TOPS helps with battle of the bulge Boy losrn Margaret Douglas Tell Connolly and Pearl have found their lives changed after joining TOPS an geared towards a weight toil by Helen Murray It called the battle of the bulge and even though it hat nothing to do with World War II winning It sometimes takes Just as long Those flabby the spare tire around the waist even the spreading caboose just seem to creep up without warning and with no Invitation And whe ther the victim is five pounds or 50 pounds overweight it is a hard struggle to reach that goal That where TOPS comes In TOPS is an internationally wide organization designed to help the over weight help themselves in their quest for a slimmer figure The goal of TOPS Is to Take Off Pounds Sensibly and for thousands of men and women across North America the strategy seems to work very well The Acton chapter of TOPS meets every Tuesday evening at Trinity United Church The meetings start with a weigh with the weekly weight being recorded in a bank book There are withdrawals losses and deposits gains Only the weight recorder Linda need know a persons weight Each member keeps a record of everything she or he has eaten that week an excellent way of illustrating where one went right or wrong The Incentives toloseweightstartatthe weigh in As each person is weighed they contribute cents to a kilty The person who loses the most weight since the week before receives all the money in the kitty The actual meetings arc varied Talking about problems is encouraged as one person troubles may be the same as another s To know one t alone is half the battle Those who lose significantly are cheered while those who gain are en couraged to keep fighting the battle The successful share their secrets with othersthey all have the same goal Nutritionists are invited to the meetings as are many other guest speakers not just those to losing weight Mem bers tend to get tired of hearing about diets all the time says leader Pearl Wilson Games are played and contests held all part of the incentive programs Some of the members are unable to attend Ihe Tuesday night meetings but drop in for a few minutes to be weighed Knowing they must be weighed at a tain time and place is also a great in centive even it they don stay for the contagious The executive play an part in the success of the club They are Leader Pearl Wilson Secretary Tell Connolly Treasurer Brenda weight recorder DeForest Members must have a doctor tificate telling how much weight are allowed to lose There are even provisions for pregnancy with the doctor determining jusi how much weight can be gained over the nine months And a slimmer figure is not the only reward after the dieting and exercise The individual clubs present TOPS charms as awards for weigl losses and members from different chapters gather for days or recognition at the area provincial and international levels And the members t banished from he club when they reach their ideal weight In fact they are encouraged lo stay the organization to show others it can be done and also to help run things These people join Keep off Pounds Sensibly and provide an example to ail One member recalls the difficult times she had becoming a KOPS but through determination and a lot of help from other TOPS members she reached her goal She remembers joining TOPS expecting an instant weight loss without working at it only losing a few pounds she left the club lo rejoin two years later with a totally different outlook She knew any weight loss required a lot of dedication on her part bo with new TOPS friends I worked hard at shedding IB excess pounds she says My fellow members provided the encouragement and praise I needed to succeed Also there were many shoulders to cry on when I slipped up with many hands extended to immediately help me up again It took her about five months to lose the weight through exercising 1000 caloric a day diet and attending the meetings oral least the weighins I proud say it has been three years since been carrying those pounds around A Metroland Community Newspaper One Hundred and Seventh Year Issue 34 ACTON ONTARIO WEDNESDAY MARCH 3 Pages Thirty Cents Average region taxes up as much as 24 If Ihe budget was approved without any cuts average Ha Hon taxpayer could ex peer to pay about more in taxes this year to Halton region There Is no breakdown of figures for Acton or potential regional tax increase yet After reviewing the preliminary region budget Councillor Dave Whiting soys region taxes could go up from an average of ins year to in across Hilton an Increase of 1 percent Last year Ihe average regional tax In Acton was J in Acton and 102 in Spending by the region alone excluding police conservation authorities and agencies like Children s Aid will go up only seven per cent ding to the preliminary budget However spending by bodies not under direct region control will go up about per cent In 1902 planning and public works is proposing to spend million Health and social service has to spend an increase of because there arc no deficits Tor the region from 1981 finance and administration spending will ac drop by 000 to million CVCA wont fill or drain pond where boy drowned Credit Valley Conservation Authority has re Jccted two of three recommendations made by a coroner inquest jury into the drowning of threeyear old Derek Jones Derek died after falling inlo a pond on the Campbell property behind Hill area homes last fall Last week executive committee received the report coroner Inquest and then re jected filling in or draining of the pond area A staff rcporl supported one of the jury s recommendations that a fence be built between the and semidetached homes and the Campbell property The inquest into the drowning death Oclobcr of the Jones boy was held December The Jury noted Ronald Campbell Main St South object to the pond being filled in and suggested ihe CVCA support this recommendation if there be environmental problems The third recommendation stated if the CVCA ob jected to filling in the pond then the authority should ensure that the pond and swamp area are properly drained by maintaining proper ditches and culverts Also making a gradual slope to the CVCA staff noted both Halton region and Ihe Authority own report of 1978 calls the Campbell pond area environmentally sensitive and a potential environmentally significant area The Tilling of the pond andor the drainage of the area through culvert and ditching works would result in further disruption of the natural features and processes of the marsh The report says the fence would provide an ade quate safety barrier from the pond for young children Group home prepares to fight threats of closure The owner of a group home for troubled children is in danger of losing his license unless he can allegations brought agnnst him by the try of Community and Social Services program supervisor for the Mm is try said David Stanley of and G Care Ltd has been with a notice of intent lo revoke the home license which was acquired in November Danlak would not reveal why the notice was nor would she say what wasmlhe report from on investigation into Ihe home She did however say It was information compiled during the in ligation which led lo the notice of intent The home has 15 days from the day the notice was served last Tuesday to appeal If no appeal is made in that time Danylak explains the home will be closed In the meantime Stanley has appealed the notice and a hearing will be held by ihe Children s Services Review Board The home may remain open until the hearing is over Stanley says the notice has listed allegations of child abuse provision of insufficient food for the children In his care and the contention that he Is an unfit personality to care for children He also pointed out the notice says he has vicious guard dogs on his Highway property Just south of Ac pointed out should the group home be closed it would not affect Ihe remaining children in Stanley own home but merely those living at the group home area manager of the Children ices Branch of Ihe Ministry contends The alleged incidence of child abuse is only a part of the total concern we have about that operation There has been no dale set for the hearing Mick Holmes hands in pager Hills Fire Chief Mick Holmes is handing in his pager alter years of fighting fires Holmes announced his retirement Monday even ing during an incamera portion of Hills meeting His last the Holmes was working for Mckenzie Lumber in when his boss Ken Mckenzie asked him to replace turn on the Acton volunteer brigade handed over his hat coat and boots and Holmes has been with the department ever since Fred Dawktns was his first fire chief and later Jack Newton whom Holmes was to replace in 1961 At that tune iheposltionwasstillflvohinteerjob In 1372 Holmes recalls the town of Acton hired nun as the municipality first full tune Tire chief and he had his own office in the municipal offices on Mill Street With the formation of Hills in town fathers decided to have two fire chiefs one in Acton Continued on page The annual Scout and Guide parade winds its through I liuril Four Acton men arrested for selling grass cannabis resin Four Acton men were among Halton residents arrested in the past week by for ing in four drugs putting a definite dent in the drug scene in Police seized marijuana hashish hash oil and with a total street value of about A threeanda half month undercover operation by the in conjunction with the Regional Police led to the arrest of Glen 22 of 4 Acton Samuel Herbert Mills of Poplar Ave Stephen Leslie McGilloway of Churchill and David Lawrence Dunn 22 of Ransom St Dunn surrendered himself to the police Monday The first three men arrested appeared in Court Thursday for a bail hearing and McGilloway were released on their own recognizance and Mills was released on surety security against failure to appear Dunn was also released on bail but the did not know the terms when contacted by this newspaper Jocque faces one count of trafficking in cannabis resin while Mills is charged with one count of ticking in cannabis resin McGilloway is charged with Iwo counts of trafficking in marijuana and Dunn is charged with one count of trafficking in marijuana They make their first appearance in Provincial Court Milton on May Corporal Les of the Drug Squad revealed Thursday an undercover officer frequented various Halton taverns and residences making contacts with known drug users pure has narcotics started at the bottom of the drug trafficking ladder and worked his way up Although this was a major undercover operation Polchoykie says a mass drug Tint few of those arrested may have been 1 ill were individual open ions Last weeks busts wen probably best in terms of yield and quality of the l of individual pointed out The arrests m he said will have icross tin region pointed out some of people arrested in were major traffickers 111 Hit are 1 They in mm would retell contacts in Toronto and who not included in this particular investigation About five and a half pounds of hash oil during the investigation police say worlh 600and4O00apound depending on al Police also hits of LSD which sell for till Hashish is istil in lots of eight to pound lo tot two pounds Some ounces of m were in ounce quarter pound Ian I pound quantities tontcnlritcd their investigation on In dh they ftll It of dealing in such quantities were made Wednesday and Thursday homes in urban centre in including Kilbride Ml taken into custody were men aged 17 to Warrants for seven other suspects are outstanding The combined forces of the and be Malum Regional Police netted In drugs and arrest In regionwide bust lait week and one this week Regional Drag Squad Inspector Jim Carrie RCMP Drag Squad Corporal and Sergeant look over a sampling of drag Mixed