

And, who knows, if a card game breaks out, I have plenty of experience there too.

I’ll just try to hold onto my paycheque.

All in the day of an island manager couple

• Check guest flight bookings

• Order flamingo food

• Set up new phone billing information

• Make yogurt

• Iron dress work shirts

• Rinse salt off windows

• Water banana trees

• Get lettuce and pumpkin for tortoises

• Make up beds in Flamingo house

• Clean gym

• Make granola

When I look at my Monday morning list, I am happy that Mark and I took time for ‘us’ on Sunday. The great thing about our job is that it involves many jobs. One minute I feel like a livestock farmer and the next ‘Julie’, the cruise director on the Love Boat!

On Sunday I baked most of the day, while Mark hung the last of the blinds and curtains in our home. By midafternoon the house smelled like Christmas. With our little tree up and holiday music playing, it looked and sounded like it, too. It was still hard to imagine the season was here, as we sat out on the front porch with a cool rum punch, in 80-degree weather and the sun shining brightly above.

Within moments, we saw three strangers coming across our front lawn from the harbour. We soon found out that they were guests from a neighbouring Cay. Taking advantage of the visit, we toured them around the island. I was relieved to hear them say how well-manicured everything looked. With the help of our crew, we’ve been working very diligently to get everything ship-shape for the owners’ arrival this week. So often we tend to see what’s left to do, instead of noting what’s already been accomplished.

Initially, we thought these visitors were made up of one fulltime resident of Chub Cay and two seasonal visitors. As our conversation expanded, we were amazed to find out that the woman amongst them was the new owner of the island. It was difficult to hold back from responding, “Really?”

She was quick to tell us that she almost responded the same way when her husband came home from work one day and said he wanted to purchase it. Instead, she’d said, “You want to buy an island?!”

Chub Cay is 800 acres in size, a far cry from our 93 acres. There is a beautiful, newly built marina there. Potential visitors will eventually be able to enjoy a couple restaurants, as well as the many guesthouses and facilities that they will be able to offer. Presently, they are employing over 125 workers. These caretakers will help with many jobs, all over the island, as well as boost the island’s economy.

One of the young men in the group is an Internet specialist. They have brought him from home to help speed up their system on the island. We exchanged cards with him in hopes of working out some unlimited Internet and speed for our island, as well.

While we were off island in Lauderdale, our system was hacked. We are not sure by whom, but the crew said

Local musician releases EP

By Bryan Jessop

Leamington’s own Justin Zuccato has come a long way since picking up a set of drum sticks for the first time as a Grade 7 student.

Zuccato, also a former Cardinal Carter Catholic Secondary School student, released the CD “She’s To Kill A Mockingbird” on Nov. 13 of this year. The collection of six original songs was performed entirely by Zuccato himself, including vocals, guitar, drums and bass. Tidal Wave, New Man, Toronto Song, Chasing Daylight and Sharing Stares with Jenna Pemkowski join the title track on the compilation of tunes, each of which were also written by Zuccato.

She’s To Kill A Mockingbird was recorded by SLR Studios in Windsor by Marty Bak. The new CD was about two years in the making. Zuccato explained that he had completed the original EP about a year and a half ago, but only one song survived being scrapped to make it onto the final product.

The local musician noted that his first intentions were to compose and record an EP of rock songs, although the collection also has flavours of pop and country music. Zuccato explained that his writing and playing styles don’t conform to the parameters of any single, specific genre.

“The plan is to just get my music out there and see what resonates with who,” he noted. “I can’t say I’ve found one particular sound to commit to 100 per cent. I’m still finding my niche.”

Actual copies of Zuccato’s new CD are available at his live performances while the songs can also be accessed at his website www.justinzuccato.com. Upcoming live shows will include the following:

• The Sidebar, Windsor — Dec. 19, 2014;

• Lord Amherst, Amherstburg — Dec. 20, 2014;

• The Manchester, Windsor — Dec. 24, 2014;

• The Elyx Lounge, Caesars Windsor — Dec. 26, 2014;

• The Manchester (with Billy Raffoul), Windsor — Dec. 27, 2014;

• The Elyx Lounge, Caesars Windsor — Jan. 30, 2015;

• Cosmo’s Lounge, Caesars Windsor — Jan. 31, 2015.

The first, second, third, fifth and sixth shows on the list will present Zuccato as a solo acoustic artist, although friend and fellow musician Billy Raffoul will join him at The Manchester. The first show at The Elyx Lounge and the Cosmo’s Lounge shows will feature Zuccato with his band mates. These include fellow Leamington natives Derek Impens on bass and Darryl Festa on guitar as well as Belle River’s Brandon Lefrancois on drums.

With the exception of Impens, the same group appeared on the 2012 season of Canada’s Got Talent, where they became semifinalists under the name Pulp City Inn.

Zuccato was inspired to perform music from two sources — his father and longtime drummer Lido Zuccato and the Jack Black movie School of Rock. While in school, he played drums for a local band. Once the group’s singer quit, Zuccato stepped forward to take on vocal duties and has been singing every since. He describes his present-day influences as Canadian rock band Big Wreck and an assortment of pop music frequently heard on radio.

For updates and more information on Zuccato’s music visit his website and Facebook page.

All in the day of an island manager couple

(Continued from Page 4)

there was a boat anchored just off our shore during the time this took place. Needless to say, our entire month’s usage was eaten up. Now, our owners are forced to pay the exuberant overusage charges. This is never a good situation, but of all times for it to happen, it would have to occur prior to one of our busiest months, with guests!

Soon after our visitors left on their boat, two fishermen arrived with a load of fish and lots of conch. Mark and I enjoyed sitting on the dock simply watching the actions. Smokey, one of the men, said that if I grabbed a bowl, a sweet onion and some limes, he would show me how to prepare ‘scorched’ conch. Scorching refers to the way he scores the meat of the conch with a sharp knife, not burning it on a grill. This dish is served raw and with the addition of the ingredients I brought, plus some tiny hot peppers that Smokey added, it was very good. As we sat at a round wooden table, with a fire torch in the middle, our fishermen friends explained the high and low tides and when to expect the moon to pop above the tree line.

Instead of viewing the moon, the clouds blocked out the moonlight and brought us a well needed rain. The blustery Novem-

ber winds had covered many of the island plants with salt, causing the grasses to burn, the bougainvillea to brown and some trees dropped almost all of their leaves. One of our crew has ensured me that they just need a fresh rinse and they will flourish again in no time.

I am nervous as I anticipate the entourage of guests who will soon start arriving, but I know that we’ve prepped and planned very well. Hopefully, Mark and I are able to heave a sigh of relief and enjoy every moment of the holiday season.

By Roger Bean

UMEI presents The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge

Six boys, one girl, one required drama course, and a two-hour play were the makings of UMEI Christian High School’s annual grade 11 production.

This year’s dramatic hit production was “The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge”. Four of the students were on stage throughout the entire play while the remaining two boys each played three roles and the lone female played five roles. Although the actors left the audience in stitches, they were also able to bring home author Mark Brown’s mes sage of giving year round. Besides their performance on stage, the seven students had to create the set, the costumes, the sound effects, and all the other incidentals that make up a live production. The class was aided by carpenter Steve Tiedeman, who helped his grandson

Logan Farfanick build the judge’s bench. Other outside help came from grade 12 student Samuel Dyck, who worked the sound, and from grade 9 student Aaron Janzen who played the tuba.

Olivia Toews, who played five different roles throughout the two-hour production, commented on her experience. “Initially the course was overwhelming as I wasn’t comfortable on stage and

the commitment to practice, set design and set creation was demanding,” said Olivia. “Throughout the months of practice my comfort level while on stage grew and by the time our four performances came around I was completely comfortable in the very different roles I portrayed on stage. What I did not expect is how much this experience helped me bond with my classmates. We are definitely closer as a class because of this course.”

“It was a difficult play,” said teacher/director Ruth Harnadek, “but they really brought it to life.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed the show!” said Sonya Bedal, principal at UMEI. “It was a mighty performance by a small, yet very talented cast.”

ON UNTIL DEC. 24 - CLOSED DEC. 25 - 28

JAMES MACAULEY, AT CHARTWELL SINCE 2011. It’s been three years since James decided to move out of his house and into one of our residences. Read the whole story and discover why he chose to write the next chapter at Chartwell.

MON. DEC. 29 TO SAT. JAN. 3 (CLOSED JAN. 1) NO EXCHANGES OR CREDITS WILL BE ACCEPTED DURING OUR BOXING WEEK SALE CLOSED MONDAYS FOR JANUARY, FEBRUARY AND MARCH, 2015

UMEI Christian High School’s grade 11 drama class presented “The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge” at the school on Fri. Nov. 28 and Sun. Nov. 30. Front row left to right: Josh Toews (as Jacob Marley), Olivia Toews (Ghost of Christmas Past), Francesco Mastronardi (Ghost of Christmas Future). Back row: Logan Farfanik (Defence Attorney), Willy Janzen (Clerk), Gibson Fulmer (Judge), J.R. Warkentin (Scrooge). (Photos by UMEI student Sam Dick)

A scene from the UMEI grade 11 production of “The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge”.

“The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge”, from left to right: Logan Farfanik (Defence At- torney), Willy Janzen (Clerk), Francesco Mastronardi (Witness).

Subdivision developer requests another

amendment

Larry Santos Construction Ltd. has requested a second amendment to the draft approved subdivision just east of Malibu Drive and South of Bayview Park. The plan is to eventually develop 37 single family homes and 42 semidetached dwellings.

The first amendment that was approved by Council in August was to allow a phased-in payment of sanitary sewer buy-in fees and to make the performance bond less onerous. As the administrative report before Council explains, “At this time, the owner has not submitted the required fees or executed the development with the Municipality.”

The owner now wants permission to first develop the three lots that face directly onto Malibu Drive (and that does not require the construction of any roads, sewers or services for the subdivision). Instead of investing hundreds of thousands of dollars getting the subdivision off the ground the developer will be able to build three houses and sell them for a payment to the municipality of less than $9,000.

Councillor Rick Atkin questioned Mr. Santos about his plans for the second phase of the development (assuming approval of the three-lot phase one). Mr. Santos indicated he is ready and eager to get going. Councillor Atkin made reference to Mr. Santos leadership role in getting development going.

Council moved approval of the amendment at the Dec. 8 meeting.

K of C donations

Leamington Salvation Army captain Corey Vincent (left) accepts a donation of $500 from Leamington Knights of Columbus Council 4501 Past Grand Knight Don Bedore. The local Salvation Army will deposit the cheque into its Family Services Account, from where it will be used to help fund the annual Christmas Hampers program and support its food bank. The local Knights of Columbus Council also made a donation of $500 to the Leamington St. Vincent de Paul food bank.

(SUN Photo)

The Leamington Shoppers Drug Mart Dragon Boat Team was recently presented with a trophy for being the top fundraisers of all Shoppers in the area. The Leamington team has raised $53,000 over the past three years. “I’m proud of my team, it’s a great cause and to finish like we did and make a difference, I couldn’t be happier,” said Leamington Shoppers Pharmacist Owner Mandy Morris. Pictured from left to right are Morris; Ashley Mariano, volunteer coordinator and Shoppers employee; Lisa Mastronardi, team captain; Rob Wright, Front Store Manager; Beth Noakes and Gerry Orum, founders of the Tecumseh Dragon Boat For the Cure. “We thank our customers for their support and share it with them and thank them,” said Morris.

(SUN Photo)

in the in the in the in the in the

ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20

Aries, although you are full of excitement this week, rein in some of those feelings so you can focus on the tasks at hand. Use your energy to your advantage.

TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21

Taurus, motivation may not be strong this week, so begin with some menial tasks around the house and build up to bigger plans. Eventually you will find a groove.

GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21

Gemini, try to avoid focusing on just one issue for too long. Sometimes you simply must trust your instincts and forge ahead anyway. Let past experience guide you this week.

CANCER - Jun 22/Jul 22

Cancer, avoid the temptation to take on too many responsibilities this week. If you don't, you might not get much done. Think before you accept more work.

LEO - Jul 23/Aug 23

Financial matters are looming and a decision must be made, Leo. Don't be overcome with anxiety, as all you need to do is carefully examine your finances to come up with a solution.

VIRGO - Aug 24/Sept 22

Spontaneity beckons, Virgo, even though you are a careful planner who puts a lot of thought into your decisions. Overthinking is more hassle than it's worth this week.

LIBRA - Sept 23/Oct 23

Someone may catch you off guard this week, Libra. This person will bring a welcome surprise, so look forward to this unexpected encounter.

ANSWERS ON PAGE 29

SCORPIO - Oct 24/Nov 22

Back up your promises with decisive action, Scorpio. That's the only way to prove to others that your word means something and you are committed to honoring your commitments.

SAGITTARIUS - Nov 23/Dec 21

There may be more to the big picture than you are seeing, Sagittarius. Gather the facts before you jump to any conclusions. You may just see things from a different perspective.

CAPRICORN - Dec 22/Jan 20

Capricorn, you are riding high and looking to share your good fortune with others. Make the most of this chance to improve the lives of those around you.

AQUARIUS - Jan 21/Feb 18

Aquarius, you have an idea about how to tackle a difficult obstacle, but someone crosses your path with a different agenda. Perhaps there's a way to work together.

PISCES - Feb 19/Mar 20

Pisces, avoid open conflict without being a pushover this week. Find the middle ground and try to understand another's perspective.

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS

DECEMBER 7

Sara Bareilles, Singer (35) DECEMBER 8

Ingrid Michaelson, Singer (35) DECEMBER 9

Judi Dench, Actress (80) DECEMBER 10

Gonzalo Higuain, Athlete (27) DECEMBER 11

Teri Garr, Actress (70) DECEMBER 12

Steven Hawley, Astronaut (63) DECEMBER 13

Wendie Malick, Actress (64)

Queen Elizabeth students thank veteran

By Bryan Jessop

Students at Queen Elizabeth Public School had plenty to be thankful for and as such, were not hesitant to show their gratitude.

Korean War veteran and Wheatley resident Glen Innes Dibbley received a surprise ‘Welcome Home’ party from Grade 4 to 8 students at the school Friday, Dec. 5 in the school’s gymnasium. The event was organized by teachers Tricia Derbyshire and Jill Walker along with their 60 combined Grade 8 and 7 students, respectively.

Following a stop at the school just prior to Remembrance Day, Dibbley was welcomed back last Friday afternoon for what he believed would be a casual, low-key cup of coffee. Instead, he was led to the gymnasium where he was greeted by the school’s Grades 4 to 8 classes. Grades 7 and 8 drama students put on a silent theatrical performance of “What Actually Happened” and “What Should Have Happened” in regards to the return home of Canadian armed forces from Korea. A video dedication to Korean War veterans was also shown before each attending student stood in line to shake Dibbley’s hand and thank him face to face.

“The students just decided that we should do something because there was no celebration for troops when they got home,” Derbyshire explained.

Students and teachers discussed ideas on how to thank Dibbley for both his military services in Korea as well as for his early-November visit to Grade 7 and 8 classes in honour of Remembrance Day. Suggestions included mailing him a thank-you card and/or gift before it was decided to present him with the Welcome Home party some 60 years after his return from the tiny southeast Asian country.

“It was beautiful,” Dibbley said of the surprise event. “They did a really good job. You could tell they put a lot of work into it. I truly appreciate what they did.”

Following the ceremony, staff and students met with Dibbley in the staff room, where he was treated to the coffee and cupcakes he was told would be the purpose of his second visit to the school in about a month.

During Dibbley’s November visit, he discussed some of his experiences during the Korean War and brought photos and other memorabilia to show the Grade 7 and 8 classes.

“The kids really got into that discussion,” Derbyshire noted.

Dibbley served with the 81st Field Regiment 216 Battery while in Korea, stationed in a gun pit where he and his comrades utilized what they called ’25 pounders’. The

81st remained in Korea for about six months after the war ended.

“We stayed longer because there was nobody to replace us,” explained Dibbley, now 81. “The 79th wasn’t back from Germany yet.”

Dibbley departed for the west coast town of Incheon near what is now the South Korean capital of Seoul from Seattle, Washington, with a stop in Hiroshima, Japan, before making his way to Pusan. Dibbley recalled hearing a performance from the Pusan navy band, who could only play Eileen

Barton’s ‘If I Knew You Were Coming I’d Have Baked A Cake’. A recording of the same song was played when he entered the gym at Queen Elizabeth School.

“I’m overwhelmed,” Dibbley told students at the end of the celebration. “If I knew this was going to happen I would have brought my buddies with me.”

Dibbley referred to fellow Korean War veterans Jerry Besenall of Leamington and Ted Enkaya of Windsor. Besenall served within close proximity to Dibbley while Enkaya was an engineer. Besenall was severely injured while serving as a tech-able responsible for radio communication with troops in the gun pits when an explosion occurred at the table where he was sitting. The blast instantly killed two others — one from Windsor, the other from Winnipeg. They were among the 516 Canadians killed during the war.

Dibbley and his two local friends visit schools across the Windsor-Essex County area on a regular basis. Dibbley has paid regular visits to Wheatley schools since his return home in 1954. He remains in contact with about a dozen fellow Korean War veterans, including several from Newfoundland.

“I enjoyed the military,” said Dibbley, who arranges and organizes the display cases at Wheatley Royal Canadian Legion Branch 324. “If I had to do it again, I’d do it again.”

Grade 5 student Dhevan Patel thanks Korean War veteran Glen

Innes Dibbley during a ‘Welcome Home’ celebration at Queen Elizabeth Public School Friday, Dec. 5.

Queen Elizabeth Public School students lead local Korean War veteran Glen Innes Dibbley into the gymnasium for a ‘Welcome Home’ celebration. Students thanked Dibbley for his military service and for visiting the school just prior to Remembrance Day this year.

Jaxen Kunkel (left) and Eric Wright pose for photos with Korean War veteran Glen Innes Dibbley following a surprise ‘Welcome Home’ celebration.

Local Korean War veteran Glen Innes Dibbley salutes during a Queen Elizabeth Public School band’s playing of O’ Canada.

“Peace” exhibit at LAC until December 23rd

“... the tranquility and brilliance of a snow-covered lake... “... white autumnal aspens shining in the azure air...

“... golden blankets of marigolds reaching for the early spring sun...

“... a windswept pine on a tiny rock in crystal clear waters....

“... sunbeams dancing merrily with little rivulets over ancient pebbles... “... these, and so many more, give me.... PEACE.

– Dorit Girash

This time of year, when we all seek “Peace on Earth”, you are invited to come and enjoy the wonderful peace that the earth gives us every day.

Until December 23rd, the Leamington Arts Centre (LAC) is extremely proud to feature an exhibit by one of its very distinguished, honourable and longtime supporting artists, Dorit Girash of Dove by Art.

The photography exhibit, titled “PEACE”, features beautiful images of notable scenes from all over Essex County, as well as many images taken on Girash’s travels across Ontario, Halifax, Alberta and a wide variety from Austria as well.

Girash has supported the LAC with many fundraising events and activities through the years and has been regularly featured in the Giftshop as well as at Art @ the Marina. She is always a true pleasure to work with, a very giving person to the community and to so many causes, from the

BANK THEATRE NOTES

10 ERIE STREET SOUTH P.O. BOX 434

LEAMINGTON, ON N8H 3W5 519-326-8805

Free, Free, Free EVENT

Dr. Seuss’s

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS

Friday, December l2 at 4:00 p.m.

Parents, why not bring your children to this event at The Bank Theatre, 10 Erie Street, South. You will get home in time for supper and that Christmas party you were invited to, after taking your children to a free event that will delight them and put them in a wonderful mood. There will be songs and a visit from Santa. This event has been made possible through a partnership with the Sun Parlour Players Community Theatre and the South Essex Community Council.

Dale Butler’s Last Friday of the Month Coffee House:

Friday, December l9 at 7:00 p.m.

Once again, due to the busyness of the week between Christmas and New Year’s, the coffee house is not actually on the last Friday of the month. Dale’s last coffee house, held on November 2lst was a great success with about seventy-five people attending. The audience enjoyed the new venue at The Bank Theatre and were blown away by the twelve entertaining acts. On Friday, December l9 at 7:00 p.m. you will enjoy music by Nicole Barron, Dale Butler, Gord Harwood and Paul Jones, just to name a few. Remember that there is no admission fee. Donations are welcome. The coffee house in January will actually live up to its title and take place on the last Friday of the month, Friday, January 30 at 7:00 p.m.

QUEEN MILLI OF GALT by Gary Kirkham, directed by Rick Taves Rehearsals are under way for this unique and refreshing Canadian play, which is based on an actual occurrence. In l972, the Duke of Windsor died. Two weeks later, a tombstone appeared in a cemetery in Galt, Ontario, engraved with these words. Millicent Milroy, wife of Edward Vlll, Duke of Windsor. We return to 1919 to explore what may have happened in Galt that autumn. Breezy, witty and warmly romantic. Play Dates: February 26, 27, and 28 and March 6 and 7 at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 8 at 2:00 p.m. *February 26 is the Dress Rehearsal open to the public on a pay as you can basis.

Follow The Bank Theatre on Facebook www.facebook.com/TheBankTheatre

Email: banktheatre@gmail.com Website: www.banktheatre.com

faculties of St. Clair College and the University of Windsor, Canada South School of Aeronautics, the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons, to Point Pelee National Park’s Citizens Advisory Committee.

Originally a biologist, now retired, Girash enjoys spending her time traveling by boat with her husband Martin, photographing nature and sharing her images with her viewers.

I think it only best to hear a bit more about Girash and her passion and lover for life in her own words:

“Biophilia = LOVE OF LIFE. It is an inherent human quality. It is in all of us. It is who we are. It is what we are. We are all lovers of life. We are all the products of the love that is life.

“Biophilia is the innate tendency for each of us to focus on life. It is the connections that we human beings subconsciously seek with the rest of life. It postulates that we human beings, in order to live an optimal physical, psychological and spiritual life, need to live a life integrated with the full diversity of nature. It teaches that we humans are dependent on nature far beyond the narrow demand for physical and material sustenance to a broader range of emotional, intellectual, and even spiritual needs.

“Biophilia, when we think about it, is one of those ‘of course’ concepts. Of course – we’ve always felt this – we’ve always known this. But sometimes these ‘of course’ concepts need articulation.

“This was done by Drs. Edward Wilson and Stephen Kellert who, after extensive study, together edited a book

Ted Bachmeir will be at the Market singing many Christmas songs from 11 am to 1 pm Bring the kids for cookie decorating fun!

ARE YOU AFFECTED BY SOMEONE ELSE'S DRINKING? The Wheatley Serenity Al-Anon Family Group meets every Monday at 7:30 p.m. at the Wheatley Friendship Club (north entrance), 171 Erie St. N.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12 - UMEI

Christian High School presents “A Christmas to Believe in”, 7:00 p.m. Performances by UMEI Concert Choir, UMEI Junior Orchestra, UMEI Chamber Choir and UMEI Drama troupe. Admission is free.

FRIDAY DECEMBER 12 at 4:00. A free Kids Christmas at The Bank Theatre, 10 Erie Street South, Leamington, with a performance of “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”, singing and Santa Claus .

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13Family Knitting/Looming Club meets 10:30 - 11:00 a.m. at Leamington Library. All skill levels welcome. This family knitting club teaches kids to make a baby hat to donate to a baby in the hospital. Parents and grandparents are encouraged to attend. Everyone is welcome.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19 - Jennifer Thomas Law Office, 268 Erie St. S.

entitled: The Biophilia Hypothesis - 1993. They explored Physiology, Biology, Nursing, Psychiatry, Forestry, Ecology, Veterinary Medicine, Anthropology, Cell Biology, Microbiology, Chemical Evolution, Planetary Biology, Education, Philosophy, Evolution, Behavioural Geography, Environmental Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Entomology, and discovered that all of these academic bodies of knowledge converged on one very simple but fundamental concept - that we humans need to integrate our lives with all other living beings. We are inextricably connected and interdependent. We are all one family of life. We all originated as stardust with the big bang.

“As my friend Dr. Mary Lou Randour writes: We are all linked together in a world of reciprocal dependence, one in which other persons, animals, and elements coexist.

“Buddhism teaches us that the world is a dynamic flow of interaction and interconnection. I am only relatively not you and you are only relatively not me. When other stands opposed to self, violence can proceed. When other is seen as self, nonviolence prevails.

“As the Chinese proverb says: We must consider our planet to be on loan from our children, rather than being a gift from our ancestors.

“Dr. Jane Goodall teaches us that we have a choice – to use the gift of our lives to make this world a better place. That every individual matters; that every individual has a role to play; that every individual makes a difference.

“So, my life’s work has been and continues to be a celebration of our connection with all of life. It is a celebration of the compassion that is in each of us. It is an invitation to opening the doors to that compassion; of knowing that ‘it’s cool to care’; and that it’s OK to be unashamedly outspoken about loving life.”

The LAC is located at 72 Talbot St. W. Gallery hours are Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturday from 12-noon-4 p.m.

Offered at 4 schools in Leamington & Kingsville. Ages 18 months - 12 years 6:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. • Subsidy available. For details call 519-733-8202 www.discoverychildcareschools.com

Leamington, is hosting a “Hiatus House Holiday Drive” - We will accept small appliances such as hair dryers, flat irons, toaster, etc. One size fits all pyjamas, toys, toiletries including personal items, hair brushes, toothbrushes, bath gift sets, etc. Gift cards from any one of our fine local businesses. Please drop off your donations to our offices by Friday, December 19 so we can get them to Hiatus House in time for the holidays.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21 - A Blue Christmas Service will be held at 7:00 p.m. at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 311 Sherk St., Leamington. For those who have lost loved ones, lost a job, are struggling financially or with illness, this is not an easy season. The Blue Christmas (also known as the Service of The Longest Night) is offered for people in our community. People who are not having a very merry Christmas and friends who support them, are invited to come and sit with one another in a liturgy that speaks of the love of God for the grieving.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 22 - Food & Fellowship Supper, 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. Leamington United Church, 9

John St., welcomes those who are alone or having trouble making ends meet. No charge.

CHRISTMAS DAY, DECDEMBER 25

- A Christmas invitation to those who will be alone (or those who will go without). Please join us for our annual Christmas Dinner, Christmas Day, December 25 , 12:00 noon. The Church of St. John the Evangelist (Anglican), 60 Erie St. N., Leamington. Call 519326-3111 to register by December 20th. A special invitation fo shutins: if you are unable to join us, we will be pleased to deliver your meal. (Leamington, Wheatley, Kingsville area only). There is no cost or obligation.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27 - Free Tim Hortons Holiday Skate at the Leamington Kinsmen Recreation Complex. Bring the whole family to skate in the Unico Arena. 249 Sherk St. Leamington.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 29 - Free Tim Hortons Holiday Skate at the Leamington Kinsmen Recreation Complex. Bring the whole family to skate in the Unico Arena. 249 Sherk St. Leamington.

Two public meetings held

To start the Leamington Council meeting Monday evening, Dec. 8, Council held two public meetings, one drainage and one rezoning. The drainage meeting was for a new access culvert over the Big Creek Drain combined with a correction to the assessment for maintenance. It generated no controversy and was quickly dealt with.

The rezoning public meeting was due to a piece of land zoned A3 (hobby farm) being sold to a neighbouring farm on Mersea Road 6. This occasioned re-designation of the farmland to A1 (farmland) and the residual home to A5 (agricultural residential). No opposition was voiced and the changes were approved by Council.

Active Transportation plan awarded

A planning document that will address the design, planning and implementation of Active Transportation in Leamington has been awarded to MMM Co., Ltd.

This contract is 50% subsidized by the Essex County Active Transportation Committee and will help ensure that Leamington’s network of trails will interconnect and co-ordinate with the CWATS, Trans Canada, and Waterfront trail systems surrounding Leamington.

Total cost of the project is anticipated to be well under the $45,000 budgeted for the work.

Sandy Lakes clean-up more costly than expected

The original estimate in the 2014 budget to remove the built-up sediment from the Sandy Lakes drainage pond was $300,000. The tender results are now in and the lowest tender will put the price at just less than $450,000.

The only way to get around this unexpectedly high cost is to budget further money in the 2015 budget and delay the work to spring of 2015. This will mean re-tendering the project.

Council accepted the recommendation at the Dec. 8 meeting.

December 10, 2014 - Page 13

LDSS

Can Day

this Friday

Activity is beginning to pick up in preparation for the 2014 Leamington-Mersea Goodfellows Christmas Basket campaign.

Donations for this year’s baskets have been coming in steadily, and the intake process has been completed, so the number of required baskets have been identified.

The Leamington District Secondary School Can Day, which the Goodfellows rely heavily on to complete the baskets, is scheduled for this Friday, December 12.

The organization is operated entirely by volunteers, so with the support of the community at large, nearly all of the funds received go toward the program.

KDHS

students raise $10,000 for charity

Students and staff from Kingsville District High School rolled, walked and ran a 6-kilometre route around the community last week and finished with more than $10,000 to be split between two charitable organizations.

For more than a decade, KDHS has held the Reindeer Run to celebrate the spirit of giving during the holiday season. They have expanded the event to include the Hospice Hustle. Students needed to collect and contribute at least $10 to take part.

A friendly competition pitted the Grade 9 and 12 students (Reindeer Running) for the Children’s Aid Society against the Grade 10 and 11 students (Hustling for Hospice – Leamington, Erie Shores). The 10s and 11s proved to have a little more spring in their step, raising slightly more money than the seniors and freshmen.

Emergency care: a vital part of our area’s health care network

Our emergency department was recently rated the area’s best for shorter average wait times and for quality of timely care. Our patient recommendations exceed local and provincial averages. Whatever your emergency problem, Leamington Hospital’s teams are ready to provide first-rate front-line care.

Your support of local care ensures that we’ll always have the vital services we need, close to home. Local Emergency Care: Choose it. Use

SECC group to present “The Grinch”

By Bryan Jessop

The South Essex Community Council and Sun Parlour Players Community Theatre are teaming up to spread some free holiday cheer this Christmas season.

The SECC’s Newcomer Youth Program will present a musical of “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” at The Bank Theatre Friday, Dec. 12 at 4 p.m. Ideal for patrons of all ages, the 30-minute performance will include free admission and will be followed by a visit from Santa Claus. Both the Newcomer Youth Program and its rendition of The Grinch are led by SECC youth worker Tiffany Nohra, a University of Windsor dramatic arts graduate. The play includes seven cast members and five behind-the-scenes volunteers ranging from 14 to 18 years of age. Members of the NYP are high school students who recently immigrated to Canada. Those participating in the upcoming Grinch performance arrived in Canada as recently as July and original ly hail from countries including Jamaica, Burma, Mexico and Thailand.

Preparation and rehearsals for the play began in late October. The group watched Jim Carey’s version of The Grinch to become familiarized with the story and have since rehearsed an average of once or twice per week at either The Bank Theatre or the SECC office at the Leamington Kinsmen and Recreation Complex. Most participating members of the NYP are first-time actors and had never set foot in a theatre prior to their first Grinch rehearsal.

“It’s a very exciting experience for them,” said Nohra, who is essentially both producer and director of the musical. “They get to experience something that’s totally new to them. They’re excited about learning new skills in the performing arts.”

The partnership between the two organizations began when the SPPCT invited SECC members for a tour of The Bank Theatre. During the visit, Nohra mentioned the Newcomer Youth Program’s intention of conducting a youth production. Arrangements were made shortly afterwards while Essex Power offered its support via a donation of $500. No-

The “Whos” perform an opening dance during the rehearsal of How The Grinch Stole Christmas in The Bank Theatre basement Thursday, Dec. 4. The production’s cast and crew consists of Newcomer Youth Program members, who will perform the 30-minute play free of charge at The Bank Theatre Friday, Dec. 12 at 4 p.m.

hra explained that most language barriers were overcome through the NYP itself, although the number of interested teens dwindled somewhat over the prospect of memorizing a lengthy list of lines.

“In the beginning, it was a challenge,” Nohra admitted. “Some dropped out after looking at the script. Slowly but surely, the rest have been doing well. They’re getting the hang of it. They’re memorizing lines and remembering movements.”

The SPPCT is allowing the full use of sound and lighting equipment as well as costumes and props. During the Friday afternoon presentation, public donations in support of the Newcomers program will be accepted.

Pelee Island service contract to continue

For years Leamington has supplied building inspector services to Pelee Island. The municipality has been unsuccessful recruiting a building official, so they have requested that Leamington continue to provide the service. At the Monday, Dec. 8 meeting, Leamington Council reviewed a proposal from the Manager of Building Services, Bechara Daher, to continue to provide the service with an increased guaranteed minimum fee of $14,000 (with an increase of $1,000 per year after 2015).

Councillor Tim Wilkinson was of the opinion that the agreement doesn’t represent a very good deal for Leamington. It is his opinion that providing the service costs Leamington at least $15,000.

Councillor Rick Atkin expressed the opinion that the municipality spends about $18,000 in wages and benefits on the employee providing the service.

Councillor Larry Verbeke said that provision of the service should simply be based upon full cost recovery. That is the goal of the agreement, although there was considerable doubt on the part of the Councillors.

The recommendation was made by Deputy-Mayor Hilda MacDonald to cap the number of trips to the island to ensure a break-even status. Before anybody could discuss the merit of that idea, Councillor Atkin expressed the worry that this agreement would be used as an excuse to hire new staff in the building department.

Mayor John Paterson summed up the discussion with encouragement to Council to endorse the proposed agreement with the understanding that full cost recovery is the goal. He liked the suggestions made, and invited Council recommendations for safeguards to prevent a loss.

Finally, it was agreed that an agreement would be signed that ensures full cost recovery. The final consensus was to cap the number of trips to a maximum of 15 trips to the island, and the motion was carried.

Passport Mentoring building skills in community setting

Every Wednesday, 18-year-old Matthew Harrow goes to his job at the Leamington Southpoint Sun. Matthew delivers papers with the help of Sun editor and co-owner Sheila McBrayne.

Through the Passport Mentoring program at Community Living Ontario, Matthew was paired with the Southpoint Sun. He was originally linked with the Sun because of his interest in recycling. Unfortunately, the timing and frequency of the recycling needs at the office didn’t coordinate, but Sun staff wanted to work with Matthew and found another job.

“We had one entire street that was kind of in between other routes, so we asked Matthew and his parents if he would be interested in doing a paper route,” said McBrayne. Matthew welcomed the challenge.

The Passport Mentoring Initiative is an opportunity for students who have an intellectual disability to explore ideas for their future after high school. Students between the ages of 14 to 21 can learn more about their area of interest or be introduced to members of their community who have similar interests.

“I look forward to Wednesdays. Matthew comes to the office and we bag papers and then I drive him to do his paper route together. The residents of Parkdale Avenue can attest that they receive their Sun and flyers every Wednesday by 4:15 p.m., without fail,” said McBrayne.

“Matthew is one of our most reliable carriers. He comes to our office every Wednesday to bag and pick up his papers for delivery. He’s always here at 3:30 on the nose, if not earlier. And he has not missed a week since he started earlier this year,” said Allison Siddall, Distribution Manager, Southpoint Sun. “Even Sheila missed a week for vacation. He’s always very enthusiastic and raring to go,” she added.

“This paper route is Matthew’s first job. It reinforces the things that he is learning in his co-op work at Cardinal Carter Secondary School. He is learning where he needs to be, when he needs to be there and what he needs to do when he gets there. This is the essence of any future job he may have. For Kim and I, the support from the Passport Program and the Sun give us great comfort that the community at large is willing to support people with special needs,” said Matthew’s father Robert Harrow.

“There was one Wednesday in the summer when we had torrential rainfall and

many carriers called in to say they weren’t going to do their route until it let up… Not Matthew. Matthew was right on time and we delivered through the sideways rain,” said McBrayne.

Sherry Blanchard is a Mentor Coordinator with Community Living Ontario and works closely with Family Respite Services to help match employers with students. “This allows them to explore ideas for their future after leaving high school, meet people they may not have met on their own and to potentially develop skills that they can use subsequently in life.

The program focuses on inclusion in the workplace and inspiring the students to reach their full potential,” said Blanchard. Some students turn these mentoring opportunities into career choices.

“I truly enjoy the time I spend with Matthew. His attention to routine and his innocent and honest responses to questions are sincere. The first time Matthew got in my car he turned my radio station, cranked up the volume, opened the window, and away we went,” said McBrayne. “Matthew loves Halloween, Barney and I think he’s getting excited about Christmas as we start to see more decorations on the houses,” added McBrayne.

“Matthew likes to watch videos on my iPhone and he has my password memorized. It’s too funny,” said McBrayne. “I was shopping at Superstore about a month ago and when I came around the corner, I saw Matthew with a couple of his classmates and a teacher. They were in the store on a shopping skills excursion,” said McBrayne. “When I said hello to Matthew in front of his friends, he blushed, so I guess he does like me.”

“I am always looking for unique experiences for the students that come to the program. It is strictly a voluntary opportunity for both

the student and the mentor, and the commitment time is flexible based on the mentors availability, keeping in mind that it doesn’t have to be an organization or company - many successes have been retired individuals with unique or fun hob-

bies. I would be interested in speaking with anyone willing to mentor a student and help them grow,” said Blanchard.

Blanchard can be reached by email at sblanchard@ communitylivingontario.ca or at 226-344-5030.

Matthew Harrow and Sun Editor Sheila McBrayne on our first day.

Matthew Harrow and Sheila McBrayne taking a selfie on a day it poured rain.

Little Hands have big hearts

Raising money to help sick children and their families

‘Little Hands – Kids for a Cause’, a child-inspired and led charity, whose intent is to raise money for local children inflicted by life-threatening illnesses, is hosting two holiday fundraisers running until December 15.

The two events, ‘Loonies for Little Hands’ and the ‘Little Hands Toy Drive’ are benefitting local families with ill children. There are several locations participating in the drives, where the public will find donation jars and boxes to place their loonies and unwrapped new toys.

All loonies collected will be given to sick children in the area and all toys will be donated to the Windsor Regional Hospital and London Health Sciences Child Life Programs. The wish lists for both Child Life Programs are posted on the ‘Little Hands – Kids for a Cause’ Facebook page.

‘Little Hands’ is also challenging families, friends, schools, church groups, local teams or entire neighbourhoods to participate in the loonie drive, which could result in hundreds of loonies being donated to the event and then given to those families who truly need it the most this holiday season.

Beginning in July 2014, ‘Little Hands – Kids for a Cause’, has participated in several fundraisers, including lemonade stands, charity yard sales and organized events at Colasanti’s Tropical Gardens and Sturgeon Woods. The first family assisted by ‘Little Hands’ was the Spencer family from LaSalle. Maiysn Spencer was the first face of ‘Little Hands’. Maiysn was an energetic, 8-year-old hero who was battling non-Hodgkins Lymphoma when the group first read about his story. Maiysn’s family received a donation from the organization in early October. An article in The Windsor Star, detailing Maiysn’s fight and the help he was receiving, prompted a huge community response. Both the Spencer family and the founders

of ‘Little Hands’ were taken aback by the generosity of the public.

On November 17, 2014, the first hero and guiding inspiration behind ‘Little Hands’ gained his angel wings and while Maiysn’s smile, bravery and determination will be greatly missed, ‘Little Hands’ has vowed to honour his memory by continuing to concentrate their efforts on other local children. Maiysn will continue to inspire them in their efforts as the group has been contacted by several families in the area also needing financial assistance. All of these families are facing insurmountable hurdles, as they attempt to juggle the responsibilities of work and bills, along with the reality of having a sick child. In many cases, one or both of the parents have had to take leaves from work or quit their jobs, in order to properly care for their child or for their child to undergo treatment in other hospitals, like London Health Sciences Centre.

‘Little Hands’ will be continually fundraising to raise money for these families, but hope that the public will assist at this time as well. At this point there are 3 ways to make a donation: a deposit directly into the charity bank account (TD Bank, transit #26452, institution #004, account #5004117), a cheque mailed to ‘Little Hands – Kids For a Cause’, 1826 Cottonwood Ave., Kingsville, ON, N9Y 2W4, or via an email money transfer. Since ‘Little Hands’ is new they are currently awaiting for approval to become a registered charity/not for profit organization so at this time are not able to give receipts for donations.

Currently ‘Little Hands – Kids for a Cause’ has 9 heroes. Nine courageous children battling illnesses, whose families are facing hardship as a result of their child’s diagnosis or treatment.

If you know of a ‘Hero’ who may need the assistance of ‘Little Hands’, contact the group via their Facebook page, by phone 519-733-9607 (Leigh Ann) or 519-322-9232 (Aimee), or email littlehandskidsforacause@gmail.com

Local drop-off locations for the Little Hands Toy Drives and Loonies for Little Hands are:

• In Leamington: toy and toonie drive at MainWest and Bradt’s Butcher Block.

• In Ruthven: toy and toonie drive at Anna’s Flowers; toy drive at Colasanti’s Tropical Gardens.

• In Kingsville: toy and toonie drive at TD Bank, MainWest, The Butcher of Kingsville; loonie drive at CrasyDiamond Designs.

Gore Hill Eco Team Earns Silver Certification

This past week, members of Gore Hill’s Eco-Team attended a workshop sponsored by the Greater Essex County District School Board. The guest speaker was George Kourounis, host of TV’s “Angry Planet”. Team members (left to right) Meghan Tavares, Bill Cervini (principal), Trinity Sauve and Herman Neudorf proudly display their Silver Certification for the school’s Eco-schools initiatives. Gore Hill students and staff are working hard to achieve gold status this year. (Submitted photo)

Little Hands volunteers Teya Mastronardi and Cole Mastronardi work the Little Hands Lemonade Stand at a fundraising event held at Colasanti’s. Little Hands raises money to help local children with a life-threatening illness and their families.

Nataliah Egglezos, also a volunteer with Little Hands, helped out at a fundraiser at Colasanti’s.

The Et Cetera Shoppe held its first annual Christmas Open House on Saturday, November 15. Seven lucky people went home with beautiful door prizes, including Penny Lamb of Leamington. All proceeds of the sales at the Et Cetera Shoppe go to charity, both locally and around the world.

(Photo submitted)

One less stop sign proposed

Leamington’s traffic department has recommended that the stop sign for cars headed west on Seacliff Drive at the Bevel Line be removed, making Seacliff a through-street from the bypass to Erie Street South. Now that the intersection with the Bevel Line has been reconfigured and the volume of traffic coming off the south end of the eastside arterial road is growing, this change is more than justified. At the Dec. 8 Council meeting, three members of Council who use the Bevel Line regularly, Councillor John Hammond, Councillor Tim Wilkinson and Deputy-Mayor Hilda MacDonald, had grave misgivings about removing the stop sign. All of them commented that traffic moving northwest on the Bevel Line can have difficulty seeing traffic on Seacliff.

Council voted and defeated the recommendation, choosing to receive the report and do nothing to remove the stop sign.

Road resurfacing delay

Due to bad weather and other considerations, Mill-AM Corporation will have to wait to complete their contract to repave some roads in Leamington until spring of 2015.

A report presented to Council on Dec. 8 by Alex Del Brocco, Leamington’s Engineering Project Supervisor, indicates that they were able to only get about $55,000 of their $428,000 contract complete. The company has, however, guaranteed to do the work next year at the agreed-upon price.

The report was received for information purposes.

Gator Drive for Food Bank

Principal’s Council at Gore Hill Public School recently held a Gator Drive. For 10 days, students were encouraged to bring in canned goods, non-perishable food items, toiletries, toys and hats/mittens. The students collected 1,309 items. What a great achievement for such a small school! The items will be donated to the Leamington Salvation Army for distribution to local families in need. Packing and keeping a tally of the items collected by the school are (seated in back, left to right) Barrett Enns, Jak Thiessen and Morgan Robinson, (seated in front) Evan

(Submitted photo)

The Churches of Leamington and District Welcome You

IT’S A GIRL!

First time grandparents, Jim & Cathy Thomson are happy & proud to announce the birth of their granddaughter,

Violet

Estrela

Born November 27, 2014. Weighing 7 lbs. 2 oz. The new parents are Davina Thomson and Jason Nunes of Toronto.

IN MEMORIAM

In loving memory of a dear sister

J E A N

V O A K E S

Who passed away December 10, 1993 Time goes by but memories stay, As near and dear as yesterday. It's not the words, they are but few. It's the loving memories we keep of you. Sadly missed by Eleanor and Family

Passed away December 11, 2013

One year has passed, dear son, since you were suddenly called away. How well do we remember that sad and weary day. You suffered much, you murmered not, we watched you day by day. Your weary hours and days of pain, your troubled nights are past. And in our aching hearts we know you have found sweet rest at last. We miss you. Your mother, Irene. Your brother, Ken & Marisa, Your sister, Christine & Ron, Your niece, Karisa. Your nephews, Devin & Dillon.

In loving memory of

March 14, 1918 - December 4, 1994 It has been 20 long years, but we still love and remember you. All our love, your wife Hanna, Children and Families.

Performance measures report card and audited financial statements

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs insists that a ‘report card’ on the services offered be published by every municipality. For example, the operating cost of the Fire Service was 79¢ per $1,000 of assessment. There is really no way to interpret this as good or bad. It really cannot be compared to other municipalities — even municipalities similar to Leamington in population, location or assessment base — because there are so many variables that dictate any given year’s operating budget. It is consistent with the idea of accountability because the numbers are reported, but in the absence of explicitly stated provincial targets municipalities should aim for, it is not particularly useful.

Council received the report for information and permitted administration to post it to the municipal website.

A similar report that must be presented to Council so that it can be forwarded to the ministry is the statement of the balance in the development charges reserve accounts. Since Leamington Council has suspended collecting development charges for three years, these accounts cannot be replenished and simply are what they are.

The corporation has a “clean” audit and in the opinion of the auditor, Leamington is in good financial shape. That delightful news inspired Council to accept the audit at the Dec. 8 meeting.

Gualtieri, and (standing) Jacey Foster, Andrew Marchand.

1972 Volvo P1800ES

Volvo began building cars in Sweden in 1927.

A sleek sport coupe (P1800) went into production in 1961, followed later by a 2+2 version (P1800ES), which prompted a recent email from Jim Dignan of Mississauga: “Hi Bill. I was a university student when the 1972

Volvo P1800ES came out, and I vowed to own one after graduation. I finally purchased mine in 2008 from the second caretaker, who restored it in 1989. He drove it a thousand miles a year for 19 years, mostly to play golf. He had to give it up when the manual steering became too much to handle, and got into a Porsche with power steering.

“My classic Volvo was purchased new by Dr. Porter in Willowdale for close to the price of a Jaguar XKE. As the third caretaker, I replaced all suspension components and installed window tint for privacy and a cool cabin. I drive it every day to work, weather permitting. It is sometimes scary, especially at highway speeds, when vehicles rush up behind to see what kind of car it is. This car is a great cruiser on two-lane highways at 70-80 mph (400 series too fast at 80-90 mph) but you have to work the gears off the line in the city.

“The only people who recognize the P1800s are white-haired guys like me, and the under-6 crowd who have seen the Disney ‘Cars’ movies, the second of which had a P1800 coupe character sporting a moustache. These young future car nuts while on outings with their teachers will immediately stop and point excitedly as I slow down to appreciate their attention.

“Most people are surprised to learn that this car was produced by Volvo, and further surprised to hear it came with 4-wheel disc brakes, computerized fuel injection, a dual braking system, collapsible steering wheel, and 3-point seat belts.

“When I brought the car home for the first time, my daughter thought this car was too old and ugly and would not happily ride in it until the little boys came running to it in her school driveway. Now she is quite happy to be seen in it. She and Mom regularly attend the car shows with me as they also now have the classic car bug.”

Jim Dignan’s 1972 Volvo P1800ES, a car worth waiting for! Note 1972 YOM (Year of Manufacture) license plates, legal in Ontario.

The rear view attracts other motorists who wonder what it is.

Stars shine in weekend action

The Community Trophy Southpoint Atom Stars played Lakeshore Lightning Sunday afternoon. The Lady Stars played extremely well throughout this evenly matched game. Lakeshore scored a goal late in the second and late in the third period to win this game by a score of 2-0.

The Naples Pizza Southpoint Bantam Stars travelled to Kingsville to battle the girls of South County. Brienne Mastronardi paced the attack scoring 2 goals and an assist. Raine Schiefer scored the other Stars goal, while Kaylie Goodchild scored 2 assists and Lexy Iacobelli notched a single assist. This game ended with a 3-0 Stars victory. The goaltending team of Erica Taylor and Caitlyn Preston recorded another shutout!

On Sunday afternoon the Naples Pizza Southpoint Bantam Stars welcomed the Chatham Outlaws to the Heinz rink. This was a fast-paced, even contest that ended deadlocked at 3 goals apiece. Three different players scored for the Lady Stars – Lexy Iacobelli, Hannah Chacko and Connie Wiebe. Assists were by Mackenzie Church (2), Kelsey Almasi, Camryn Iverson, Shelby Hunter and Krysten Garant.

The Leamington Kinsmen Southpoint Intermediate Stars travelled to Windsor to tangle with the Wildcats. The Lady Stars came ready to play in this contest. Kayla Collison led the attack, scoring twice and assisting on another. Tatum Davison also had a big game scoring three assists. Taylor Babkirk and Morgan Amicone scored the other Stars goals. Shayna Augustine played a great game in net for the Stars, holding the Wildcats to a single goal and recording a big 4-1 win.

The Leamington Kinsmen Southpoint Intermediate Stars played in Tecumseh on Saturday afternoon. Kayla Collison again led the way scoring 2 goals, while single tallies went to Taylor Babkirk, Morgan Amicone and Lea Marshall. Scoring the assists were Abby Gualtieri (2), Jenn Fehr, Kelsey Babkirk, Morgan Amicone, Taylor Babkirk, Jada Schiefer and Tatum Davison. The final score was 5-3 for the Stars!

Sunday afternoon saw the Leamington Kinsmen Southpoint Intermediate Stars take on the Lakeshore Lightning. The Lady Stars played amazing throughout this game en route to a dominant 5-0 win. Scoring for the Stars were Kim Goyeau (2), Lea Marshall, Abby Gualtieri and Jada Schiefer. Scoring the assists were Joline Driedger (2), Kelsey Babkirk, Lea Marshall, Taylor Babkirk, Kim Goyeau, Sydney Dries, Jenn Fehr and Abby Gualtieri. Shayna Augustine was spectacular in net, recording another shutout.

WFS Bantams win Windsor Spitfire tourney

In a sport that unifies no matter what pace, no matter how hard we battle, the front of the pack is left to those that excel and rise to the occasion.

The Leamington Windsor Factory Supply (WFS) hockey team won the Windsor Spitfire Hockey Tournament Dec. 6, winning every game that they played.

Goalie Tyler Dibbley was named tournament MVP and played outstanding. Playing in a rink that hosts seating for approximately 5,000 people brings unique energy. The players were excited and rose to the occasions battling every minute to achieve the ultimate goal of tournament champions.

The opportunity and experience of dressing like big league players, sitting on the same bench that the Spitfires use, along with memorable echoes of a packed stadium created the atmosphere that allowed the players a day of stardom. The coaches are proud of each and every player and understand how fortunate they are to be working with a

dynamic team that play with heart week in week out. In regular season play, this WFS team dominated the first place Essex team by a score of 4-2. Although the game was played with an incident, the kids found themselves holding their composure and playing a well disciplined game.

Goals were scored by Matthew Durcocher, who owns the front of the net. This fella understands his role of going to the offensive crease and holding his ground better than anyone in his league.

The next goal was by Aiden Rodrigues, who dazzled his way through the defense after receiving the puck from his linemates Butera and Antunes.

The next goal was poked in by Derrick Antunes who dominates the corner like a veteran, assisted by a rocket shot from Austin Tiessen.

The final goal was scored by Aiden Rodrigues and assisted by Antunes.

The WFS Bantams won every game they played in the Windsor Spitfire Hockey Tournament on the weekend, bringing home the championship. Front: goalie Tyler Dibbley. First row, left to right: Derrick Antunes (assistant), Dante Butera (captain), Brock Siddall, Trevor Dyck, Jordan Blake, Caeden Hutnik. Back row: assistant coach Ed Rodrigues, coach Shawn Tiessen, Cade Price, Aiden Rodrigues (assistant), Austin Tiessen (assistant), Tyler Blake, Donnie Pardo, Mathew Durocher, Elijah Brian, trainer Brett Blake, assistant coach/manager Rick Butera. (Submitted photo)

TOM GIGNAC

BRYAN JESSOP

Jessop’s Journal

Ring(ette) of fire

Deep pockets don’t always translate into a quality product when it comes to Hollywood.

On my 31st birthday (2005), a book-inspired movie called Sahara was released at a production-plus-distribution cost of about $281 million. The movie lost more than 100 million real-world dollars (Hollywood accounting methods are a bit more optimistic) and if you’ve ever seen it, you’ll understand why.

The film is based on the equally farfetched novel of the same name. In both versions, a team of doctors attempt to discover the source of an undocumented disease in Africa before stumbling upon an American Civil War ironclad (armored navy vessel) buried in the desert sand.

While the ship they found was given the name of a real Civil War ironclad — the CSS Texas — the actual vessel never even saw active duty before being captured by Union forces… let alone made its way to Africa. It was the most ridiculous subplot of any movie I can recall watching. I’d expect astronomers to find an original mint-condition edition of Hungry Hungry Hippos on the surface of Saturn before anyone unearths a 140-year-old U.S. warship in Africa.

Still, it’s always interesting to stumble upon something in a place you’d never expect to find it. In the summer of 2012, I wrote a story about a War of 1812 sword Joe Hickson found on his family farm as a child in the early 1930s — now THAT was a fascinating discovery. While not nearly as surprising, something unusual caught my eye while covering a Cardinal Carter girls hockey game last week.

At first, I thought nothing of it. I assumed it was a buffing disc or some other part from a piece of equipment used to clean the spectator-area floors at Heinz Arena. Twenty-four hours later, it was back to the LKRC to cover an LDSS boys hockey game. The mysterious item was still there — sitting under Seat 12 of Section U. I never picked it up (I figured its rightful owner would find it if he or she wanted it back), but I did start to have second thoughts on what it might have been.

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I’m now pretty sure it was a ringette ring. As it turns out, they’re not all plastic or hard rubber — some are made of felt, although those particular versions were designed for play on a smooth, concrete floor rather than ice. Truth be told, I’ve only seen one ringette game in person. It was circa 1982, at the old Leamington Arena situated at the north end of town on the current Leamington Fairgrounds property. My sister

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and I were brought along to watch a game being played by one of our cousins (who, as chance would have it, celebrates her 39th birthday today — Happy Birthday, Dixie!).

To me, it seemed like a very bizarre version of hockey. The game actually features two red lines and of course the sticks have no blades. I remember one player being sent to the sin bin for high sticking, even though it was a teammate that she accidentally clocked.

To the best of my knowledge, ringette leagues still exist in the Prairies and in communities as close as Chatham. Even the most diehard fan, however, would be fooling him/herself to think that girls’ hockey hasn’t had a dramatic effect on their numbers. Out of curiosity, I later looked up a website that sold ringette equipment. It turns out the felt versions sell at around $15 each. If that wayward ring at Section U, Seat 12 had been a $1 hockey puck, SOMEBODY would have picked it up less than 24 hours after it had been misplaced.

Ringette of course is hardly the only sport to feel the pinch of other activities “taking over.” Even our mighty ice hockey doesn’t seem to have the appeal it once did. I remember when I was in high school and an announcement was made that students interested in forming a hockey team were to meet in one of the main-floor classrooms at the end of the school day. Someone had told me that minor hockey’s travel players were not eligible, so I thought I’d look into it. Turns out that someone was wrong.

Every seat in the room was occupied, forcing latecomers to find somewhere to stand along the walls.

That room had about three full lines of players who could skate backwards faster than I could skate forward, so I decided that was the end of that. The last day of school before the Christmas break featured a Leamington versus Cardinal Carter regular season game and the spectators’ area was PACKED. The east half was filled with CC students/fans while LD students/fans filled the west half. The Florida Panthers would LOVE to fill that many seats for a regular season game.

So why are tryouts and cuts a thing of the past for so many high school teams nowadays? I can only assume that in the face of challenging economic times, more and more students need to take on more and more hours for part-time jobs if they have aspirations of a post-secondary education. Can’t blame them for that. In an era where very few families can stay afloat on a single income, other students have to help look after younger siblings.

And of course sports aren’t for everybody. No harm in that. Not everyone can get enjoyment out of everything. Last weekend, my wife found a movie called “The Holiday” on TV. She loved it. I thought it was the most worthless pile of garbage ever filmed. As horrible as my Habs have been lately, I’d rather watch them get pummeled by the Leafs or Bruins than sit through that mind-numbing epicentre of unparalleled boredom.

Honestly, I’d rather play Hungry Hungry Hippos on Sat-

urn, toxic atmosphere and blood-crystalizing temperatures be damned.

Peewee Minors lose 2

Spraytec Peewee Minors played two games over the weekend.

Sunday the team traveled to Kingsville to play Erie North Shore. The games played against Erie are always tight scores, and Southpoint played a hard game. For some reason when you play your neighbours you want to win even more. Many great plays were set up by Alex Jadischke and Josh Saad. Nate Pilmer and Brennan Pulley made a couple of great passes to their partners across the ice. Some good team play was seen by many of the players. Adam Zylstra made countless saves but the Storm snuck one past him. The game ended in a 1-0 loss.

Saturday the Peewee Minors hosted the Windsor Jr. Spitfires in a game that ended in a 5-0 loss.

Rachel Steward (left) and Madisyn Clark jump in an attempt to block a Kennedy player’s spike over the net during a WECSSAA Tier II junior girls volleyball match at LDSS Thursday, Dec. 4. The Lions won the season-opening match with 25-22 and 25-17 victories in the first two sets, although the Clippers won the third 25-21.

Novice A wins three straight in tournament play

The Southpoint Novice ‘A’ Thiessen Orchards team won three straight in the Southpoint Capitals Cup Tournament to secure a spot in the semi-finals. The tournament was held Nov. 28-30 in Leamington.

Game 1 was against the Tecumseh AE Eagles and Southpoint dominated in the offensive zone with a final score of 9-1. Goals were scored by Vito-Anthony Alfano (3), Jak Thiessen (4) and Cameron Arquette (2), assisted by Vito-Anthony Alfano (2), Carter Murracas, Jak Thiessen, Aylia Price, and Nash Poisson. For his dedication to the team and always trying his best, the Hardest Player Hat of the Game went to Nathan Ribble. In Game 2 Southpoint stormed the Erie North Shore Storm 4-0. Goals were by Nash Poisson, Vito-Anthony Alfano and Jak Thiessen (2). Assists went to Vito Anthony Alfano (2), Carson Murracas, and Kyle MacMillan. For his hard skating and amazing back checking, the Hardest Player Hat of the game went to the always smiling Ben Recker. Also, first ever shutout for rock solid goaltending goes to Aiden Brown.

Game 3 was a nail-biter, but goaltender Erik Heinz secured the win for Southpoint, along with the hard working defense efforts from Andrew Marchand and Tiago Ribeiro for a final 7-6 against the Mooretown Flags. Goals were scored by Jak Thiessen (4) and Vito-Anthony (3). The Hardest Player Hat of the Game went to Tristan Pillion for his never-give-up attitude and keep-digging-till-the-whistle-blows efforts.

The semi-final was a heartbreaker for the Southpoint Novice team. Going into the third period Southpoint was tied with the Riverside Rangers 3-3, but due to some late unfortunate penalties Riverside took the win 7-3 and moved on to the finals to win the Capitals Cup tournament. A shout-out goes to Owen Matthews for supporting his team even though he was sick with the flu. Aiden Brown received the Hardest Hat Player of the game for his dedication between the pipes for Thiessen Orchards.

Novices shut out Essex

The Leamington Chrysler Southpoint Novice team played the Essex Ravens Gray at home this weekend. It was a closely matched game. At six minutes left in the first, the Caravan Kids’ Zander Grilo scored a goal assisted by Zack Liebrock.

Essex had a few scoring chances too, but Southpoint’s Kaylie MacInnis was doing a great job in net and shutting them out.

There was a lot of action in the second period but it remained scoreless. Abby Neufeld, Emma Weil and Alessia West had multiple scoring chances but Nash Chittle, who was in net for the Ravens, was not letting them through.

Essex came right back with a few more breakaways but the Kids’ defensemen were on their game.

In the third period, Zack Liebrock scored the second goal for Southpoint, securing the lead. He was assisted by Colton Selwood. Southpoint’s defensemen Adriana West and Daniel Saad, as well as Joel Stockwell and Nick Beaudoin, shut down Essex and would not let them through to their net.

Leamington Chrysler took the win with a 2-0 final score.

Peewee girls in St. Thomas tourney

In their first tournament of the season the Southpoint Stars Community Muffler Peewee girls team showed that they could be competitive.

Their first game was against Lambeth in a match that saw Southpoint on the losing end of a 3-2 score. The Stars began slowly but as the game went along they kept pace with the Lambeth team. Alyssa Lamb scored both of the team’s goals and Erin Hopper had an assist.

The second game of the day saw Southpoint playing Stoney Creek. The Stars overpowered the opposition and won the game 4-2. Alyssa Lamb had a hat trick and Chelsea Andary picked up her first goal of the season. Brienna Tiessen and Abbey Brissette each had 2 assists. Jaryn Harris and Alexa Taylor picked up a point for their assists.

The Stars played Burlington on Saturday. They opened the scoring in the first when Chelsea passed to Allison Kopinak who put the puck in the net. The Stars held this lead into the third. Halfway through the period the Stars picked up a double minor. In the first 2 minutes Burlington scored, which left Southpoint to kill off the remaining 2 minutes. They did that, but the momentum had turned and with a minute left Burlington pulled

their goalie. Southpoint was unable to clear the puck and with 4 seconds remaining Burlington put the puck in the net to win the game. It was a tough match to lose.

On Sunday the girls played Flamborough. The Stars worked hard but the Flamborough team scored 3 times to end the Peewee tournament.

The team was entered into the tournament for three reasons: to gain more experience, learn more about the game and themselves, and to gel as a team. The coaches and parents were very happy with the way the players performed. Congratulations to the Peewee Community Muffler team.

Caravan Tykes have exciting game

On Saturday, Dec. 6 the Southpoint Dodge Grand Caravan Tykes White took on Tyke Red on the Heinz rink.

Scoring started early at 30 seconds into the game from Red’s Dayne Di Milo, followed by Tomas Kniaziew popping in his first goal of the season.

White came back strong and Zack Liebrock led the way with 3 goals throughout the game! Also scoring for the White team was Nicholas Brophy, Dylan Marchand, Liam Brown, Cohen

Kimball, Liam Ouellette and Cole Parent.

Aleviyah McAndrews played a great game in net

for the White team. Holdyn Bailey held up the pipes for team Red. Team White had the win.

Katarina Ingratta of the Cougars tries to deflect the ball over the net toward Assumption’s half of the court during the third set of a WECSSAA Tier II junior girls volleyball match at Cardinal Carter Thursday, Dec. 4. Assumption swept the sets with scores of 25-15, 25-11 and 25-23.

Cougars tie Hawks in home opener

By Bryan Jessop

When both goaltenders stand on their heads, it comes as little surprise to see a high school hockey game end in a deadlock.

Such was the case for the Cardinal Carter girls’ season opener, where the Cougars and visiting Harrow Hawks battled to a 1-1 tie. Harrow’s Hope Smith and CC’s Alyee Church both put on exceptional performances in net, each coming up one successful shot shy of posting a shutout.

The stalemate followed a 3-1 road-game loss against the WECSSAA Tier II first-place L’Essor Aigles on Nov. 25 to start the 201415 campaign. The lone Cardinal Carter goal was scored by Brooklyn Sarkis.

Two games into the season, the Cougars have already improved on their 2013-14 standing of 0-10-0. Two games into last season, Cardinal Carter’s scoring differential stood at two goals for and 14 against.

The Tuesday, Dec. 2 home opener against Harrow was for the most part a back-and-fourth contest between the two south Essex squads, although the Cougars pieced together more scoring chances. The Hawks were rewarded with the first goal, when Madyson Jenner took control of the puck in the Cardinal Carter zone and sent a quick wrist shot past Church on a short breakaway.

The unassisted goal was scored with 2:43 remaining in the first period.

Church kept the net’s interior empty for the next 27:43, making a few crucial pad saves and offering Harrow’s offense little in the way of rebounds. At the other end of the Heinz Arena rink, Smith turned aside multiple golden opportunities for the Cougars, including a couple breakaway shots.

The home team’s persistence finally paid off with 3:27 remaining in

the second frame. Short passes from Becca Fryer and Christina Pearce set up Kayla Collison for a one-timed snap shot from the left side of the crease that Smith had little chance of stopping.

Both teams continued to press for a tie breaker in the final 15 minutes, but were unable to solve the opposition’s netminder a second time.

“We played a good game,” said Cardinal Carter head coach Chris Lapain. “I’m happy with how we played, although we could have used a little more energy. We outchanced them (Harrow) today.”

Lapain is joined this year by assistant coaches Chris Church and Laurie Lapain.

Last year’s Cougars girls hockey team — the first to be formed in recent memory — was made up of 10 skaters compared to this season’s 15. The grade breakdown for 2014-15 is led by six Grade 9s, representing the majority of the team’s minor hockey travel players. They are joined by four Grade 10s, three Grade 11s and three Grade 12s. One of the Grade 12 players is new to the high school level of the sport while three skaters do not play minor hockey.

“It’s only our second year, so we’re really a young team with young players,” Chris Church noted. “The important thing is that the girls are having fun out there.”

The home opener featured a nearly complete roster, leaving out only Angelica Ouellette, sidelined by an injury sustained during a minor hockey game.

The Cougars will again hit the road Tuesday, Dec. 9 for a game in Harrow, followed by a Tuesday, Dec. 16 match at South Windsor Arena against Massey. Cardinal Carter will return home for a Thursday, Jan. 8 contest against Essex.

Players with the Cardinal Carter Cougars celebrate a late second-period goal against the Harrow Hawks during WECSSAA Tier II girls hockey action at Unico Arena Tuesday, Dec. 2. The teams battled to a 1-1 tie.

The Cougars’ Gioia Diciocco passes the puck to the blue line during a WECSSAA Tier II girls hockey game against Harrow Tuesday, Dec. 2 at Heinz Arena. Cardinal Carter earned its first point of the season with a 1-1 stalemate.

toward the Westview Freedom Academy

MCB boys win 2014 District soccer championship

The Mount-Carmel Blytheswood boys soccer team made school history by winning gold at the District Championships at the Volmer Centre in LaSalle.

A very talented boys’ soccer team rebounded after a second place finish in the Division championship against Prince Andrew School to win first place in the Districts to be the best in the city and the county in the Boys AA Division. It was a combination of offensive and defensive skills that led to MCB’s victory, as well as a “never give up” attitude.

MCB is proud of the sportsmanship and athletic talent of all the boys. The MCB boys recently received their gold medals at a celebration assembly at the school.

Rhine Danube bowling scores

The following are the Rhine Danube bowling league scores for Nov. 24. Games Over 200: John Paliwoda 232, Willy Fittler 246-214, Jack Valade 221, Ozzie Wolf 237, Aaron Dickau 228, Kevin Kosempel 243, Heinz Kosempel 202, Chris Kosempel 226, Alex Smith 210-206, Nick Levchuck 201, Jason Dalimonte 204, Albert Salvati 236. Series Over 550: John Paliwoda 550, Willy Fittler 631, Jack Valade 587, Ozzie Wolf 575, Aaron Dickau 570, Kevin Kosempel 592, Heinz Kosempel 572, Chris Kosempel 555, Alex Smith 573.

High Handicap Games: John Paliwoda 299, Willy Fittler 295, Kevin Kosempel 292. High Handicap Series: Willy Fittler 778, John Nikosey Sr. 777, John Paliwoda 751. Standings: Weil’s 48, Taki’s 44, Rhine Danube 44, Unico 41, Fittler Farms 38, Dickau’s 37.

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MCB Boys Soccer 2014 District Champs, front row, left to right: Matthew Friesen, Brock Derksen, Jonathan Fehr, Tanner Grainger, Jason Friesen, Kyle Neufeld, Matteo Quatrini. Second row: Aaron Neufeld, Eddy Neufeld, Matthew Klassen, Nicholas Klassen, Mitchell Tiessen, Michael Boldt, Anthony Fehr. Back row: Jeremiah Wiebe, Kaleb Tiessen. Proud coaches are Mrs. Wiper and Mrs. Edmondson.

The Lightning’s Shyann Kirkpatrick spikes the ball

side of the court during a WECSSAA Tier III senior girls volleyball match Wednesday, Dec. 3 at UMEI. The Lightning lost the first set 25-23, but bounced back for the win with 25-16 and 25-15 scores during the Wednesday, Dec. 3 home opener. On Monday, Dec. 8, the Lightning travelled to Michel-Gratton where they won by scores of 25-18 and 25-11 before dropping the third set 25-15.

Sharks devour Flags

By Bryan Jessop

Santa Claus and the Wheatley Legion may have handed out toys to local youths only a couple hours earlier, but the Sharks were not in the giving spirit when the Mooretown Flags rolled into town.

The Sharks rebounded from a 4-2 loss in Alvinston two days earlier by defeating the Flags 5-1 in a rare Sunday afternoon game on Dec. 7. Although the guests got away with some questionable hits and stickwork, Wheatley’s roster managed to focus on filling the opposition’s net rather than its own penalty box.

“We’re trying to bring a maturity level to this team and the players are responding,” Sharks head coach Ken Galerno explained.

Playing in only his fourth game of the season since returning from injury, Devin Shannon started the scoring by snapping a shot that Flags goalie Brandon Johnson got a piece of before the puck continued its journey over the goal line. Nolan Gardiner drew the only assist. With just under five minutes on the clock, veteran Brett Bowman blasted an ice-level shot that found the right corner of the Mooretown net. The tally was assisted by midget affiliate player Matt Taylor, suited up with the Sharks for the first time since late September.

Mooretown replied 11:19 into the second stanza when Dan Lumley took a pass and fired a wrist shot into the left side of the Sharks’ net before goaltender Conner MacKinnon could dive across his crease to intervene. The Sharks regained their two-goal lead 31 seconds later when Jimmy Ciacelli finished a quick dash toward the Mooretown net by burying a point-blank shot past Johnson. Mike Reid and Scott Florence drew helpers. Lucas Raffoul added another insurance goal on a low slap shot from the point that was deflected before finding its way past Johnson. He was set up by Riley Enns and Shannon.

less than 130. At the same time, rumours continue to circulate that the Sharks’ days in Wheatley are numbered — speculation that the team’s executive explains is baseless.

“Rumour keeps going around that the team’s moving to Tecumseh,” Sharks owner Bruno Carnevale said. “We’re not moving to Tecumseh. We’re not moving anywhere.”

Despite a five-on-three advantage of more than 90 seconds, the Flags couldn’t beat MacKinnon a second time. The visitors essentially went minus-one on the power play, as the Sharks broke out on a two-on-one midway through the third that

On Friday, Dec. 12, the Sharks will visit the Lakeshore Canadiens for a 7:05 p.m. opening faceoff. On Saturday, Dec. 13, the team’s Saturday evening schedule will resume with United Way Night. A portion of admission proceeds will be donated to the United Way of Chatham-Kent. The opening faceoff is slotted for 7 p.m.

translated into their fifth of the game. Raffoul buried his second of the contest with a quick wrist shot that found the upper left corner of Mooretown’s net. Enns assisted to become the third Shark to chip in with a two-point effort.

“We had a strong first period,” Galerno explained. “We backed off a bit in the second, but then came back again in the third.”

The game’s only weak point for Wheatley was its power play. On two occasions, the hosts came up empty-handed after the Flags committed high sticking double minors.

“We had good puck control, but we just couldn’t finish,” Galerno said.

The Sharks did slightly better than doubling the Flags in shots with a 41-20 margin.

Despite a remarkable performance by Owen Pimentel, Nathan Omar, Abby Mazzella and Nicholas Mastromatteo, the Storm took the win.

On Friday, the Flyers doubled the Sharks on goals by Chad Rainsberry, Karsten Berg (2) and Josh Moore. Berg’s second was scored with an empty Sharks net with 58 seconds remaining. Raffoul and Anger scored for Wheatley, the former taking feeds from Bowman and Reid and the later in an unassisted effort.

Adam Leboeuf faced 35 shots for the Sharks while the Flyers’ Brett Avery addressed 34.

Despite the alternated date and time, Sunday’s game at Wheatley Area Arena did nothing to curb the team’s attendance woes — paid attendance was recorded at

Southpoint Minor Hockey Timbits playing a mini five-minute game during the second intermission of a Sunday, Dec. 7 match between the Sharks and Mooretown Flags.

Wheatley’s Shawn Hope carried the puck around the Mooretown net under the watchful eye of Flags’ netminder Brandon Johnson during a Sunday, Dec. 7 match at Wheatley Area Arena. The Sharks won 5-1.

Max Youssef of the Scotia Bank Southpoint Capitals Novice AE takes the puck from his opponent in a game against Erie North Shore Storm on Nov. 28.

Nadine Badour of the Cougars spikes the ball past an Assumption blocker during a WECSSAA Tier II senior girls volleyball game at Cardinal Carter Thursday, Dec. 4. The Cougars swept the three sets with scores of 25-7, 25-15 and 25-15 to start the 2014-15 season.

Two Kennedy blockers try to intercept a spike by Leamington’s Trella Garcia during a WECSSAA Tier II senior girls volleyball match Thursday, Dec. 4 at LDSS. The Lions swept the season opener with scores of 25-18, 25-19 and 25-16.

For the third time in as many visits to Heinz Arena this season, the London Nationals found the back of the Flyers’ net twice.

For the third time in as many visits, it wasn’t quite enough.

The Flyers extended their winning streak to eight games with a 3-2 regulation victory over the Nationals Thursday, Dec. 4 despite the absence of a few key players from the evening’s roster. With Eric Henderson still tending to an upper body injury, Mitch Amante and Kyle Perkowski serving suspensions and Alex Friesen dedicated to educational priorities, Leamington iced a handful of Junior ‘C’ and midget affiliates against London in the fourth 2014-15 meeting between the teams.

The Nationals applied heavy offensive pressure through most of the second period and late in the third, but were unable to solve Michael Barrett for a third time.

“It was very close,” said Flyers’ head coach Tony Piroski. “We called up some guys who aren’t familiar with the way we do things and it worked out well. We also had some guys who are better known for their defensive play step up offensively.”

The Flyers opened the scoring less than two minutes after the opening faceoff when Cale Phibbs pickpocketed a Nats’ defenseman and sent the puck to Colin Moore. From in front of the net, Moore wasted no time with the feed, one-timing a snap shot past Justin Tugwell for an early 1-0 lead.

About three-and-a-half minutes into the second, Austin Kemp evened the score for London with a waist-high wrist shot that eluded a heavily-screened Barrett. The Flyers narrowly missed on a handful of scoring chances until Essex 73’s call-up William Stadder raced with the puck along the boards to the right of the Nationals’ net before cleanly beating Tugwell with a quick wrist shot. Stadder started the rush after receiving a pass from fellow affiliate player Cody Schneider of the Windsor AAA Jr. Spitfires. Thomas Virban also assisted on the go-ahead tally.

The trading of goals continued exactly five minutes later when London forwards managed a turnover of their own, allowing John Warren to send a low, point blank backhand shot past Barrett. The stalemate ran a course of just over a minute, until defenseman Blaine Bechard blasted a shot at the

Flyers hold off Nationals

By bryan jessop

Nationals cage that Tugwell partially intercepted. Spotting the loose puck trickling through the crease, Zack Guilbeault swatted it into the wide-open net for the game winner. Moore earned the other assist on the play for his second point of the night.

Stadder, who has collected 19 points in 22 games with Essex, played his first game as a Flyer for the Dec. 3 contest.

“I was just thrilled,” he said of scoring Leamington’s second goal of the contest. “It’s exciting to be here. It’s a quicker step here, especially with the wider ice. You’ve always got to be on your toes. It was a fun time. Everyone was skating hard tonight and things just went our way.”

The Flyers outshot the Nationals 36-23, holding London’s offense to three shots in the final period. Both teams came up empty handed on the power play — the Nationals going zero for four and Flyers zero for three.

The game marked the introduction of another busy weekend for Leamington, who visited Lambton Shores on Saturday and St. Thomas on Sunday. The Saturday game presented itself as a defensive contest from start to finish. With two-and-a-half minutes left in regulation, Matthew Opblinger broke the scoreless deadlock after taking feeds by J.P. Grineau and Guilbeault. The teams were an even 30-30 on shots while the Flyers went zero for five on the power play compared to the Predators’ zero for nine. Trevor Wheaton earned the shutout for the Flyers.

The St. Thomas Stars finished Leamington’s winning streak at nine games with a 2-1 shootout win on Sunday. Tyler Duarte scored the only goal of the opening 40 minutes before Matt McJannet evened the score five-and-a-half minutes into the third.

Spencer Hutchinson of the Stars was the only successful shootout participant, as Henderson, Scott and Duarte were all foiled by Nikolas Dampier in the St. Thomas net. The Flyers outshot their hosts 3623 and were zero for five on the power play while the Stars were zero for six. The game marked the first extra-minutes loss of the season for Leamington.

The Flyers’ Thursday, Dec. 11 home game against the Chatham Maroons will feature the annual Teddy Bear Toss for Leamington Toys For Tots. Fans will be encouraged to throw a new or gently-used stuffed animal onto the ice following the Flyers’ first goal.

Rest of the West

The Lambton Shores Predators doubled up on the LaSalle Vipers Wednesday, Dec. 3 with a 6-3 score while London cruised by Sarnia 7-2. On Thursday, St. Thomas defeated St. Marys 6-3 while Sarnia handed the Chatham Maroons their third consecutive loss in a 5-3 decision.

Friday’s only Western tilt ended with a 5-1 win for St. Thomas over St. Marys. On Saturday, Chatham’s losing skid continued with a 6-4 defeat at the hands of Strathroy. Sunday’s other game favoured Chatham by a 7-5 score against LaSalle, snapping the Maroons losing streak at four games.

Upcoming Home Games: THURS dec 11 vs chatham 7:10PM THURS dec 18 vs lambton shores

Justin Murray of the Nationals reaches forward in an attempt to steal the puck from the Flyers’ J.P. Grineau during a Thursday, Dec. 4 GOJHL game at Heinz Arena. Leamington held on for a 3-2 regulation victory to extend its winning streak to eight games.

(Sun photo)

Jacob McGhee of the Flyers takes control of a bouncing puck while London’s Derek Todosichuk looks on during the second period of a Thursday, Dec. 4 match at Heinz Arena. (Sun photo)

Leamington’s Zack Guilbeault takes control of the puck while London’s Rai DiLoreto and John Warren close in during a GOJHL game at Heinz Arena Thursday, Dec. 4. Guilbeault scored the game winner late in the second period to give his team a 3-2 victory, allowing Leamington to extend its winning streak to eight games. (Sun photo)

Lions fit to be tied

By Bryan Jessop

The Leamington District Secondary School boys hockey team is off to a good start, but it’s one that could have been slightly better.

The Lions’ home opener brought the Herman Green Griffins to Heinz Arena Wednesday, Dec. 3 in what unfolded as a 2-2 deadlock. Leamington held 1-0 and 2-1 leads, but couldn’t hold off Herman’s offense long enough to bring their early-season record to 2-0-0.

“I think we let one get away from us out there,” said Butch Rickeard, who is co-coaching the team along with Tony Nurse. “We’re a young team and we’re learning. We’ve got five Grade 9s — that’s the most I’ve ever had on this team. We’ll try to get better each game. That’s the goal right now. If we can do that, we’ll be competitive in this league.”

The Lions opened the scoring at the 4:20 mark when a scramble in the Green Griffins’ crease ended with Brett Thomas poking the puck over the goal line and into the back of the net. Assists were credited to Quinn Bowman and Aus-

Golden Years mini golf

Must have rained through the night as the greens were sopping wet (LOL) at Golden Years mini golf on Dec. 4 at Colasanti’s. Although the greens were very slow, 43 golfers still managed to drop 85 aces.

Leading the way with 6 aces was Eileen MacIntosh, followed by Bob McWilliam with 5 aces. Dropping 4 aces each were Marie Lasi, Bill Ward, Bryon Walker, Dorothy Cascadden, Tom Hyatt, Winnie Moore and Julia Kos. Three aces apiece went to Art Sweet, Jim Allen, Ken Womack and Betty McManus. Scoring 2 aces were Frank Lasi, Murray Cascadden, Cathy Bradley, Mary Binder, John Vlodarchyk, Barb Murphy, Barry Sweet, Pete Daudlin, Linda Walsh, Steve Vigh and Moe Scratch. Twelve golfers each scored 1 ace.

The best 9 holes of the day went to Tom Hyatt and Betty McManus with a score of 16, followed by Bill Ward, Bryon Walker, Jim Allen, Eileen McIntosh and Tom Hyatt (2) with 17. Bill Ward (2), Eileen McIntosh, Tom Hyatt, Ken Womack (2), Barry Sweet, Bob McWilliam and Betty McManus had 18. And lastly, with a score of 19, were Marie Lasi (4), Lloyd Honey, Art Sweet, Eileen MacIntosh (2), Cami Keith, Murray Hartford, Tony Hudvagner, Linda Walsh, Bob McWilliam and Moe Scratch. The best 18 holes of the day went to Tom Hyatt with scores of 33 and 35. He was followed by Bill Ward, Eileen McIntosh, and Ken Womack with 36. A 37 was achieved by Bill Ward, Bryon Walker, Eileen MacIntosh and Bob McWilliam. Mari Lasi (2), Bob McWilliam and Betty McManus had 38, and Art Sweet, Cami Keith, Murray Hartford and Betty McManus had 39.

Best 36 holes went to Tom Hyatt who had an outstanding score of 68. His next closest rivals were Bill Ward and Eileen McIntosh with 73, followed by Bob McWilliam with 75. Marie Lasi was next with 76, and last but not least was Betty McManus with 77.

First place for the day goes to Team 2 with 237 (Art Sweet, Bill Ward, Bryon Walker). Second place was won by Team 7 with 243 (Dorothy Cascadden, John Vlodarchyk, Tom Hyatt). In a three-way tie for third place, each with 244, were Team 1 (Marie Lasi, Frank Lasi, Lloyd Honey, Tom Dewhurst), Team 4 (Murray Cascadden, Eileen MacIntosh, Ethel Ferguson), and Team 9 (Julia Kos, Barry Sweet, Pete Daudlin).

Play continues every Thursday at 9:30 a.m. at Colasanti’s Tropical Gardens.

tin Kaspardlov. Neither team was effective on the power play, where the Lions went zero for four and Herman zero for two. Herman’s Riley Fry tied the game with just under two-and-a-half minutes remaining in the second, firing a slap shot that Lions’ goalie Matt Ciliska partially intercepted. The puck, however, still had enough momentum to bounce past the Grade 9 netminder and over the goal line.

Leamington replied 53 seconds later on an unusual marker by Noah Santos.

Standing on the goal line — closer to the side boards than the net — Santos released a wrist shot from a nearly impossible angle that deflected off Herman goalie Martin Stengel and deflected left 90 degrees for a 2-1 score. Jake Lewsaw drew the only assist.

Herman again tied the game roughly midway through the third period when Brandon Vrabel released an ice-level slap shot from the LDSS blue line that slid by a screened Ciliska and into the bottom left corner of his net.

The game ended at the 4:20 p.m. curfew on an icing call against Herman with 1:39 on the clock.

The quintet of Grade 9s on this year’s Leamington roster is joined by one Grade 10 player, nine Grade 11s and three in Grade 12. The team’s roster was finalized about three weeks prior, with all current Grade 10 and up players having represented the team in 2013-14 as well. Key return skaters include Evan Mastronardi, Jesse Fast, Dawson Wigle and Jack Towle.

“We’ve got a good group of kids that are happy and work well together,” Rickeard explained.

The season opener for the Lions was played Monday, Nov. 17 at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, where they defeated Riverside 3-1. Santos, Towle and Damon Palichuk scored for Leamington. Having to reschedule what would have been their season opener against Kennedy, the LDSS squad had to wait 16 days between their first two actual games.

A Lions versus Lions game took place Monday, Dec. 8 at South Windsor Arena with Leamington taking on Lajeunesse. The LDSS squad won by a score of 4-2 with Lewsaw and Bowman scoring two apiece. Kaspardlov, Mastronardi and Lewsaw drew assists.

Leamington’s next home game is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 3 p.m. against the Kennedy Clippers. By moving from the Snyder to the Cullen Conference for 2014-15, the Lions will face their Cardinal Carter rivals in boys hockey for the first time in several years Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 3 p.m.

55+ badminton tournament at Complex

The Sherk Complex 55+ Badminton players hosted a tournament at the Complex on Nov. 27. The results are as follows:

Ladies Doubles 55-65: 1st Jill Jackson-Jakob and Kathy Root, 2nd Ann Tanner and Dianna Ahmed, 3rd Rosemary Murphy and Patti Field.

Ladies Doubles 65+: 1st Inge Sauerwein and Elaine Hancock, 2nd Joy Van Belle and Nellie Willemse

Men’s Doubles 55-64: 1st Elias Khayat and Pierre Thomas.

Men’s Doubles 65+: 1st Mike Wright and David Overbury, 2nd Hans Sauerwein and Gerry Derikx.

Mixed Doubles 55-64: 1st Jane Rogers and Mike Wright, 2nd Rosemary Murphy and Gerard Beaulieu, 3rd Elfrieda Brown and Elias Khayat.

Mixed Doubles 65+: 1st Nellie Willemse and David Overbury, 2nd Inge Sauerwein and Hans Sauerwein, 3rd Joy Van Belle and Bill Westrop.

SODUKU

Badminton players age 55+ enjoyed a recent tournament at the Sherk Complex.

Jake Lewsaw is chased by Brandon Vrabel as he looks for a teammate to receive a pass during a WECSSAA Cullen Conference boys hockey game at Heinz Arena Wednesday, Dec. 3. Lewsaw assisted on the second of two Leamington goals in the 2-2 draw.

Quinn Bowman of the Lions circles toward the Herman net while Austin Fenton of the Green Griffins gives chase during a WECSSAA Cullen Conference boys hockey game Wednesday, Dec. 3 at Heinz Arena. Bowman assisted on the first goal in a 2-2 stalemate.

SOUTHPOINT SUN

4 BEDROOM HOUSE for rent. 144 Talbot Street East, Leamington. Call 519-3265810. de10-17

3 BEDROOM HOUSE for rent, available January 1st. 168 Talbot Street East, Leamington. $800/month plus utilities. Call 519-562-4292. de10

1 & 2 BEDROOM APARTMENT for rent in Wheatley. Fridge, stove and laundry room. For more information call 519-324-2096. de3-tf

incl, on-site mgmt, secure building, laundry, elevator, party room. Call 519-326-4622 to inquire.

PAGLIONE APARTMENTS

1 bedroom apartment available after January 10th. Lakeside property, well maintained adult building. No smoking, no pets. $560 per month plus hydro. Please call 519-326-8465 or 519-990-6218

3 BEDROOM DUPLEX in Leamington. Fridge & stove. Big backyard. $850/month plus utilities. Available immediately. Call 519-3262200 and leave a message. de3-10

3 BEDROOM DUPLEXin Leamington. Fridge, stove and dishwasher. $850/ month plus utilities. Available immediately. Call 519-326-2200 and leave a message. de3-10

1 BEDROOM APARTMENTmain floor, in Leamington. Fully furnished. No smoking. No pets. $725/month, utilities, cable TV and laundry facilities included. Call 519-825-3291. de10 2 BEDROOM UPPER duplex, with garage, in Leamington. $850/month, utilities included. Available January 1st. Call 519-326-5545. de10-17

D&R SALE - 2 FOR 1 on all peeled tomato products. Fridays only 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. While supplies last. Weil's Food Processing, 483 Erie St. N., Wheatley. 519825-4572. no19-de10

1999 FORD XL, ext cab, red, 155,000 km, little rust$2500 or best offer. 2000 Sunfire, 2 door gold, good shape, 218,000 km - $2500 or best offer. Antique harmonica $50. Antique Fergus Falls washstand. $50. Call 519-996-9680. de10

LOST CAT – Warren Ave./Carolina Woods area. Brown male tabby, “Indy”, red & black collar. Please check your shed/garage. Call Ken @ 519-796-1810 if seen/found. de10-31

- 7:00 p.m. Weekly Specials $12.00 (Ribs or Perch). Other weekly menu items $10.00. Karaoke every 3rd Saturday of the month 8:00 p.m. Brunch every 2nd Sunday of the month 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Senior Dances every 3rd Sunday of the month. 519-733-5162 (office) or 519-733-9081 (bar). oc29-tf

or CALL TOLL-FREE: 1-866-281-3538 SAWMILLS from only $4,397 - MAKE MONEY & SAVE MONEY with your own bandmill - Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship. FREE Info & DVD: www.NorwoodSawmills.com/400OT 1-800-566-6899 Ext:400OT.

EMPLOYMENT OPPS.

MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION is an in-demand career in Canada! Employers have work-at-home positions available. Get the online training you need from an employer-trusted program. Visit: CareerStep.ca/MT or 1-888-528-0809 to start training for your work-at-home career today!

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STEEL BUILDINGS...”REALLY BIG SALE!” All steel building models and sizes. Plus extra savings. Buy now and we will store until spring. Pioneer Steel 1-800-668-5422 www.pioneersteel.ca

SOUTHPOINT SUN

MIDDLE EASTERN PASTRY CHEF

• Prepare dough for pastries, cakes, rolls and bread.

• Operate equipment, ensure product quality and supervise personnel.

• Minimum 3 years experience in restaurant cooking pastries with apprenticeship training.

• $22 per hour, 40 hours a week. GM@TALBOTRAILINN.COM

WELDERS, FITTERS / FABRICATORS REQUIRED

Hike Metal is currently accepting resumes from individuals who have experience in the metal/ fabrication industry. This is not a production line environment, therefore, initiative, operational experience of press brake, shear and blue print reading are considered strong assets, however, we will train selected candidates.

• 5 years experience necessary

• Comprehensive benefits package

• Straight days and overtime available

Fax or Email resume to:

Attn: Frank Baptista - Plant Mgr Fax: 519-825-7572

Email: frank@hikemetal.com

Greenhouse Maintenance

• Develop, implement and fully execute an all-encompassing preventative maintenance program

• General facility maintenance, including irrigation, welding, low voltage/battery powered electrical, pneumatics, hydraulics and controls

• Promote an atmosphere of team work at all times

• Recommend and participate in continuous improvement activities

• Maintain a clean and safe work environment

• Work in compliance with all health and safety and Food Safety requirements

• Completion of any other duties as assigned

Successful candidate has experience in facilities maintenance, an aptitude to learn, strong communication skills, both verbal and in writing, with all levels of staff and management, and is able to work extended hours during peak seasons; schedule flexibility to meet changing deadlines and project needs. Compensation will be based on experience.

Please send your resume, wage expectations and position applying for to: hr@orangelinefarms.com

Only those applicants chosen for an interview will be contacted.

STRAWBERRY PICKERS AND general labour help wanted for spring 2015. Please send resume to: raymontsberries@live.com. de3-17

STURGEON WOODS RVis looking for a full time or part time salesperson. Fax resume to 519-326-6567.

PINNACLE ACRES

REQUIRES Full time greenhouse general labourers. $11.00/hr, 50+ hours, 7 days/wk. Must be available Saturday and Sunday. Work site: 333 County Rd. 18 Leamington ON, rural setting, must have own transportation. Crop maintenance and harvesting, other duties as required. Must be able to lift a minimum of 40 lbs on a repetitive basis, fast paced environment, strong work ethic, punctual, reliable. Please apply via: email pinnaclejobs@hotmail.com or fax: 519-326-9253. No experience or education required.

APOLLO FARMS

Greenhouse general labour positions available Variable hours, Mon-Sat, including Sunday during peak harvest periods. $11.00, 60+ hours. Apply via: HR@lakesideproduce.com

Armstrong Top Pack Ltd. is hiring 50 permanent, full time vegetable packers for its Leamington location to start as soon as possible. The wage rate is $11.00 for 44.0 hours per week. You should be able to lift up to 50 lbs. on a repetitive basis and be able to sort and pack fruits and vegetables in a fast paced environment. No education or experience is required.

Apply in person from 9:00 to 5:00 at 500 County Road 18, Leamington, N8H3V5 or by email jobs@toppack.ca

HEDGE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES

TRUCK DRIVER NEEDED

We are looking for good reliable AZ drivers to haul produce to the USA. Must have 23 years experience and clean driving abstracts. Reefer experience is an asset. Please fax resume to: 519-326-1328 or email to johnhedge@hotmail.ca

LOOKING FOR 20 PRODUCTION WELDERS

To join one of the major manufacturers in Ruthven, ON

• 50 hours/week (Mon-Fri)

• Permanent (Full-time)

• Day and Night shifts available

• $13-17/hour based on experience

• Must have own car and be able to perform a weld test

Contact Kyle if you wish to apply at: Office: 519.997.2867

Mobile: 519.890.4154

Email: kyle@devinepersonnel.ca

New hires are expected to start immediately.

SERVICES

TUTORING - RETIRED SPECIAL EDUCATION teacher will tutor all grades. Call 519-326-8463. de10-17

J J STITCHING - SEWING, alterations and repairs.

Pants shortened $8.50 plus tax. (Some exceptions may apply such as lined pants.) If your clothing is too tight or too baggy, give me a call to see if it can be altered. Call Jean at 519-968-2261. 14 Johnson Avenue, Leamington. no19-de31

CALL KAHL RECYCLINGWe come to you and haul away your junk. Scrap metal and appliances are free. Everything else has a fee. Call Ken 519-322-8305, 519-326-8559. ja15-tf

PLUMBING SERVICE

• Repairs

• Installations

• Drain Cleaning

• Excellent Rates

• 37 Years Experience

Ed Higginbottom 519-329-1779

eh48@hotmail.ca

INDOOR/OUTDOOR CARPENTRY - renovations and repairs, windows (full warranty), doors, painting, flooring, basements, drywall, kitchens, bathrooms. Free estimates. 35 years experience. We install windows and doors year round (senior discount). Call Bill at 519-566-8408. no26-de10

PRINTING: BUSINESS ENVELOPES,invoices, flyers, business cards, custom print jobs, whatever your printing needs, call Mallory at The Wheatley Journal for quick and economical service, 519-398-9098. tf