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A NewmarketAurora Wednesday January 1M4 OUR OPINION Everyone can benefit from tourism industry John Sibbald owner of the Briars Resort at Jacksons Point believes that you must gamble to be successful in the tourism business While we agree that in Mr Sib- balds case the financial risk had to be taken in order to establish his dream of a yearround social and recreational facility we believe that the odds against success can be overcome by a strong knowledge of the product It is obvious that Mr Sibbald had done his homework with the Briars and Mr Sibbalds initiative drive and dedication to his cause can only be an excellent example of what can be done In York Region tourism is a rapidly growing industry even though it is still actually in its infancy Plans are in the works for a revitalized Lake Simcoe waterfront through a CAUSE project at Jacksons Point Newmarket has established its own tourist board And the York Region Tourist Board led by Schombergs Peter Blundell is everactive With rising energy costs and an everexpanding Toronto York Region was bound to benefit from the tourist trade People are staying closer to home during vacation times and daylong excursions to the country have come in fashion more than ever For Georgina Lake Simcoe is a natural attraction for the tourist trade swimming and boating in the summer and snowmobiling cross country skiing and ice fishing in the winter However for other municipalities assessing attributes towards tourism is much more difficult What would at tract people to our communities It is our contention that any community can benefit from the tourist trade one word can sum up any communitys unique and individual potential in the industry heritage Time and time again when Business Improvement Areas consider rekindling spirit to an older downtown core historical significance becomes a keyword A perfect example of the heritage theme creating tourism potential is the village of Schomberg which now seems to be thriving Another is Unionville which is booming more than it has for decades and decades By realising our own significance our own individuality- our own unique past and by promoting it in an in teresting manner all communities can benefit from the tourism industry While it will bring in the added dollars to help our communities be more affluent the business aspect can be placed aside With a strong showing of community pride whether it be in Newmarket Aurora Georgina or King everyone will be the benefactors with an improved tourist industry We owe it to ourselves to YOUR OPINION Mayor councillors have your best interest at heart Dear Editor take exception to the letter written in the Era Dec 28 by R Wilson To answer the statement Why did John Cole run for council In my summary he simply had the intestinal fortitude to try and make sure our council was made up of outstanding citizens who can run a suc cessful business of his own and therefore can run the town in like manner His own business requires dealing directly with the public thus giving him an edge on public relations I did not vote for Mr Cote as he was new and I did not have time to check him out before I voted Since then I have watched him and found he can do a good job I keep an eye on all council I do not always agree with their ideas but they will always listen then point out to me if I am wrong The old saying truth will always win is true Mr Cole is not afraid to make a decision to the problem as he sees it If he is proven wrong he is man enough to accept a change What more can you ask Why was he put in charge of the com plex Why not did Wilson stop to check whether he was considered the best man for ih Job As for the complex It is not out of the question We have not lost the If R Wilson had taken the time he could have found out the money was spent for plana and etc which will not rot or decay if left on the back burner for a while It is only lost if we do not build the complex Look what it cost to add on the few seats at the old arena If the planners of old had been smart they would have built it big enough the first time We need the complex as there is no more space for any new people to have ice time Do we want to bar children of the future from hockey or skating The pool for the complex is also important Why Mothers who stay home and mind their own children need some freedom The pool would have a room with supervision for children leaving mothers free to swim lounge at the pool side then go home feeling more like dealing with the every day problems Working mothers get subsidized day care Why not mothers who stay home There are many clubs and organizations in town that could all pitch in to money for the complex It would not take long if every one chipped in to help L When the new York Manor was built my neighbor the late Vera Judges and myself raised for the organ that is in the chapel in just seven months Nothing is- if you want something bad enough The complex would be a very im portant feature for our town I am all for it The remark about the gang of four clearly shows he or she did no homework on what has been done by our Mayor I have lived on Andrew Street since 1945 and on the outskirts years before that Never have we had a mayor that can handle the com plicated business deals like Mayor Twinney does The town has gotten so big that it now requires a person with very extraordinary foresight to cope Mayor Twinney can give you any fact or figure with out hesitation on any phase of the towns business Show me any other Mayor who can and it be exact Que twD has grown and the facilities along the same as with children they grow and you have to let down the hems then suddenly that is not enough and you have to buy new ones It is the same with the complex We have just out grown our facilities now we must buy a new one I suggest that before we throw rocks we should first look at all sides to get the true picture before trying to make bad apples out of our fine Mayor and Councillors They are doing their best and have only your best interest at heart Remember they try to please the majority and sometimes our ideas are with the minorities Do not criticize unless you can come up with a better solution that will have the same results We owe our council credit where credit is due In this case it is due Share Christmas spirit of love ail year long The saying Christmas only comes once a year is quite far fetched Think of those things you do all year to ensure the happiness and contentment of your family Fathers in their pyjamas and night cap driving sons arourid the paper route on rainy or snowy days Always bet ween five and six in the morning The grateful look that your tired eyes see in your sons face really makes you wonder if the is the better way The memories of the day you had enough money saved to surprise your child with his new bike it was also the same day he surprised you with the failing report card The movies for bored family the dinners out for the overworked wife and the toys for the kids when they somehow clean their room without being asked Whatever the reason dont you always try to show love to that group of crazies that means the world to you It seems fun and naturally easy to do right Well not for everyone Imagine yourself as a mother trying to raise a family having no formal training in the career world Now imagine yourself alone with the children hubby has left or has had you removed Is it still as easy to supply one Christmas let alone surprise Christmas during the year Darn right its not To begin with you face the initial problems of finding housing for your family providing them with clothes and medical coverage When you have no formal training and you need a job to supply any of these initial problems and with million people out of work it seems like an endless struggle so far To fully understand the horror sole support mothers face you have to in clude the internal turmoils The anger and frustration of how your husband could do this endless questions from the children with you not knowing how to tell them that daddy is not going to be around anymore Especially when its not completely clear to you Reaching out in bed for warmth on those cold stormy nights only to bring the storm inside as you realize youre alone The flow of water- when pictures and memories of days gone by come crashing through Finally the unavoidable and the unforgetable I told you so from family and friends that echoes in through your empty heart At this point a white coat helmet and a padded room seem to be the answer but take heart there is another choice An agency has been set up to assist women who find themselves in this terrifying position Aim For Change a nonprofit organization sponsored by the United Way and Canada Em ployment has been set up and run by mothers for the sole purpose of assisting sole support mothers Aside from the normal aspects of career and training counselling assistance with housing finances and baby sitting they have also developed a Buddy System whereby two mothers with the same interests can get together and share problems and dreams Its one to one approach makes it easier for mothers to confide in someone and discuss situations They also sponsor dances for sole support parents to encourage the parents to expand from the sheltered depression all sole support mothers find themselves in All work organization and operations of these social gatherings are done by the workers of Aim For Change The complete list of what Aim For Change does is too long to mention but to show the dedication and deter mination of the ladies in the office the volunteer mothers guest speakers and helpers remember they are all sole support mothers They raise families hold down day or night jobs and still work for the many sole support mothers that come in needing assistance The girls in the office are the only ones that receive financial com pensation for their efforts Em ployment Canada sponsors them for six months whereby these girls learn general office procedures through the one the job method Unfortunately Canada employment who has thousands of applicants on file for office positions with better qualifications than the Aim For Change workers could achieve feels that after six months the staff of Aim For Change are qualified to join the million unem ployed There is a negative side to this that only the sole support mothers will realize Remember youre imagining you are one These mothers have been hurt in the most cruel way a shot straight through the heart They have built a wall around themselves it takes quite a while for Aim For Change to develop a hole in that wall and begin to help the mother To change the staff every six months does nothing but drill and refill the hole in that wall Seems ironic doesnt it Aim For Change is a worthwhile organization designed to assist those sole support mothers in this day of rising divorces the clentel of Aim For Change is also rising They need the support of the publicAny contributions would be greatly appreciated Lets not just put a hole in the detrimental walls lets knock them down for good For more information on the activities and programs Aim For Change does feel free to drop in at the office at 31 Street South Aurora Ontario Arent you filad while imagining yourself in this situation that there are people who care Arent you hoping that if you ever find yourself as a sole support mother enough people will care to have them there for you Help make the purpose of Christ mas be shared all year long love and happiness A safe and happy New Year from all the staff and volunteers of Aim For Change Jeff Goreskl 12 days of Christmas would cost 150000 Did you Yule more this year and enjoy it less If the Christmas New Year holiday just passed seemed to put more of a hole in your pocketbook consider this it now costs more than to provide the traditional 12 days of Christmas A survey in the US reports that days of gifts itemized in the traditional song such as turtle doves hens and gold rings for your true love would tally up in 198384 dollars to about 150000 And we Canadians would have to add the roughly per cent difference in the value of our currencies when buying those leaping lords and waiting ladies In fact we Canadians might be better off with the downtoearth and patriotic list compiled by comedians Bob and Doug Mackenzie otherwise known as Dave Thomas and Rick For only Canadian you can get eight comic books seven packs of cigarettes six cases of beer five golden toques four pounds of back bacon three french toast two and a beer The MacKenzies dont provide items for days nine through but at todays inflation rate eight days of Christmas is plenty And if you think the electrifying of Christmas the use of winking and blinking lights on lawns windows trees and doors is a fairly recent idea guess again It was three Thomas perfected fiis in candescent lamp when his chief assistant Edward Johnson put the invention to work on a Christmas tree In his New York parlor Johnson set up a Christmas tree and decorated it with 80 twinkling red white and blue bulbs each the size of a walnut The year was 1882 Actually the commercialization of Christmas began long long ago The idea of sending Christmas cards was invented to make money for the British postal system Sir Henry Cole an energetic British aristocrat wanted the postal system to do new business And he wanted to save himself time during the holidays In 1843 it was popular to write lengthy Christmas letters to friends and relatives So Sir Henry had the first Christmas card designed The first ones didnt exactly set the world on fire In fact they hardly sold Eventually though production picked up and today billions are exchanged each year And concern about the overcom mercialization of Christmas is nothing new In fact in 1653 the puritans in Boston actually banned Christmas The puritans disapproved of the carnival like revelry mat marked the season in Britain Tbey passed a law making it illegal to publicly observe Christmas Those caught in the act were to be fined five shillings But as more Roman Catholics Episcopalians and others who wanted to celebrate Christmas arrived in the colony the ban on Christmas became impossible to enforce The Anti- Christmas law was repealed in 1681 Maybe what we need in 1984 the year of Big Brother is another humbug law just for a few years to reduce the impact of the almighty dollar on Christmas For a period of about five years or so well put Santa Claus in mothballs and make Scrooge the symbol of Christmas Bah Humbug and a Happy New Year SERVING YORK COUNTY SINCE BARRY WALLACE JOHN GRIFFITHS EDITORIAL Now editor Barbara Taylor Roporttr sandy Sports Editor John Photography Hon Alary ADVERTISING Retell Hansen Colin Fwsylh Jan Carol Bolhs Clessifiad Andiews Ann Campbell BUSINESS Administration A Account Manager Rose Reynolds Business Office Menage Ethel Wall mot per The Newmarket Era is one the Metroiand group subur ban newspapers which includes The Acton Free Press The Aurora Banner News Advertiser The Bolton Enterprise The Brampton Guardian The Burlington Post The Burlington Weekend Post The UserGuardian The Georgetown Economist Sun The Milton Champion The News The North York Mirror Beaver Friday Beaver Oshawa Week This Weekend Richmond Hilt Liberal ThornhM Libera The Scartnrougn The StoutlviSe Tncone and Woodbridga liberal Pnnting Publishing retributing is a division of Harlequin Enterprises Limited It A