As reported in The Citizen for February 18, 2010.
A delegation of Huron County (Ontario) councillors addressed the Avon Maitland District School Board. Their concern is with the Board's approach to dealing with declining enrolments in the public schools throughout the county.
The Warden of the County, Bert Dykstra, gave a balanced presentation. He acknowledged that the board has a difficult task being faced with numerous fiscal, operational, and demographic issues. He provided some suggestions for making the board's decisions more palatable for the people of Huron County.
In a number of locations through the county, the board is thinking of closing schools located within towns and villages and in one case has already decided to close such a school. Warden Dykstra stated that he represents "all the students, parents, and all the schools across the county"
He emphasized the value of schools to their communities saying "our communities are built on the foundation of our schools" as well as other insitutions. "It's one of the components of a healthy community."
Dykstra emphasized that schools located in urban communitities should not be closed.
[End of borrowing from The Citizen.]
These ideas are not new; they have been expressed one way or another by many community groups and representatives to this same board. Let's hope that the county delegation has greater effect. So far there has been no sign that these very pertinent concepts have had any effect on the AMDSB.
It is to be hoped that this argument coming from the highest political level of the county will have a greater effect on this board, but given their past demonstration of intransigence, and stubborn deafness, we cannot be completely hopeful.
If the process of implementing these destructive plans could be somehow delayed for a few months, the elections in October may produce a slate of school trustees that have better hearing, better ideas, and may actually prove to be trustees to be trusted by the voters.
Brock Vodden
About a remarkable Ontario village
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
When Things Come Together
The picture below is familiar to many Blythites. Janis and I have had a copy for many years. The picture itself reveals quite a lot about its subject. We can tell that it is a parade related to the Frost & Wood Company. We recognize Blyth's main street. We can tell that it is probably dated before cars were common. But the picture left us with a few questions.
On this very date, February 11, 2010, Janis came across a little 14 line item in an old issue of the Blyth Standard which answers almost all of those questions. Just think! A newspaper published exactly 106 years and 8 months ago today pops up and explains a picture taken the day before the publication, June 11, 1903. From this tiny item in the Blyth Standard we learn the purpose and the date of the event, the route of the parade, the number of wagons in the parade, the name of the photographer, and what happened after this picture was taken.
Here is the article:
- Yesterday was a busy day in Blyth. Mr. W. A. Carter, agent for the Frost & Wood Co. had a delivery of farm implements. There were 85 loaded wagons in the procession, which was formed at the railway station and marched up town to Queen street, where Mr. T. B. McArter took a photo of the group. The implements delivered consisted of binders, mowers, horse rakes, and corn cultivators. All those who took part in the procession were entertained to dinner at the Commercial and Queen's hotels by the Frost & Wood Co.
On this very date, February 11, 2010, Janis came across a little 14 line item in an old issue of the Blyth Standard which answers almost all of those questions. Just think! A newspaper published exactly 106 years and 8 months ago today pops up and explains a picture taken the day before the publication, June 11, 1903. From this tiny item in the Blyth Standard we learn the purpose and the date of the event, the route of the parade, the number of wagons in the parade, the name of the photographer, and what happened after this picture was taken.
Here is the article:
- Yesterday was a busy day in Blyth. Mr. W. A. Carter, agent for the Frost & Wood Co. had a delivery of farm implements. There were 85 loaded wagons in the procession, which was formed at the railway station and marched up town to Queen street, where Mr. T. B. McArter took a photo of the group. The implements delivered consisted of binders, mowers, horse rakes, and corn cultivators. All those who took part in the procession were entertained to dinner at the Commercial and Queen's hotels by the Frost & Wood Co.
from The Blyth Standard, June 11, 1903
By way of explanation: the railway station is the one on Dinsley street now the Station House B&B, the Commercial Hotel is now the Blyth Inn, and the Queen's Hotel was located where the Blyth Corner Cafe now stands, torn down about 1920. The photographer was Baxter McArter. We are not sure where the F&W company was located then.
Brock Vodden
February 11, 2010
Getting Back to the Purpose of this Blog
Funny how events have a way of re-directing one away from the main goal.
When I began this blog, my intent was to reveal to my readers (both of them) the reality of this amazing village as I perceive it. I wanted to get across the fact that this perception, which began to form in my early childhood, is still continuing to grow and evolve as more and more of the history of the village and stories of the people emerge.
Then came the school crisis; an immediate and real time change of course that seemed out of character with this village, and which casts a dark shadow over its future. We can only guess at what the future holds. Today's future is tomorrow's history. But I felt compelled to express my outrage at this action.
There has been no shortage of change in the village's past. Blyth has always been able to adjust to these trends and shifts in economy, technology, lifestyle, etc.. The difference with the recent changes is the fact that they have been determined by outsiders despite lack of clear justification and despite strong opposition. Nevertheless, I am confident that we will rebound and overcome these incursions.
Now I intend to get back to basics in All About Blyth. I will be offering more stories and historical perspectives, as well as some comments on current events and issues.
Jan's and my days are now filled to overflowing with studying the many old issues of the Blyth Standard that were discovered a few months ago and given to us by the Whitmore family. They have been microfilmed to preserve their content and to make them available through the Huron County Libary system. We have copies of these papers on compact disks (CDs). We thank the Huron County Library for their interest and assistance in this endeavour.
Thus we are in the process of recovering pieces of history from 1893-94, 1900-1903, 1907-08, and 1930. We will soon have additonal material from the 1940s. Of course there remain gaps in our historical record, but the fact that approximately 1200 newspaper pages of our village heritage have come to light is - I was going to say "nothing to sneeze at". (One remarkable thing about these papers is that they appear to be free of mold. Nothing to sneeze at indeed!)
In the meantime, we have had many rich discoveries coming in from Blyth people and from many descendants of yesteryear's Blyth residents. A dramatic story of a family feud ending in a brutal murder at the edge of Blyth has come to our attention. Although it was widely publicized at the time, an aspect of the event that never came up in the trial and that was never reported in the press at the time has been brought to light by a current Blyth resident.
We have been given access to the entire history of a Blyth area farm by scanning deeds and other legal documents covering the entire period from the original purchase from the Crown. Besides the obvious historical value of this material, it has been a thrill for us to see the handwriting of people who were just names to us up to now.
I hope you will enjoy the pieces that follow over the next few weeks. And feel free to leave a comment or a question at the bottom of the article. Or give us a call!
As you can see, we are just as interested in getting your stories of Blyth as we are in giving them out.
Brock Vodden
When I began this blog, my intent was to reveal to my readers (both of them) the reality of this amazing village as I perceive it. I wanted to get across the fact that this perception, which began to form in my early childhood, is still continuing to grow and evolve as more and more of the history of the village and stories of the people emerge.
Then came the school crisis; an immediate and real time change of course that seemed out of character with this village, and which casts a dark shadow over its future. We can only guess at what the future holds. Today's future is tomorrow's history. But I felt compelled to express my outrage at this action.
There has been no shortage of change in the village's past. Blyth has always been able to adjust to these trends and shifts in economy, technology, lifestyle, etc.. The difference with the recent changes is the fact that they have been determined by outsiders despite lack of clear justification and despite strong opposition. Nevertheless, I am confident that we will rebound and overcome these incursions.
Now I intend to get back to basics in All About Blyth. I will be offering more stories and historical perspectives, as well as some comments on current events and issues.
Jan's and my days are now filled to overflowing with studying the many old issues of the Blyth Standard that were discovered a few months ago and given to us by the Whitmore family. They have been microfilmed to preserve their content and to make them available through the Huron County Libary system. We have copies of these papers on compact disks (CDs). We thank the Huron County Library for their interest and assistance in this endeavour.
Thus we are in the process of recovering pieces of history from 1893-94, 1900-1903, 1907-08, and 1930. We will soon have additonal material from the 1940s. Of course there remain gaps in our historical record, but the fact that approximately 1200 newspaper pages of our village heritage have come to light is - I was going to say "nothing to sneeze at". (One remarkable thing about these papers is that they appear to be free of mold. Nothing to sneeze at indeed!)
In the meantime, we have had many rich discoveries coming in from Blyth people and from many descendants of yesteryear's Blyth residents. A dramatic story of a family feud ending in a brutal murder at the edge of Blyth has come to our attention. Although it was widely publicized at the time, an aspect of the event that never came up in the trial and that was never reported in the press at the time has been brought to light by a current Blyth resident.
We have been given access to the entire history of a Blyth area farm by scanning deeds and other legal documents covering the entire period from the original purchase from the Crown. Besides the obvious historical value of this material, it has been a thrill for us to see the handwriting of people who were just names to us up to now.
I hope you will enjoy the pieces that follow over the next few weeks. And feel free to leave a comment or a question at the bottom of the article. Or give us a call!
As you can see, we are just as interested in getting your stories of Blyth as we are in giving them out.
Brock Vodden
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Who is qualified to comment on school issues?
There have been comments made by members of the Avon Maitland District School Board, members and staff, that "ordinary" people should leave school administration up to them, the experts who understand the issues and are wise by virtue of their membership in AVMDSB.
That attitude is sheer arrogance - a stance that people fall back on when they are incapable of explaining or justifying what they are doing.
I also want to make it clear that many of the most adamant critics of this Board are knowledgeable and experienced people in the field as former board members, current and former teachers and officers in this and other school systems.
As for me, I believe that my background entitles me (with a touch of arrogance) to at least comment on what is happening to our schools. I have the degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education, Master of Education. I have taught in elementary schools, high schools, college. I have worked as a curriculum and language arts consultant, and was a superintendent of education. I was a senior administrator in one of Ontario's community colleges. In the course of my work in these positions, I also served as an advisor to provincial educators on education in remote northern Ontario schools.
And I am also one of those ordinary people who feel strongly about our community, its families, and its children.
That attitude is sheer arrogance - a stance that people fall back on when they are incapable of explaining or justifying what they are doing.
I also want to make it clear that many of the most adamant critics of this Board are knowledgeable and experienced people in the field as former board members, current and former teachers and officers in this and other school systems.
As for me, I believe that my background entitles me (with a touch of arrogance) to at least comment on what is happening to our schools. I have the degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education, Master of Education. I have taught in elementary schools, high schools, college. I have worked as a curriculum and language arts consultant, and was a superintendent of education. I was a senior administrator in one of Ontario's community colleges. In the course of my work in these positions, I also served as an advisor to provincial educators on education in remote northern Ontario schools.
And I am also one of those ordinary people who feel strongly about our community, its families, and its children.
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