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PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, January 20, 1987 -- § by John B. McClelland Viewpoint TO THE PHANTOM I have been asked to use this medium to make con- tact with the Phantom, the Port Perry Phantom, that is, that i ingenious individual who left his/her calling card of a white rock in so many locations in the community last summer. The reason I want to make contact with the Phan- tom is to seek permission to use one of the white rocks in an event with international over-tones. That's about all I can say about this for the time being, but Mr./Ms. Phantom, if you happen to read this request here, contact me in the usual way, via the Post Office. Since I got a nice card from you at Christmas, you obviously know my address. O0.K.? If you want further details about how the white rock will be used, I can divulge them. In the meantime, I shall 'wait your reply. WORTH A LOOK I see where the Ontario Ministry of Tourism 50d Recreation plans to get more actively involved in amateur sporti in this province in an effort to reduce in- juries and improve the safety of facilities used by amateur sports associations. One of the items mentioned in a press release last "week is the formation of single governing body for amateur hockey '"'aimed at providing uniformity in policy, coaching and instructional programs at a pro- vincial level." - And there will be other steps in amateur hockey to include "improvements in the recruitment, training and supervision of hockey referees." This is a worthy step, for obviously, the recruitment ~ ciple. But what can be done to protect those refs of calibre referees is fundamental to the well being of hockey as a sport, especially in the midget, juvenile and junior ranks. But recruiting and training good refs is one thing. Keeping them is something else. I can't help but wonder if the government plans i in- clude some way to do away with the amount of abuse «(verbal, sometimes physical) that referees take from Players, coaches, managers and fans, especially some ans Let's face it, a lot of good refs simply quit because they can't take the abuse from foul-mouthed hockey fans screaming and cursing at them from the stands. 'There are rules enough in the book to allow a ref to con- trol a game and eject players who get out of hand. But the fans? Nothing. I don't think there's any shortage of people who . could be trained to make good refs for the sport of hockey. But a lot of them just don't want the aggrava- tion and abuse. Who can blame them? In my travels, [ have heard every epithet in the book hurled from close range by a frenzied fan. I have seen fans spit at refs, throw pop cups and newspapers at them, even dump hot coffee on them as they leave the ice. And yes, I have seen fans physically attack a ref after a game. And it's not just hockey. The refs in other sports, like soccer, baseball and football can come in for their fair share of abuse from the sidelines as well. The government is trying to make life safer for sports participants in Ontario. That's a good idea. Bet- ter training for hockey refs is also a good idea in priv rom the foul-mouthed fan who stands in the front row and shouts obscenities all game"? I believe that steps have been taken over the past decade by hockey organizations, leagues, teams and in- "dividual coaches and players to reduce the violence on the ice. There has been a change in attitude for the bet- ter. There are still ugly incidents, to be sure.'But generally speaking, the situation in 1987 is better than it was ten years ago, But not much has changed for the refs. If the Ministry of Tourism and Recreation is prepared to get involved and spend the bucks to make amateur sport better and safer, they might take a look at the people in the striped shirts and do something to make their jobs a bit easier. THE BOWLING GREEN RINK I've had quite a number of people ask me when the open air rink at the lawn bowling will be ready for skating, and with the way the weather has been, if there .will be a rink there this winter. Here's an update. Last Wednesday Af rToty (Jan. 14) with the temperature in the mid 40's Glen Evans of 'Port Perry Auto Glass kindly donated his plow and truck to remove the surface snow from the area. That evening, a few people levelled the area with . shovels, hoping that the temperature would drop enough to put the first flood on that night. The weather stayed too warm and on Thursday, of course, it rained much of the day. 'However, I am hopeful that by the time this newspaper is' printed and distributed, we will have some - ice there. Everything depends on the weather. If we get a nice cold snap, the rink will be completed. A pra 14 Yesterday's Memories - 60 YEARS AGO Thurs. January 20, 1927 J. Bousfield, MacGregor, Manitoba, is on his way to Port Perry with two cars of livestock...one of Shorthorns, one of heavy draft horses, Clydes and Percherons, 1300 to 1600 Ibs., many of which are showing quality. Dr. and Mrs. David Archer received guests at their home on : Queen Street Saturday afternoon on the occasion of their 25th wed- ding anniversary. 35 YEARS AGO Thurs. January 17, 1952 : The following were elected officers at the annual meeting of the Port Perry Rod & Gun Club; President, Milt Butson; Vice-president Aylmer Ploughman; and Secretary-treasurer Harlin Davey. The Inaugural Meeting of the Cartwright Council was held Mon- day, January 14th, 1952 where Mr. George Black was sworn in as the new Reeve. Mr. and Mrs. R.B. Smallman, Port Perry, spent the weekend in Brantford at the home of their daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. J.H. VanNest, on the occasion of their 40th wedding anniversary. 25 YEARS AGO Thurs. January 18, 1962 The dealer playdowns of M.F. Curl-O-Rama, Canada's largest Bonspiel, sponsored by Massey-Ferguson dealers was held at the Port Perry Curling Club on January 12th. The winning team consisting: of Howard Malcolm, second; Bob Kenny, skip; Neil Malcolm, vice and Harold McLaughlin, lead, will represent Morrow Farm Equip- ment, Port Perry in the District Playdowns. Earl Dowswell, reeve of Uxbridge, has been elected Warden for Ontario, 1962. Mr. Dowswell, who became Warden on the fifth ballot, is not serving his fifth term as reeve. The Sonya Baseball Club has generously donated 325. 00 to the Floodlight Committee for the new Ball Park. - 20 YEARS AGO Thurs. January 19, 1967 Larry Watt, Essex, Ontario, escaped injury recently when his five ton truck slid backward from the 'Yield' sign at Cochrane Street, Port Perry, and came to rest on its side on McDonald Street, after snapping off a hydro pole. David Porter, Port Perry and his skating partner, Janet D'Altroy of Barrie, won first place in the Central Ontario Junior Dance Com- petition held recently in Agincourt. - Martha Carnegie, Douglas Holtby and Sharon. Fade consived First Class Honours in Grade II Theory at the recent Theory Exams held in Port Perry by the Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto. They are all pupils of Mrs. F. Harper. 10 YEARS AGO Wednesday, January 19, 1977 Cam MacMaster, a long-time supporter of sports in this com- | munity was given the honour of dropping the puck for the opening face-off of a Flamingo's game which was part of the official upen- ing ceremonies of the new Scugog Memorial Arena. Walter Beath was returned to a two year terry as the Chairman of Durham Region on the second ballot. Letters Inadequate shelter for dogs To The Editor: It is a sad and unacceptable fact that every year thousands of dogs suffer through long and harsh Cana- dian winters with inadequate shelter or no shelter at all. These dogs can- not obtain shelter and are forced to "endure terrible weather conditions. Tremendous cold spells, vicious blizzards and freezing rain can pro- ve fatal for even the hardiest of dogs. Most of us would not even con- sider being out in these elements, even for a short period of timé, so how can we expect dogs to live in these conditions? What kind of ex- istence is this anyway? While winter emphasizes the need for adequate shelter, "outdoor' dogs also need adequate housing the rest of the year, to protect them from the intense heat of the sun as well as the rain. Under the Criminal Column upsets reader To The Editor: ' With regards to the "Chatterbox" in the Port Perry Star, I would like to point out that we (the readers) are intelligent human beings whodo "not enjoy reading the inconsiderate trash that has been written lately. For example, the article 'about truck drivers on Queen Street (the Dec. 23rd issue). If she had been a considerate reporter, she would ' have noticed that there are no- loading docks to unload from, and if she had considered the truckers feelings, she would have discovered that they aren't overjoyed with the situation either. The way in which she wrote her article is that the truckers enjoy unloading from the street, a fact which is greatly. mistaken. As for the slander I think maybe she should publicly apologize + and think about who and why she is slandering next time. Another example of the trash 'which she has been subjecting us to is the latest offense "The Dreaded 57" (in the Chatterbox of Jan. 6, 1987). 1, as well as many gfheTs take offense to this article, especially the part about the older ren wearing ~ hats. I know plenty of older men, many of which wear hats (including my father), and none of them pull out in front of cars in the manner in which she describes Maybe if she hadn't (and I quote) "pretending you were ralhing around the final curve of the Indy 500" and "doing a tich over the speed limit," these drivers wouldn't . seem so slow As far as I'm concern- ed, if she is speeding she should have to slow down (with a few ex- cepts for a needed doctor or such). Maybe it'll teach her a lesson. I feel the PORT PERRY STAR is a good paper, but has a few weaknesses like the ( "hatterbox articles. Sincerely Yours, Joy Vogel, R.R. 1. Blackstock Code of Canada, all dogs are. by law, required to have "adequate" shelter. A doghouse should be large enough for the dog to stand up. sit down, turn around and stretch out . comfortably to the fullest extend of its limbs. It Should be insulated, have an interior windbreak. exterior door flap and be elevated 6 inches off the ground, facing away from the prevailing winds. These are the minimum standards the Ontano Humane Society has set regarding a doghouse. Realizing that not all dogs are "in door" dogs, the Ontario Humane Society has published a pamphlet detailing how to construct an "ideal" doghouse. The pamphlet. 'Ideal Doghouse for Ontario's Out- door Dogs,' provides the dog owner with all the necessary information to construct a "custom fit" - doghouse that will, if constructed properly, provide an outdoor dog with good shelter. Copies of this. - pamphlet can be obtained by simp- ly contacting the Onfario Humane Society at: 620 Yonge Street "Newmarket. Ontario L.3Y wv 8 Sincerely. 'N_ Glenn Perrett Director, Huntane Education Ontario Humane Society : + to the editor. Letters to the Editor . our policy / It has always been the policy of this newspaper to encourage our readers to make use of the letters to the editor column Our readers have a right to freely express their opinions and view- points on just about any subject, and we feel that a lively letters column | helps make a better community newspaper. We insist, however, that a letter writer sign his or her name. On Tare occasions, we will agree to with-hold publication of a letter writer's name, if we feel there are very good reasons to do so. Under no circumstances will this paper print an anonymous ee , While we enjoy receiving letters from our readers, we must continue to insist on knowing the identity of the writer. » / - %