Panther players' careers on hold to punish parents in 'bad standing'

by Alicia McCutcheon

MANITOULIN-In a recent turn of events, the Manitoulin Panthers organization has provided releases for all of its major and minor bantam players with the exception of two.

Panther president Gail Payette explained that the two releases were not granted as the "parents were not members in good standing with the organization." According to Ms. Payette, this clause is written into the Panther constitution.

The releases were granted last Wednesday night during an executive meeting where Ms. Payette headed discussions on "rebuilding" the organization.

"We're all about hockey on Manitoulin for Manitoulin kids at a competitive level," she said.

The president told the Expositor that when the parents were asking her for releases, then-president Rendell McDonald and his wife Linda had just quit the executive and, she said, the Panther constitution states that the executive must make the decision to sign releases, not just the acting president.

"I'm just one person, not the executive," she said. "I needed to find people to fill those places. I knew how the parents felt and I have tried to explain to them that we need the whole executive to sign releases."

As of the Wednesday meeting, Terry and Sue Jarmovitch of Kagawong have joined the organization as director and treasurer, respectively.

Mike Corrigan of Mindemoya and Brad Bond are the two parents in bad standing with the Panthers.

Mr. Corrigan said this happened because, "we dared to advocate on behalf of our children. It's ridiculous upon ridiculous."

"It's absolutely unfair-it's unbelievable," Mr. Bond said. "The kids have become forgotten."

He explained how their sons worked extra hard over the summer, conditioning themselves for the upcoming season.

"I can't understand why this is happening," Mr. Bond said. "The NOHA (Northern Ontario Hockey Association) hasn't done a thing."

He said things are "up in the air" regarding his son's season but guessed it would be spent playing men's hockey with his dad and skating in the backyard rink, although there is a small chance of playing house league hockey.

"I spent close to $3,000 on goalie equipment this year," he noted.

Mr. Bond did admit to having heated discussions with NOHA district representative Mike Payette, but said it was just as heated from the other side.

When asked about the fairness of the decision to hold two players back due to the actions of their parents, Ms. Payette replied, "you've got to be in our position."

"It's sad to see a group of kids who want to play hockey here and have parents who want to see that happen, but there's a group of parents who want their kids to play elsewhere," she said. "Stuff like this in the future should never happen again."

What the Panthers executive does not understand is why the parents did not file an appeal with the NOHA at the onset.

"When somebody is denied a release, they have the right to appeal to the NOHA," said Ms. Payette. "An appeal committee then decides yes or no after hearing both sides of the story. These players had an option to appeal, but they didn't."

Mr. Corrigan said Mr. Payette told him that their appeal "would lose," which hindered their decision.

"We shouldn't have to pay $200 to appeal when they should have just released them, knowing there wasn't enough players for a team," said Mr. Corrigan.

Ms. Payette explained that the Panthers were going through a kind of rebirth and would be making changes to their policy and constitution.

"We're always open to ideas and suggestions on how they can develop the policies," she said.

"We want a place for our Island kids to play who are at this calibre," she added. "They are not going to come out and play if there's that negativity. Sometimes, when you walk into the arena, you can just feel it-the kids pick up on that."

"We need to move forward," she said.

AOK_hockey denied access to Manitoulin Minor Hockey Association

by Jim Moodie

MANITOULIN-A midget hockey team from Aundeck Omni Kaning (AOK) is now looking at joining a North Shore league or simply settling for tournament play following a rejection of its bid to be part of the Manitoulin Minor Hockey Association (MMHA).

Last Tuesday, Benji Nahwegahbo of AOK approached directors of the MMHA with his plan to ice a midget squad of players based out of the First Nation community, but was refused entry into the local league by a unanimous vote.

"The parents and players in Aundeck Omni Kaning are upset and angry, because it wasn't anticipated that we would be turned down just for a midget team," Mr. Nahwegahbo said.

The sports booster said that his community once had its own minor hockey teams, but in more recent years players from AOK have been spread among Little Current and M'Chigeeng squads. "Players are split all over, and we want to have a cohesive unit," he said, noting that a team of AOK skaters that gelled during minor league play would stand a better chance at the Little NHL tournament in March.

"If they are playing together all year, they would have a better showing and it would be more enjoyable for them, compared to being thrown together at the last minute," Mr. Nahwegahbo said.

AOK chief and council have endorsed the concept of a minor hockey association in the community, and were poised to purchase sweaters for the new midget team, said Mr. Nahwegahbo. "Our community is growing, but there's no cohesive direction right now for sports programs," he said.

Forming a hockey association would be "a prelude to having our own sports association to oversee all the sporting activities in the community, so there would be one structure, and the hockey association would be a sub-committee of that," he noted.

Mr. Nahwegahbo approached the Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA) for approval of the AOK team but was told he required the blessings of the MMHA before the team could be registered.

But when he made his case in front of the local minor hockey group, he was flatly rejected.

"I think this was preordained in some ways, because it seemed everyone at the meeting was already going to vote against us," he said.

The rationale for the refusal, as Mr. Nahwegahbo understands it, is that an AOK association would drain players from Little Current squads and consequently add to the financial challenges already being incurred by that organization.

Rick Gellis, president of the Little Current Minor Hockey Association, said there were a number of reasons for refusing an AOK entry this year, "but the main one was timing." Since the deadline for registration through the NOHA is October 2, "it was already too late in the season to do that," he said.

While conceding that an AOK team would have the biggest impact on Little Current, Mr. Gellis stressed that the MMHA decision was unanimous, and not divided along racial lines. "One of the biggest naysayers was Wikwemikong," he pointed out.

"Benji has done some fantastic work for AOK, and it's not that his idea is necessarily a bad one," said Mr. Gellis. "But you have to apply to the NOHA to form an association, and for all that to happen this year is not possible."

But apart from the timing issue, Mr. Gellis also has some reservations about the impact that an AOK team-and, eventually, teams-would have on the broader community. "These kids all go to school together, and I have a bit of apprehension about separating them," he said. "I think it's better to be bonded together than divided into Native and non-Native teams, because, in my mind, that can lead to racial slurs." And given the proximity of Aundeck Omni Kaning to Little Current, "do we really need another association that close?" he wondered.

The decision of AOK to ice its own midget squad this year has already "devastated our midget program" in Little Current, Mr. Gellis pointed out. With some 10-12 players who might ordinarily have played for Little Current having committed to joining the AOK squad, "we had just four registered for Little Current," he said.

Mr. Gellis said his organization is leaving the door open to those players, should they change their minds and wish to play for a midget team that is part of the MMHA.

But according to Mr. Nahwegahbo, such a scenario is unlikely at this point. "I think the mood right now is that the parents and players are angry enough that they won't play for Little Current," he said. "I'd encourage them if they still wanted to try for Little Current; it's their choice. But the community was excited about this, and it's a step we want to take."

Having been denied the opportunity to skate in the Manitoulin league, Mr. Nahwegahbo said the next option is to seek admission to a league playing in Espanola and along the North Shore. If it's too late for that, he speculated that the team may have to settle for tournament play. "I'd like to at least get the players carded and enter them in four or five tournaments," he said.

The latter scenario isn't ideal, as it would cost more money in travel and accommodation expenses, he admitted. But the players would get to play in about the same number of games as they would if they were part of the Manitoulin league, he noted. "With a tournament, you're usually guaranteed three games, and with house league, you usually have about 16-20 games."

In the meantime, the players who had hoped to compete locally, while donning their community's colours, are left in limbo, and could risk missing out on a solid season of play.

"Basically our registrations are closed, and I'm worried that we're going to have all these midget kids with nowhere to go," said Mr. Gellis. To him, that would be a huge shame, as "the midget age (15-17) is the last age for minor hockey, and for those who do want to play, their year could be shot."

At present, the Little Current association has enough players to ice six teams in four divisions: a pre-novice team, two novice squads, an atom team, and two at the peewee level. If the midgets set on playing for AOK change their minds, and the NOHA allows a last-minute registration, Mr. Gellis said his organization could accommodate a midget squad as well.

For the cash-strapped club, having a healthy slate of teams is important, as it's the revenue from registration fees that goes to the pricey ice rental costs at the Little Current-Howland Rec Centre.

"Last year we paid $3,800 in ice fees," noted Mr. Gellis, "and we had just 118 kids." This year the club has about 100 kids registered, and has been forced to raise registration fees from $250 to $300 to try to cover those ice time expenses. But it will still run a deficit, as it did last year (to the tune of $10,000), the association president noted.

The hope is that aggressive fundraising and the steeper registration fees will begin to chip away at the organization's debt. The municipality, for its part, has provided a bit of a break on ice rentals and will allow the club two years to get back in the black.

Mr. Nahwegahbo said his plan for the AOK team was to use a different arena. "We were looking at an agreement with M'Chigeeng to use their ice for practice times and games," he said, adding that the West Bay rink was prepared to accommodate them. "M'Chigeeng said that they had extra time that they would allow us to utilize."

One of his concerns about the Little Current venue is that "ice time is being cut down because of all the activities at the complex, between the Islanders, figure skating and Panthers," said Mr. Nahwegahbo. "I've always said that Little Current Minor Hockey is taking a back seat to other programs."

While he's disappointed about the MMHA's decision to deny entrance to a team from AOK this year, Mr. Nahwegahbo believes the community will continue to rally behind the idea of its own hockey program.

"It's something we've been talking about for a number of years," he said. "We were only looking at a midget program for this year, but down the road, depending on the demographics, we could ice a couple more teams."

And while skating in the local house league has been ruled out as an option for this year, Mr. Nahwegahbo isn't about to pack in the idea of a midget team for AOK just yet. "This just forces us to look at other options. Hopefully we can join Espanola, or consider other situations."

Parenting program aims to strengthen families

New team leader is a retired palliative care nurse

by Lindsay Kelly

PROVIDENCE BAY-There will be a new face joining the group of palliative care volunteers on Manitoulin with the addition of Judy Black as team leader for the Island branch of the Warmhearts Palliative Caregivers Sudbury/Manitoulin organization.

Volunteers with the non-profit organization provide end-of-life care to terminally ill clients and their families. Their services take many forms, including hospice volunteer visiting, advocacy, education and bereavement support. Ms. Black will take over the role of team leader from her predecessor Betty Wickenden.

Though she is newly retired to the Island, Ms. Black is no stranger to the area. She and her family have been vacationing at their cottage in Providence Bay for 25 years, and her experience with palliative care goes beyond that of volunteerism.

"I'm an old surgical nurse, and it took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to do," she laughs. "I've now been in palliative care for 20 years, and I chose it."

She says her work as a palliative care nurse has been extremely meaningful, and she is looking forward to applying her knowledge and skills to the new job, but she also believes she has much to learn from the volunteers who have been working with clients on Manitoulin.

Ms. Black's main focus in her new role will be to raise the awareness of palliative care and what it entails amongst the general population. Statistics show that less than 10 percent of Canadians know what palliative care is and how to access it, and she would like to change that. "Generally, people don't have that awareness, and they quickly have to get that awareness if someone in their family gets sick," she notes.

People can get referrals from their physicians, nurse practitioners, and family members, or they can refer themselves, Ms. Black says. And while a volunteer's role is not to provide personal care (giving medicine or washing), volunteers can help clients by keeping them company, reading them a book, playing cards or just talking with them.

They also provide relief to family members who need to take a break to run errands or get a good night's sleep, she adds.

"This is very special for the volunteers because they grow very close to whomever they're looking after and the family," Ms. Black notes. "They're so thankful for the help that they almost become a family member."

There are groups of palliative care volunteers in Little Current, Gore Bay, and Mindemoya, along with two volunteers in Providence Bay and three in Manitowaning. Each potential volunteer is required to complete a 30-hour course making them aware of how to respond to different situations and exploring their own comfort levels with the work.

This past weekend, nine more people graduated from the palliative care volunteer training course, including two First Nations volunteers.

"We have two people from the Aboriginal community, which is very nice as well, because it gives us that connectedness," Ms. Black says. "We are also receiving referrals from the reserves, which is really nice because previous to that, they would take care of their own, so it's a real honour to be in that position."

While this growth in volunteers is positive, Ms. Black would still like to increase the number of volunteers on the Island and expand the volunteer network. She recognizes, however, that the role of a palliative care volunteer can be demanding, so she emphasizes that volunteers should make themselves a priority.

"One of the things we try to impress upon our volunteers is that, yes, you can volunteer, but you come first," Ms. Black says. "You have to be able to enjoy your family-that's what living is all about. You can't continue to volunteer if you don't recharge and refresh yourself."

More changes will be coming to the Warmhearts organization over the coming months, as a pain and symptom management nurse in Sudbury works to figure out the needs of people involved in palliative care, Ms. Black notes.

She hopes to see an expanded coordination of people working in the field so that volunteers have more information they can pass along to clients, in addition to having the most up-to-date information in the field.

"It will put us on the cutting edge, keep us sharp and update our knowledge so we're not lacking or behind," she says.

Though she is still getting settled in the new role, Ms. Black hopes to reach out to the community to increase awareness about palliative care, and she urges service groups, churches and anyone who is interested in palliative care to learn more about it.

She is available to give presentations or provide pamphlets to groups who are interested, and encourages people to get in touch with her for more information.

In the meantime, she is looking forward to meeting and getting to know both palliative care volunteers and Islanders on a more personal level, and continuing the good work the volunteers do every day.

"I'm new and I do have a palliative care background, but for myself, I feel quite honoured to share my knowledge with the people here," she says. "I want to be able to share what I know and add it into what everybody else knows."

For more information about Warmhearts Palliative Caregivers Sudbury/Manitoulin, visit www.warmhearts.ca, or call Ms. Black at 377-4039.

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Parks Canada considering cull of cormorants at Point Pelee

by Jim Moodie

POINT PELEE-What happened on Lake Ontario at Presqu'ile now seems poised to occur on Erie at Point Pelee: a government-sanctioned cull of cormorants, and a concomitant outcry from animal welfare organizations.

The main difference is that, this time, the park deemed to be in need of bird management falls under federal jurisdiction instead of the purview of the province.

Last week, Parks Canada held the second of two public consultations regarding its concerns about the impact of cormorants on vegetation in Point Pelee National Park and its plan to whittle down the population before more damage occurs. The first meeting occurred on September 25 in Windsor, with last Wednesday's meeting being held in Leamington.

The specific area of concern is Middle Island, the southernmost parcel of land in Canada, which was purchased by the Nature Conservancy of Canada in 1999 and turned over to the federal government as an addition to Point Pelee Park in 2000.

Staff of the park contend that the number of cormorants that now call the 18.5-hectare island home has become unsustainable, with the population having exploded from three pairs in 1987 to some 5,000 nests today. Park superintendent Marian Stranak, in an interview with the Windsor Star, predicted Middle Island would become entirely denuded of vegetation within another 10 years if measures aren't taken now to address the crisis.

And while the number of cormorants has levelled off in recent years, Ms. Stranak maintains it's "still way too high to maintain the island's ecosystem."

Control options on the table include egg oiling, nest destruction, harassment or a cull.

Joe Isley, a Leamington resident with property on Manitoulin near Spring Bay, said he has no problem with a cull being carried out at the remote island. "There's nobody on this island, and it's in their mandate to save the flora and fauna."

Mr. Isley, who lives on a farm property located two miles north of Pelee Park, attended the public information session last week, at which numerous wildlife advocates, including members of Cormorant Defenders International, were also present.

"The politically correct people there insisted on calling it 'killing' instead of culling," he noted. "But I don't care what you call it; something has to be done."

The Leamington resident noted that at one point the park was overrun with white-tailed deer, and several culls were authorized to bring that population into check. "If it's acceptable for the deer, you have to have a cull for cormorants," he reasoned.

Having experienced the cormorant influx on Manitoulin as well as at his Leamington home, Mr. Isley feels "it's not an isolated problem," although the problem does seem to have become particularly noticeable on Lake Erie. "The population has exploded here," he said.

While a control strategy remains to be firmly decided upon by Parks Canada, those involved in animal rights organizations have little doubt that the shooting of birds will be authorized. "At this public stage they just talk about 'management,' but they are already saying that they don't think oiling eggs or harassing the birds will be effective," noted Julie Woodyer of Zoocheck Canada. "They are referring to culling as 'efficient and humane,' and citing Presqu'ile as an example."

Having been involved in the floating brigade that circled Presqu'ile Park, near Belleville, to protest and observe the cull that was undertaken by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) between 2004 and 2006, Ms. Woodyer takes exception to the use of the term 'humane' for such action. "We're very concerned about the suffering of animals," she said, noting that many cormorants were wounded and traumatized during the Presqu'ile cull.

Ms. Woodyer travelled to Leamington for last Wednesday's public meeting along with a number of other wildlife advocates, from both sides of the border, who are affiliated with the Cormorant Defenders umbrella group. She additionally took part in a stakeholders meeting in Toronto on Friday, at which the Humane Society, the International Fund for Animal Welfare and other groups were granted an audience with park staff.

She anticipates a cull will go ahead next year at Pelee, and wouldn't be surprised to learn that another round of culling is also planned for Presqu'ile (which experienced a hiatus in cormorant management activity this past summer). "We could find ourselves with observers at two locations," she said.

At Pelee, as with Presqu'ile, the rationale for reducing the population is that cormorants are rapidly defoliating the park, largely as a result of droppings. Park managers at Point Pelee estimate that 40 percent of Middle Island's forest canopy has been destroyed as a result of guano. They further point to the risk posed to a number of rare plants.

Ms. Woodyer isn't convinced. "The plants they're calling rare are, in fact, widely distributed over other places in Canada and the US," she said. "The real issue here is that we have a native bird that is naturally occurring, and native plants that are also naturally occurring-how do you select which part of the natural world is more important?"

Cormorant defenders like Ms. Woodyer argue that alterations to the environment, as caused by wildlife like cormorants, are part of a natural process that needn't be curtailed. Indeed, it's a cycle that often brings with it environmental benefits, they contend.

Ms. Woodyer suspects there's another agenda behind the move for a control strategy at Point Pelee: namely, fish. "I believe there's political pressure and they're going to kill birds to appease anglers."

Whether the decision has been influenced by lobby groups like the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) or not, Mr. Isley, for one, believes there is a significant impact on fish stocks, and if a reduction in numbers of cormorants at Middle Island leads to a recovery of the fishery as well as the plants and trees, he's all for it.

"It's the same down here as on Georgian Bay," he said. "Sport fishing is affected when you have the cormorants competing on top of everything else."

He supports the OFAH position that cormorants should be reclassified as a nuisance bird, similar to crows, which would allow any landowner to kill one if it was deemed to be a pest. "A farmer can shoot geese or seagulls if he has a permit," he said. "So what's the big deal?"

As for the mounting opposition from animal rights group to the likelihood of a cull at Point Pelee Park, Mr. Isley feels it lacks perspective. "The Humane Society here in Essex County euthanizes thousands of cats a year," he said. "Nobody worries about the cats, but they care about the cormorants."

EDITORIAL
Hockey youth should not be punished for parents' actions

The saga of the (now former) Manitoulin Panthers bantam hockey players and the parent Panthers organization sounds more and more like a soap opera.

Now we have releases granted to all but two of the bantam-age Panthers, but too late for them to do other than play house league hockey, and, in some cases, not even that.

The two boys not granted releases to play elsewhere are being punished for what the Panthers executive deems to be their parents' transgressions.

And to top off the whole sorry mess, the Panthers organization's constitution grants the executive the authority to punish misbehaving parents by punishing their children.

Is there ever something wrong with this picture!

The Panthers constitution first and foremost should be rewritten, and quickly, to eliminate this authorized meanness. Surely there must be other methods of dealing with parents without jeopardizing their children's hockey careers. It would be fairer to grant a release to the child of an ostensibly obstreperous parent, but on the condition that the player would not again play Panthers hockey, or at least not for a two-year cooling-down period.

Doubtless fault can be found on every side of this particular divide, but as this newspaper stated in this space two weeks ago, the Panther sorganization (or any minor hockey club) should always be an advocate for the child and, one way or another, help to encourage his or her progress.

Letters to the Editor

Be wary of parties who want to build nuclear reactors in Ontario

Notion is scary, especially in light of Chernobyl evidence

To the Editor:

My friend Mike Nickerson dropped in to see me last week to give me a copy of his new book (447 pages and 15 years of work). It's called 'Life, Money & Illusion.'

In chapter 17, 'What Will Become of Us,' on page 393, is the following quote:

"When the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded, debris from the failed reactor was scattered across the roof of the building it was in. Robotic equipment failed in the effort to push the highly radioactive material back into the building. In order to finish the job, and prior to casting a huge concrete block around the mess, young Soviet soldiers were employed. I viewed the video footage taken by an official in charge of the operation. The young men, as instructed, ran out onto the roof of the reactor with a shovel, picked up one scrap of debris, threw it into the hole and ran back behind the lead protection. Active duty in the danger zone was 60-90 seconds. Five thousand of those brave men died of radiation poisoning within a year, according to the documentary."

Both the Liberal and Conservative political parties would like to build more nuclear reactors in Ontario.

Thanking you for the space.

Edward Burt

Kagawong

Aboriginals are losing their way to Western policies

Government should help with "no strings attached"

To the Expositor:

I'm responding to the letter our Chief Robert Corbiere sent out on September 12. The problem of vandalism probably won't stop because there is just too much Western culture in the community, because this was supposed to be Aboriginal but the policies are coming from Western culture. This is really screwing up the children's minds. This was supposed to be an unceded reserve, but we're living by somebody else's policies.

Personally I don't believe in Western policy because government policies are idiotic. It's making people sick trying to please the government because Aboriginal people used to have their own policies and they would walk with those policies in their hearts. Now it's different. They are being forced to live by government's way-that's why there is so much alcoholism and drugs in the communities.

The Aboriginals are losing their way but it also has to do with money, because if they don't listen to the government they won't get their funding. Our leaders know best what's needed in the community so the government just should listen and provide the help that's needed with no strings attached, but make sure money is put in where it's needed.

Furthermore no government policy should be implemented on Aboriginal culture. Aboriginals are hurting each other unintentionally because of Western policy. It's about fairness. I live by my heritage as an Aboriginal and am proud of it.

Ron Osawabine

Wikwemikong

Panthers executive continues to play unfairly

Why are two young boys being left out?

To the Expositor:

The last paragraph of the September 26 editorial reads, "Manitoulin's size and population are simply too small and common sense dictates that players' welfare should come first, all the time."

Unfortunately our NOHA rep and Panthers executive don't agree with this statement. The executive should be representing the children. Empowering ego(s) should not be acceptable in children's organizations. Does the NOHA or Panthers hockey constitution state one can humiliate innocent children. The Panthers executive knew from practice one (almost 1.5 months ago) that it was highly unlikely that the Panther bantams would have the numbers to ice a team. Recruiting players by knocking on doors, phone calls, etc., all proved that this was not the way to entice more children to play hockey.

However, tryout practices continued to be called and a few dedicated boys attended the tryouts with great anticipation of playing Panthers hockey. Sadly the number of players dropped and for the last practice only one goalie, one peewee, two bantam players and a volunteer father showed up. A small handful of parents speaking on their sons' and other players' behalf felt completely exhausted in their plight to ensure the boys play hockey in 2007-2008 season. Even with an October release, many positions with other hockey teams are limited or nonexistent. Teams have been filled, cards signed, and players are on the ice.

On October 3, a closed meeting was called with the Manitoulin NOHA rep, his wife, acting Panthers president, and executive members. After the meeting some parents received calls that their child was released from Panthers. By the following morning it now appeared that everyone got a release except two very enthusiastic boys ages 13 and 14. Discriminating against two young impressionable boys has been devastating to all concerned.

The young boys do not understand why they have not been released. Tryout practices were attended and paid for. These boys are not only in shock, but have received negative comments about their not being released. This discrimination will scar forever. The damage is done even if a reverse resolution were made. An appeal should not have to be a consideration.

Panthers executive and NOHA, you continue to play unfairly and damage young, hopeful hockey players' dreams. You should be acting in the interest of the children.

Mary E. Bond

Little Current

I'm your neighbour

Rick Thurston

Allen's Automotive,

Little Current

For almost 15 years, customers have been greeted by the smiling face of Rick Thurston from behind the parts counter at what is now Allen's Automotive in downtown Little Current. Rick began working at the store when it was Annett's Automotive and continued in the same capacity after it changed hands in the spring of this year.

When asked what he enjoys about working at Allen's, he said with a laugh, "it's close-I don't have to commute. No, actually I like all the friendly people I meet and work with."

Rick is a jack-of-all-trades at the parts store and does everything from sales and orders to making hydraulic hose and sharpening chainsaws.

Family is very important to him, he said, and spends as much time as he can with his wife and two sons. Rick also has a love of the outdoors: he particularly enjoys fishing and is looking forward to the upcoming deer season. Darts is another passion. "I play every Tuesday at the Legion," he said, noting that a team is in the process of being formed. And for the past three summers, Rick has additionally served as coach to many a young softball player.

Rick said there's enough to do around his home that he couldn't possibly be involved with anything else. His wife, Joey, works afternoon shifts so his evenings are busy with cooking, cleaning and being dad.

He said jokingly that he was "made on Manitoulin, but not born here." His official arrival occurred in the summer of 1975, and he has enjoyed every minute of it since. Rick considers himself an "honourary Haweater."

Patronizing local businesses like Allen's Automotive creates lasting employment for people like Rick Thurston.