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PAGE 6,,WHITBY FREEPRS,ýb4ëi Eub F wp )Iished overy Wednesdai 3y 677209 Ontario Imc. Phone: 668-6111 Toronto Lino 427-1834 Doug Anderson Publishor 131 Brook Street North, ?.0. Box 206, Whitby, Ont. UiN 5S1 Maurice Pif her Editor Alexandra Martin Production Manager 2nd Class Posti Registration #05351 TE;ieek1et giÏftas One mice thing about Christmnas columans is that nobody reads themn. At any other time of year such a thought would turn the blood of the average columnst into pickled beet juice. Having no reader may be even worse tha.n having no pay cheque But the last Wednesday before Christmas, colunists kcind of give ini to reality. Relax a bit, write about things they really, really care about, knowing that just about everyone at this time of year caret spare the Urne. Thus we can sit here by the fire, our feet on the bumper so to speak, and let the warmath of Christmas seep into our pyjamas just before bed. Old bones and young muscles, tired from skating, slepyfrinhot choclate, rock back and forth while the NIutceracer plays on. Christmas, did I say? Let us ta]k no more of shopping orgies, gigantic sales, parties, dinners. Neither will we mention the paradoxes: the TV specials about the REAL meanung of the season, sponsored by your favourite department store/shopping plaza/toy maker/brewery. Nor will we stick in the part about the industrial suprernacy to the western hemnisphere lying with whoever can make a Christmnas tree stand that will both hold water and support the tree. At a decent price. <Slightly higher in the Middle East.) No, we'l forgot about those snippy bits of sarcasrn, and we'1l talk about family and friends: the real meaning of Christmnas. The Christmnas of our childhood. The Christmas of our future. The Christmnas of now. And it is this Christmas of 1990 which shall neyer corne again. Neyer again will we have this opportunity. Look around. Suppose the Christmas were ta, be your ast. Or the last for a loved one. What about Christmnas wouhd you change? What would you buy? Another Marks and Spencer sweater? A kilo of Estee Lauder at the cosmetic counter in Eatons? Skates? Three more video gaines? Hligh tech ski boots? Fumbah! What we need and don't get -- or give -- is more of ourselves. More evenings like this by the hearth, the popcorn popping, the snow-wet mittens drying, talking. And change cornes slowly. Srnall steps counit more than big ones. llight after Christmnas this year I will take rny stepson to a Leaf hockey garne. Oh, I know that's ireally small stop; I could have tried to take hirn to a real hockey gaine. But this will also be rny first NHL game. So along with Tom Ill also be taldng the nine-year-old who used ta cheer for Syl Apps and Turk Broda, and win nickels froin bis father every Urne the Leafs beat the Red Wrngs. Ilil also spend Urne over the holidays taking chihdren and step-grandchildren skating. The real gift of Christmnas, the Grinch discovered after fifty-three years, is the gift of people. A few paragraphs ago I interrupted this writing to, phone a sister in London, Ont. We talked abut Christmases, about love, about sisters and brothers. About familles. About how when she was fighting a cancer scare a few years ago, she called with panic in ber voice. 'Corne visit me,' she saîd thern. ' I want ta dance with you again.' So we danced and partied, and the scare went away and so did the disease. Would it could every Uirne. Another sister of mine rerninded me recently that when I was eigliteen and she ten, I had mun over her brand new bike. The bike she had won by knocking on every door in the village to win new subscribers to, the ohd Toronto Telegrain. Two weeks later ber big brother backed over it. Crunch. Bad enough, I suppose. But she also reminded me that I refused ta replace t he bike, cainung it was ber fault for leaving it in a dumb place. Can you belleve anyone could be 80 cold, heartiess? Worse, could you beieve that I cannot to this day recall the incident? So I stili owe my sister a bicycle. But no matter now how rnuch I shop; no matter how many bicycles I rush out to buy; no matter how fancy each of a thousand bicycles might be: nothing can reach back thosP thirty-four years and boa] the hurt. AIl that's left now is the same dumb big brother saying, 'I love Catch-up tim e One of the top priorities for recently elected MPPs in this area should be increased provincial f undIng f or local school boards. Bath the public and separate boards In Durham Reglon continue ta, grapple with increased enrol- -"ment and the need for more accommodation, and the resulting high cost of construction for new schoois or the addition of portables. Whiie provin- cial funding helps ta meets those needs, the province does not contribute toward the cast of facilities such as the $25.8-million education centre In Whitby ta which the Durham public board recently gave the go-ahead. The new headquar- ters, ta replace the avercrowded faciiity In Oshawa and other rented office spaces, Is expected ta be completed In 1994, and a 15- ta 20-year deben- ture will be consldered for most of the cost of the centre. In previaus years, the board has managed ta whlttle away at its previous debt load, mare or less adopting a pay-as-you-go policy. Meanwhile, any move on a new education centre had been repeatedly postponed as the sohoal portion of local taxes reached double-digit Increases, ln part ta meet new provincial directives on education. Strapped for cash; debenturlng is now regarded as the only alternative for major capital projects -- Just as the Town of Whitby declded on a debe nture f or the new rec facllity. Meanwhlle, separate board trustees say they will take a good, long look at their own debenture pollcy. Whtby trustee Tom Oldman says the board Is being crlppled by its debt load, ftrom borrawing ta pay for new sohools, which Is passed on ta taxpayers.I While 1990 willI be regarded -as a "slow" year, Durham Reglan has seen enormous*growth ln years previaus. and provincial fundlng has been inadequate ta meet the education needs genera- ted by that growth. h's catch-up time, and we urge local MVPPs ta make knawn the views of local trustees wha, have been labbylng long and hard for their fair share t ram the province. e"" Centre says thank you To the editor.: The philSophy of anonymity and confidentiality precludes the Distress Centre Durbain frorn thanking its vounteers in a public forum. StiR the volunteers of the Distress Centre sehflessly gave of their Urne every week ta answer the alrnost 10,000 cails received this year. It takes a special kInd of person ta listen nonjudgernentally ta the various issues raised by the callers. Repeatedly the volunteers say that their rewards are knowing that sorneoe is stil alive because of thern; or that Why not personal limnos?9 To the editor. R..' The Toruto.ftterboeough- Havelock Une Passenger Association How greedy, self-centred and self.serving of thIs association ta expect the resi of Ontario ta subsidize their commuter needs. Buses are not good enougli. Why not personal lirné? Go ahead and make rny day: move and/or quit your jobs. Get on with your lives without being a drain on the rest of us. Ted Greenfield wlutby they have helped save a child from further abýuse; or a lonely peron ow iasa whole staff of vlunterswta lp thern through their lonelixuess. The boardýçf directars and staff of the Distresa Centre gratefully acknowledge and thank them for their dedication and concern for the mental well-being of the residents. of Durham 1 Région. Their patience and empathetic attitude is the backbone of the service. lhe Distress Centre would also like ta tbank their financial contributars of this past year. Without their ind donations (through the United Wy or privately), this service could not eist. A. happy and prosperous Holiday Season and a happy New Year is wished toalal. Distreos Centre Durham * , .-. VOUCE 0F THE COUNTY TOWN The only Whitby newspaper independently owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents. &:.*..«..*..*.......e*..*.e..ee..eele..*.*ý. k" 1 1 JVIJII 1