cktimes.ca Archives for Notes from a Garage


Notes from a Garage

With John Gardiner

And the memories keep flooding back

Tuesday, April 1, 2003

Well, there was quite a meeting at Ridgetown District High School on Saturday afternoon – quite a turn-out for the ROCK (Responsible Organization of Chatham-Kent) Committee's public meeting. People came to hear members of the ROCK Committee outline plans to continue to gather support for their cause, and to listen to some inspirational speeches from folks from Victoria County (Kawartha Lakes on the new map). People in Victoria County have been able to get a question on this fall's municipal ballot about their political future – the same thing that ROCK is seeking. They have lobbied hard and long to gain that right and they encouraged local citizens to do the same. They received plenty of applause from an extremely partisan audience. I didn't spot anyone in the crowd from the administration of Chatham-Kent, although there could have been, and I wondered that they weren't more visible. It was clear on Saturday that there are a whole lot of people down in the southeastern corner of Chatham-Kent who aren't really happy campers in the current set-up. And I must mention that I'm assuming most in the audience were from the Ridgetown area – I did see a couple of Wallaceburgers, but only a couple and there could have been people from other areas of Chatham-Kent as well. The point is that the current government in Chatham-Kent ignores this group at its own peril. If I were the mayor and council, I'd be trying to find out firsthand what's going on and then try to work through the problem – and that could very well involve some changes here in Chatham-Kent (or whatever might come after). I had a long talk with Councillor Chip Gordon last week as well. Chip is confused by ROCK. He tells me that he's never worked harder for Wallaceburg and Chatham-Kent – he doesn't see a problem with the current set-up. I told him to imagine six or eight people working for the people of Wallaceburg the way he does now – if we had a more local council that's what would happen hopefully. Anyway, I admire the community-mindedness of members of the ROCK Committee. To a person, they are motivated by doing what's best for local residents – and that's hard to knock.

I hope you're reading along with me in cktimes and enjoying the paper. I'm working hard to give you a good product and something a little different from the mainstream. I continue to get positive feedback on cktimes and people really do seem to enjoy it, but I'm nervous I guess. It's not every day you give birth to a child that is on this type of public display – and that's sort of how I feel. I know I'm just one little guy and my chances of really pulling this off are likely slim, but, so far, you've helped to make it work. I need you to continue to talk the paper up – tell your friends and neighbours about the great reading available in cktimes. We continue to get what I regard as a staggering number of visitors to the site every week, but the more, the merrier. Thanks for your support so far – I'm working hard to earn it.

And I really can't get over the great writing in cktimes. Check out Pastor Brian Horrobin's Pastoral Lense and Jim Gilbert's Cultural Musings on Chatham-Kent in this week's issue – both are poignant, thoughtful pieces that deserve your attention. I want to take a moment out to thank our columnists this week – without them, I couldn't have made this happen.

I was out at the Eight-Ball Tavern again last week to check out the Band Spotlight – the Festival of Nations event intended to get some local talent out of the woodwork so it can be injected into the Festival line-up this year. I think this is a really great idea, not only because I'm an old rocker myself, but because the Festival Committee is doing good work by trying to add more local attractions to their event, whether they are local bands or some locally-operated ethnic food booths or whatever. I've had the chance to meet with a variety of members of the Festival committee and they are fine community-minded people all working hard to give us a great event. I must admit that I've really enjoyed the couple of nights I've been out to the Band Spotlight at the Eight-Ball – and it's been drawing a fairly good-sized crowd and that's good to see. Man, am I a fan of live music.

The war rages on....and on.....and on. I continue to be fearful about what we've gotten ourselves into – and we're not really into it. But the world is so very small these days that a war on this scale anywhere on the planet is a threat to all of us. I wish there was some way to get people to stop fighting and killing each other. Most people don't seem to understand that this is the only chance they get – and if they blow it, that's it. We talk all the time about having second chances or giving someone another chance, but the real truth of it is that you only get one crack at it. Think about that and try to live accordingly.

It seems the older I get, the more sentimental I get about things. These days I find that even seemingly small things in my life spark remembrances of other points in my life and I end up getting a little sentimental. Music does this to me most often. Bands like Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young or Cream most often bring about these feelings. Their tunes take me back to when I was young and those songs were shiny and new and the world seemed fresh and innocent. And I wonder where the promise went. And the hope we used to feel. "Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing". I also think often of friends like Sam Kinsman and Matt Miletic and Glen Pupich and Gord Gross, who none of you likely know, but who were big parts of the fabric of my life. Rest well, my friends, for anyone who has passed through this hectic place has earned the peace of a long rest.

Time to go for another week. Thanks for reading along and sorry for getting mushy there for a minute. Take care...and remember..."Hew to the line; let the chips fall where they may."



John Gardiner is a 25-year-veteran of the community newspaper business, but he is also a prolific writer of moralistic short fiction he refers to as "emotional thoughtscapes" or "adult fables". Samples of his fiction can be found at:

He has also produced a noteworthy piece of humanist philosophy which can be found at: http://www.xs4all.nl/~aboiten/ad502.htm He welcomes comments on his work.