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p 4 the tribune tuesday october 28 1 997 st tuesday october 28 1997 vol 109 no 69 the tribune comment send your letters to the editor to the address below editeaiat long teachers strike will not be tolerated so it has come to this the talk is over and teachers are now walking the picket line two million students and their parents are left hanging in the balance as the provincial government and the teachers unions are in a contest to see who blinks first even chief justice charles dubin cant find enough common ground to keep the two sides talking the question now is what next both sides have proved their point they are committed and will not back down to threats what they should realize is that the public is in no mood to suffer this strike for any longer than a couple of days if the teachers and politicians think theyre under pressure now just give this fiasco another week at the moment everybody is a bad mood the government is frustrated teachers are angry and parents are furious at both sides perhaps the fight over bill 160 had to come to a walkout nei ther side wanted to be the first to make a concession mike harris and company had to prove they would not be pushed around by a union the teachers had to back up their words with action and they have done that in the cold light of morning they have also discovered that fighting for a cause is not a job for the faint of heart now that both sides have shown how powerful they are we suggest they get back to the negotiating table if the goal of the teachers unions was to focus public attention on bill 160 and its ramifications they have succeeded its what everybodys talking about they should build on that success by going back to the classroom as soon as possible mccraes medals belong to all canadians dear editor re lt col john mccrae having recently returned from an emotional journey to the battle weary landscape of flanders fields in bel gium and northern france i was greeted by some very disturbing news the wwi service medals of lt col john mccrae a surgeon attached to the 1st canadian field artillery were going to be sold at auction in toronto saturday oct 25 my trip to the ypres sahent of bel gium brought me to the essex farm medical dressing station and adjoining cemetery it was after 17 days of treat ing the horrific suffering of canadian british and even german soldiers john mccrae composed the most memorable war poem ever written in flanders field he had been a doctor for years but it was the suffering the pain and misery he witnessed at this front line dressing station that had a profound effect on him he even performed the funeral service for his best friend in the grief easier after saying goodbye while laughter may be the best medicine for many of lifes troubles there are times when only tears are possible in recent days several people in our community have had to face the devastating loss of loved ones some of those loved ones were granted a long full life others had barely begun their journey some i knew others 1 knew of all are mourned by the people whose lives they touched on oct 21 34 years ago my father died of cancer it was not unexpected but we were still some how unprepared for the shock and the grief and for the time it took for the pain to become marginally bear able from the moment we lost him we wanted to talk about dad the won derful times we had shared and the joy he had brought to our lives and to the lives of our friends many people thinking they were sparing us even more sorrow stu diously avoided the mention of his name only those who had been through a similar experience under stood our deep need to keep him alive through reminiscences in this way we were able eventual ly to come to terms with what had kates corner kate gilderdale happened and to draw comfort from the fact that he had been a much- loved member not only of our fami ly but of our community grief is exhausting i remember vividly the night dad died i went to stay with friends who had loved him and who understood my need to talk i talked and cried until i could no longer stay awake sleep brought relief but it was a cruel respite waking up the next day it took a minute or two for the terrible real ization to dawn i would never see my father again in this life but i was one of the lucky ones during his long illness we had become extremely close when he needed treatment he went to our local hospital which was just yards away from our home and i was encouraged to visit and help with his needs whenever i could my memories of that time arc strangely happy he and i became inseparable- wcsharcd books and jokes and celebrated his temporary triumphs over the disease that had invaded his body looking back i was grateful that i had the opportu nity to show him my love and appre ciation an opportunity many peo ple are denied when death comes unexpectedly it must be far more difficult to accept there is no time for fare wells for mending fences or for just saying i love you i have never had to deal with and cannot imagine the pain of sudden loss i cannot say to those who are left i know how you feel all any of us can do is be there when were needed offer practical comfort when we can and continue to support the bereaved in their grief not just for days or vyceks but for as long as it takes and that can be a long long time grief docs not go gently into that good night it lingers attacking just when you believed you had made a few faltering steps towards recovery time softens but can never entire ly heal the rawness of loss and no words can adequately express the feelings of people in the community as we reach out to offer comfort to f those who arc left to mourn absence of the chaplain it is the anguish and emotion he felt that became the inspiration for in flan ders fields canada should consid er herself very fortunate indeed to have sired offspring of the moral fibre and character of doctor john mccrae he is respected not only on the canadian stage but the world stage we as a nation must retain every possible reminder and symbol of his existence and contributions to humanity his medals belong to all canadi- ansand should be proudly displayed for all to sec particularly our young people on canadian soil they cer tainly do not belong in the vault of some private collector john mccrae is our link our con stant reminder of the legacy of sacri fice this country of ours has made particularly in the first world war it saddens me as a canadian to witness the sale of our heritage my calls to the ministry of cana dian heritage assured me that the medals could not leave canada without their permission however they would not commit to making the purchase on behalf of all cana dians this ministry that recently spent tens of millions of dollars on cana dian flags would not commit to spending 25000 on such a grand symbol of our heritage as another remembrance day approaches i challenge all canadians to contact the ministry of heritage at 1-819- 9977788 or fax 18199945987 and demand the purchase be made this small effort is the least we can do for our many veterans past and present glenn kerr stouffville tribune a metroland community newspaper patricia pappas publisher andrew mair editorinchief tracy kibble editor debra weller director of advertising mike rogerson retail advertising manager stacey allen classified manager barry goodyear director of distribution vivian oneil business manager pamela nichols operations manager about us news 905 6402100 retail sales 905 6402100 classifieds 9056402874 distribution 9056402100 fax 905 6405477 email thetribistarca 6244 main st stouffville ont l4a1e2 the stouflviile tribune pub lished ovory tuesday thursday and saturday is one of the metroland printing publishing and distribution group of commu nity newspapers which includes ajajepickcrlng nows advertiser alliston heraldcourier carrie advance brampton guardian burlington post citypnrent collingwoodwosaga beach con nection east york mirror 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