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PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY, MAY 21. 1986, WHITBY FREE PRESS Published every Wednesday 1V yBILL MCOUAT by M.B.M. Publishing community Editor and Photography Inc. E1z>1 Phone 668-<i111 VALERIE COWEN W Advertising Manager rj s\ The Free Press Building, Voice of the County Town Michael lan Burgess, Publisher. Managing Editor 131 Brock Street North. Second Class Mal P.O. Box 20f6. Whitby, Ont. Regisîration No. 5351 The only Whitby newspaper independently owned and operated by Whithy residents for Whitby residents. Lynde House requires action now If the name "Lynde House" has a familiar ring to It, It should. The historlc house and site of the Whitby Museum has for 14 years or more been the subject of an ongoing debate that has found Its way Into the pages of this newspaper on more than a few occasions. It Is a story that may, at long last, be winding to a conclusion, possIbly an un- fortunate conclusion both for the Whitby Hîstorical Society and the community as a whole. The facts of the case are so old as to warrant Heritage Status In their own right. In 1972 Wit- tington Investments, owners of the Dundas St. W. property on whlch the house is located, donated the structure to the Historical Society provided It A menews -nn from oneo anadres ousamting newm personiies ~ was moved off the property sometime within the following year. That was 14 years ago and, as anyône driving Into Whitby on Highway 2 wIll have noticed, the house still stands on said property, as It has for some 174 years. If the people at WIttinghouse Investments have grown a little Impatient with the years it should come as no surprise. Now the company is saying It may sell the property very soon and If the house is to remain Intact the society must do something about It and In short order. Getting thIngs done In short order is obviously not the historical society's strong suit. Even now, with a rumoured deadlIne of June 30 after whIch the society's caim to the house Is revoked and demolition becomes a distinct possibility, the society executive has shown little Inclination to take effective action to save the house. Instead, society president Bill Oyagi dismisses as "hype" suggestions that time is running out and Is con- tent to wait for a preliminary consultants' report on the matter due at the end of June. It has been more than two months since the society first talked of hiring a consultant to review Its options and report back by mid-May and yet Mr. Oyagi casually admitted last week that the society has not even hired a consultant yet. TakIng steps to save the Lynde House Is clearly beyond the scope of the Whitby Historical Society. It requires a great deal of money and con- siderable expertise, neither of which the society has In any abundance. This Is not surprIsing in a group of hobby historians. What Is surprising is that the Town of Whitby seems to think that the historical society should have the resources to deal wlth the matter. In this week's front page story on Lynde House, Councillor Marcel Brunelle claims that he's "not certain the town wants to get Involved looking af- ter old houses." This stance could have very un- fortunate consequences for Whitby. Lynde House Is not just an "old house", it Is a monument to Whitby's past and the town's only bonafide museum. Unless Town Council steps in now to assist the Whitby Historical Society in It's well In- tentioned If rather Ineffectual fight to save the historic site, It may very well be consigning Lynde House to the wrecking ball. It would be a sad foot- note to a story that should have a happy ending. OTTAWA - The Canada Geese were flying North In earnest a couple of weekends ago, and to me that Is the best Indication there Is of the season. There are only two seasons that really matter to outdoor ac- tIvIties In this country, and the geese have always understood that. There ls the season with snow and ice, when we get out the skis and the skates, and they fly South. And there Is the season wlthout snow and Ice, when we get out the boats and bicycles, and they fly North. We saw a Jot of geese feeding in the Ottawa River on the Saturday, between Masson and Montebello. Further north at the cabin I found myself pausing at whatever chore I was dolng, and holding my breath, because I would think I'd heard that faint but distin- ctive gabbling that tells you geese are coming. Sometimes, I'd see one of those winding, thread-like V's floating in the distance and know that they were going to cross my latitude a mile or more away. It looked as if It might spit rain on the Saturday af- ternoon, but I decided to varnish the Inside of the canoe anyway. We could always put it on the front porch If it looked like real rain. I'd Just finished that and was inside the cabin for something when I thought I heard geese. I went out on the porch, spotted them, and called my wlfe. That's the deal. We always call each other when we see geese. That way neither of us misses anything. They were strung into low over the lake, coming straight for us. The cabin is perhaps 60 feet above the lake, on a rocky outcrop facing south, and the approaching V was at eye level. There were 75 or 100 of them, coming too quickly to count, and for once they were silent. They pulled up a few feet to clear the trees by the cabin and for a few magical momen- ts we could hear the powerful beating of their wings against the air, a rushing sound of thousant" of feathers working in unison. And something spat- tered into the dry leaves on the path as one -f them left a calling card. I don't think we had ever seen geese that close before. After supper the sky cleared and we went out to look at the stars. Much later, the moon came up, and the geese flew through the night. I half woke several times and heard them gabbling overhead, and slept the better for It. The geese comfort me, I suppose, because their fllght is evidence that we haven't yet spolled everything that nature gave us. Nobody knows the trouble I've seen in the gold- fields of Northern Ontario. Mind you, my futile quests for the preclous metal have been thoroughly recorded by Global Cameramen. But that's the surface stuff. l'm talking about the deep down sorrows that engulf me when I watch myself trudging through the dense wilderness surrounding places like Timmins and Kirkland Lake to stake a claim. Or when I watch my woeful efforts with pick and shovel and come up with not even a smidgen of gold. Nobody takes my troubles too seriously. Th.ey.'rq nlot ,suppospd .t. If you've followed my mining career on TV you know it's becoming a running gag. We've had a lot of fun doing the stories and we've met many prospectors, geologists, un- dérground miners and mine managers who have chuckled along with us as I've been a born loser. So far, the closest I've ever come to seeing the real thing was when watching gold being poured at the famed Mclntyre-Pamour mine in Tîmmins. It was an impressive sight. There were armed guards standing around as the molten metal was poured into bricks. We also went down Into the McIntyre, which is SEE PG. 24 Bill Bramah's seen trouble