Page 18, Whitby Free Press. Wednesday, June 30, 1993 Whià tby woman to share Labrador nat ive lifestyle Innushare volunteer Carole Scanneli of Whitby will spend the firat menth of her school holidays living with a native family in Dabis Inlet, Labrador. Scanneli will be the first non-native person te share living quarters with a Mushuau Innu family, and it will net be easy for this mother of two teenagers Who teaches at St. Isaac Joques School in Pickering. Her tri p is sponsored by the St. John the Evnglist ceuncil of the Knights of Columbus and she leaves well supplied with toys and foods provided by donors in Durham Region. The Davis Inlet villagers suifer the worst living conditions in al of Canada. Some journalists compare it with the worst of third world countries.* Some houses have bathroomns but there is ne running water and no sewage. Scannoil will have to take her turn lining up at the single pump that serves t he entire popuation Of 560. Her hosts will be Mary Jane and Patrick Andrew who have three smnall children and are leading lights in the effort te rebuild lie ini this remote place. Innushare has shipped hundreds of kilos of toys and clothing donated by Durhamn Region residents te Dabis Inlet. BROKI + q New newspaper a voice for smaller conimunities By Mike Kowalski There's a new kid on the block. Or more precisely, Durham Regien has a new weekly news- paner. The Brooklin Village Voice & 60 Door Fi 70 Spocia July 1Oth & 1 LutherVipou Makeyourown Admission $2.00 Under 12 - FREE Country Rambler celebrated its sixth anniversary yesterday (Tuesday). It's been exactly six weeks since the Broeklin-based publica- tien made its appearance as a 'BROOKLIN Village Voice & Country Rambler' publisher Barry Conway and editorial intern Chantai Davidchuk check out the Iatest edition of the newspaper that began publshin May19.Photo by Mark Reesor, Whltby Free Press More than JLUi peopie tooKç part in a walkathon held recently by the Renascent Centre in Breeklin. It was one of four walks held the same day at Metre area Renascent centres, and a total of $26,000 was raised from the wal- nzLes From Over ,hzed Exhibitors l th 10 a.m. - 5p.m. rd Memerlal Armia ,ai Feature"f StrawberryShoitcake 0' N community-oriented newspaper serving the northern regieris of Pickering, Ajax, Witbyo and Oshawa. Owned and operated by hus- band-wife Barry and Mary Con- way, the Village Veice is the culmination of a dream that bogan some years age. Atthe time Barry, the paper's publisher-editer, was empleyed bCanadian publishing giant Maclean Hunter. «About five years ago 1 started loking for a smal paper te buy," Conway recalled during an inter- view in the paper's Roebuck Street office. "I had launched a number of publications with ether people's meney. This is definitely a little more nerve-wracking," ho laughed. Heowever, it would bo a few years beore Conway would be in the position te start his ewn newspaper. A jeurnalist by profession, Conway also worked as a repor- ter for the Kingston Whig-Stan- dard and CBC radio, before and after his involvement with, Macloan Hunter. While at the OBO, the 39- year-old Conway was aIse an editer and producer on the award-winning 'As It Happons' and 'Sunday Morning' current affaira programs. It was during his stint on the latter pregram that Cenway mado the final decision te bo his own boss. "When yeu'ro werking in radio as an editor you miss the basic ey of meeting, talking te, people," explained. Uso I had been caught up in Charlottetown and Meech Lake, I had been doing it for twe years. "It gets to the peint that wha- tever reality is, it's not the con- stitution. Reality is on Columbus Street, in Raglan.» Although hoe spent almost five years investigating cemmunity newspapers in eastern Ontario Kattions. îFunds raised go toward eperat- ing costs at the alcoholism and dru g addiction treatment centres. Lucille Toth, director of deve- lopment and public relations for Renascent, says some of that funding will go toward $15,00 worth of repairs at the Breoklin centre. -a ,6,aie A lawn sale ini Brooklin on Saturday at the home of Susan Berrey raised $1,266 for the Arthritis Society, scleroderma fund. Raffle winners were: first, iÀnda Liston of Oshawa, limited edition print; second, Zachary Hill of Witby, bon bank with $20 in leenies; third, Mark Rupke of Grafton mop doli and chair; fourth, kose Zimmer of Whitby, Victorian plant hanger. with the thought of either invest- ing in one or buying it outriglit, it was net until December that Conway settled on starting his own paper. "It was a case of net seeing the foreet for the trees,» he said. * " spent a lot of time research- ingtewns and papers but I knew hile driving back from these places that it wouldn't work. It npver dawned on me until just bofqre Christmas that I real- ized 'Ue , why am I- not looking in thisdea? Why was I loeking so far away?"» A resident of Whitby for almost six years Conway said he "9sert ef naturally came up here (Breoklin and rural areas) a lot. "You pass farms, people riding hrses ... it has a scoth ing effect.» Shifting his focus te this area, Cenway discevered that there are 20 different cemmunities stretching frem north Pickering te, nerth Oshawa. Brooklin, being the largest and most central location, was selec- ted te be the new paper's home. With a populatien of about 12,000 people living in roughly 4,000 heuseholds nerth of Taun- ton Road, Conway decided that the area is large enougli te sup- port its own newspaper. "In the newspaper business you look for 60 per cent of the ?eusehoîds, which would be 2,500, te support your paper," hoe said. "If it's less than 2,500 rou wen't make a lot of meney, ut yeu can survive." According te Cenway, the pub- lication's name implies exactly what the newspaper is al about. It signifies t hat the paper is a "veice" for the smaller communi- ties, ho said. "A lot of people teld me they feel the north end needs its own veice. "That's net a slight against other papers, but there's some- thing about having your own She says a creek near the centre was somehew diverted and has led te, floeding in the basement of the centre, a fermer residence. Werk te cerrect the problem will begin in July. Brooklin's Renascent is a men's centre, with up te 26 residents. Many are employees of coin- panies and are referred by their employers. Others are referred by their physicians and some refer theraselves. The average stay at the centre is 28 days, and ail staff at the centre are recevered alcoholics. A study once showed that Renascent centres have a 70 per cent success rate in treatment of alcoholîsm and drug addiction. Toth says the recent wal- kathon included prizes donated by local businesses. She adds tMhat Meadowcrest Baptist Church changed the time of the service te, al low their parish- ioners to take part in the event. paper reporting what's happen- inrëo ur community.n o.fr the second haîf of the newpaper's moniker, it recog- nizes the rural aspect of the paner's market, Cenway said. 'tThere's news, but it's more of an attempt te wander around and appeiate the. people and lifestyle here,» hie said. aEach week we de a twe-page spread of faces ... people at th e fair, at museums. We're leoking for things that may be obvieus te people but they don't take the time to see t hem." Conway's emphasis un the "cquality of life» te be feund in small-town Ontario comes naturally. A native ef Barry's Bay "in the heart of Madawaska Vaîîey,»" near Algonquin Park, Conway said "yeu have te, work in down- town Toronto for a few years te appreciate" rural life. "There's semething very civil- ized about the horticultural society, the Breoklin Women's Institute." Conway said it is his intention that paper will be a voice for the area. "Myopinions aren't important. I'm net here te get up on a soapbox,»he stressed. "&My jolpis te previde a forum for the ce1ýmunity. We may have te kick-start it with news stories and feature articles but it's going te be about and fer the people in this area.» However, Conway admitted there will Le times 'when I will g et up on my high herse and defend local interests and cern- munitylife." With a fuli-time staff of three -- Conway, an office manager and an editorial intern -- and7 Mary, whe has been selling advertising when not empleyed at hier regu- lar job, Conway admits the heurs have been leng and hard. But hie was prepared for "72-, 80-heur" work weeks te make the venture a success. «Starting a small business in any area is hard eneugh, but starting a newspaper is even more difficult," he said. "The first three months you're trying te, build the business and get the bugs eut. It will take six menths te, get it to where I want it tobe." The initial reaction te the paper has been "at a minimum, predictable, and at a maximum, bettr than I expected," said Conway. He explained that when word filtered eut about what he was planning te do, mest people had a «wait and see" attitude. «After the first issue people started ceming in. Aller the third issue it was almost like a dam had broken. "People are now phoning us up with their steries and leoking for ceverage. They're taking me u on my offer that it's their paper. But Conway stresses that uit's a twe-way street" between him- self and tecemmunity "If the community deecsn't sup- port it (through advertising and subscriptiens) we won't be here for long. "But I think people realize that I'mi net here te make a fast buck, that I want te, be part of their comnmunity.» Photocopies, Fax Service, Custom Labels & Decals, Wedding Invitations, Business Cards, Complete Sign Production BRDDKLIN BULLETIN 76 Baldwln Street, Brooklln Fax 655-3715 Cali 655-4434 Walkathon fuinds to help pay for repairs ~ ~Ia t irf Pi