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hE headin ante ooh lati ibd El Sana. oo adn dl wu a nL Lo Jib Sh ali as a Take a Look Back BROOKLIN WESLEYAN METHODIST CHURCH October 10, 1886 On Monday last, the Wesleyan Methodist congregation in Brooklin commenced to clear the ground by removing the buildings now on it, for the erection of a new church. It is to be of brick. They do not propose to do more than dig out a basement, and perhaps lay the foundation this fall, but propose to have everything in readiness for work early in the spring. LAYING THE CORNER STONE FOR BROOKLIN CHURCH May 8, 1867 The corner stone of the new W.M. Church, Brooklin will be laid on the 24th by the Rev. Dr. Wood, Superintendent of Mis- sions. Sermons will be preached by Rev. Messrs. McFadden and Cochran. A bazaar will be held during the day, and a concert will be given in the evening. October 9, 1867 The building of the new church by the Wesleyan Methodists of Brooklin is progress- ing very favourably. The brick work is finish- ed, the floor laid, and the spire nearly com- pleted. The church is 64 feet long by 38 broad, and will seat about 700 persons. The basement is also large and airy. The ceiling of the church is of an arched form. The top of the spire when completed will be 110 feet from the ground. The ediface is a credit both to the architects and builders, and will con- stitute a great addition to the village, both as regards improvement and beauty. The estimated cost is $3,000. DEDICATION OF A CHURCH December 18, 1867 The new Wesleyan Methodist church at Brooklin will be opened for divine services on Sabbath next. Three sermons will be preach- ed on that day, one in the morning by the President of the Conference, the second at half past two, by the Rev. Dr. Nelles, Presi- dent of Victoria College, and in the evening by Rev. W. Pollard. A tea meeting is to be held on the following Monday afternoon, tea to be served at three, when addresses will be delivered by the President of the Conference and others. On the evening of Christmas day a lecture will be delivered by the Rev. W. Stephenson. This programme of services is to be supplemented by a concert of Sacred Music to be given on New Year's Day by the united choirs of Brooklin, Whitby, Oshawa and Columbus Methodist Churches. Turn to page 27 Viewpoint | by ROXANNE REVELER I've seen a great deal in magazines and books lately, not to mention on nearly every other television talk show, about marriages that are made to last, and what I read and saw makes me ponder how my own marriage has lasted so long. So, as it was 21 years ago on Thursday that I married the man I still sleep with, I thought I simply had to give you my two-cents worth on what makes a super- marriage. After much soul-searching, I have found | out there is no such thing. At least when it is our marriage we are talking about. And furthermore, I start to get ticked off anytime I read about those perfect cutesy couples who have been blissfully married for eons. You usually read that it is because they _ have a common hobby such as putting in the rockery each spring or putting up preserves together in the fall. Yecht! } Not me and my number one. Although we did try that years ago when we were expec- ting our first child. We decided to wallpaper the nursery together. I soon found it was much easier to use both arms and one leg to hold the darn stuff up myself as I attempted to match the pattern, than ensure our baby would be a product of divorced parents. It is not that this was the last attempt at togetherness. It wasn't. At various times dur- ing our marriage I have attempted to help on little jobs. I helped lay patio slabs ... He drop- ped one, pinning my hands under it. That was bad enough, but I had to stay in that spot, hands pinned to the earth until he stopped laughing. I tried to help him hang a new front door ... while balancing the door so he could knock the hinges into place, I became the reci- pient of a hammer blow to the bean. I think that was the last time I offered to help. There are plenty of reasons why we have endured through thick and through thin. One, of course, is because I am a wonderful, tolerant, understanding, and compassionate person. This being the case, number one has been heard to say he must be a 'bloody mis- sionary" to live with me. Why else would he always clean ouit those tupperware containers full of ... we're not quite sure ... that I have tucked into the refrigerator and can't clean out myself because I will throw up. He also points to the time he found ground glass in one of my gourmet attempts and the fact that the newspaper always ends up in the fireplace before he has had a chance to read it ... No sense of humour that's all. I must say we both have a healthy dose of respect for each other, but at the same time, we are not afraid of criticizing each other either. I have never met a couple who can honest- ly say they never fight, and I poo-pooh that "fighting fair" stuff experts advise. We never fight fair. If it's worth a fight, it's worth a good fight, although our fights never became marathons because he refuses to let them reach that proportion. He leaves me to resort to my favourite fight-breaker ... my kitchen cupboards. About ten good slams usually gets me laughing again ... usually at the ridiculousness of the whole thing. We never fight about money though. You see, he believes in saving and is not ap- preciative of my efforts to stimulate the economy. I spend what I make and, as my friends will testify, I do what I can to spend what he makes too. Food ... now there is where we have nothing in common. I love pasta, he prefers potatoes. I love soups, stews and casseroles, while his nibs has to be able to identify every mound on his plate. He adores fast-foods such as Pogos, hamburgers and french fries ... | never eat them. And while on vacation, he likes to putter and roam, I'm content with do- ing absolutely nothing. When it comes to our passions, however, we are together all the way. His enemies are Turn to page 20 PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, August 26, 1986 -- 17 Editorial Comments Refugee Mix-Up Could be Blessing ~The arrival of 165 Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka a couple of weeks ago appears to have been the subject of conversation lately, mostly negative, but this latest fiasco to hit the Mulroney government might just be a blessing in disguise .... the sort of boot in the butt necessary to make our federal leaders-admit there are serious flaws in Canada's immigration system, and motivate them to do something about it. What a difference a week can make. On August 9, the saga of the Tamil refugees was a decent little human interest story: After fleeing tyranny, 155 people, including children, are smuggled across the high seas in the hull of a cargo ship, only to be victimized by a mysterious Indian flesh trafficker, and cast away in two small lifeboats. After five days without food, and little water, they are rescued by good Canadian fishermen. A melodrama that just tears at your heartstrings. But although the Tamil boat people weathered the Atlantic Ocean, it remained to be seen if they would sink in the storm of public protest. By the end of that week, news organizations from across Canada and the world began bailing out the many reporters that had been sent to cover the fantastic story. As the truth started to unravel, many of them, along with the Canadian public started to feel they had been used in a tacky bit of international intrigue, and the Tamils were mak- ing it obvious they wanted nothing to do with the press. And no . wonder. Their heart wrenching story was no more than a pack of lies; lies used to cajole federal authorities into bending the law; into let- ting the Tamils barge into Canada without the benefit of legal red tape that other immigrants must go through. Few doubt that the situation in Sri Lanka is bad news for Tamils. The Hindo Tamils make up about 18 percent of the country's popula- tion and are heavily outnumbered by the Buddhist Sinhalese. Unfor- tunately, tradition has dictated that the Sinhalese hate the Tamils and are bent on their destruction. The country's economy is in the toilet bowl and the violence of its society over the past three years has crippled tourism. More than 4,000 Tamils have been killed during the fighting, much of it carried out by government soldiers and police. More than 160,000 Tamils have already fled, most to the Madras area of India, where there is a high Tamil population. : Others have made their way to East Germany, and from there on to West Germany where they are placed in refugee camps. In the last two years, 1,200 Sri Lankans have claimed refugee status in Canada, joining the 8,000 already here. Most live in the major cities of Toronto and Montreal. | it is certainly not difficult to obtain refugee status in Canada, but those who preceded these boat people at least did it legally. It is like playing hide-and-seek .... all you have to do is be here and yell "home free" and you're in. Canada's immigration laws are one of the many issues that have been drubbed to death over the past week. If the rules are riddled with loop-holes for economic refugees, that's a political question. Whether refugees are going to take jobs from Canadians, or become dependent on a welfare program is an economic issue. After a week of sorting out rumours, evasions, and facts, a final story emerged which went something like this: The boat started out from India and picked up a group of Tamils from West Germany, either in Calais, France or Britain. The trip was organized by a Tamil exile group in Europe and India. They lied about the length of time they were afloat in the lifeboats in order to allow the ship to escape Cana- _ dian discovery. That's it in'a nutshell, but whatever the story they told, and nc matter what the actual truth turns out.to be, the Canadian govern- ment has stated they will not be deported. You see, Sri Lanka is one of the countries Canada does not deport people to. Probably with good reasons, but that does not make the many refugees and immigrants trying legally to get into this country any happier, let alone the Cana dian people. Last week, junior immigration minister Gerry Weiner said he wants to dismantle Canada's policy of not deporting people to coun- tries such as Sri Lanka, which produces a lot of refugees. He hinted at a news conference he wants the policy changed so he can deport any of the 155 Sri Lankan refugee claimants who fail security and criminal checks. Although Radio Bremen has reported some of the refugees who left West Berlin on June 28 and were smuggled into Canada, belong to the Tamil Tigers, one rebel group fighting in Sri Lanka, Weiner said preliminary checks show no link with the boat people and the Tamil militants. Since the Sri Lankans have arrived, and the truth unravelled par- tially, if not all together, there has been strong public reaction against allowing them to stay. Many people, including a number of Conser- vative MPs, are incensed that they initially lied. The government has been under pressure to calm that backlash and Weiner has said his office has explained immigration laws and programs to many irate callers. Turn to page 20