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r-Carrier Corner I am very encouraged by the many people in Waterloo riding who have gone out of their way to congratulate me and extend their support on my becoming a member of Prime Minister Mulroney's Cabinet. Their first question. however, A report from Waiter McLean Waterloo MP and Secretary of State. is usually: "Secretary of State ... so what do you do?" One young person attempted to come to my defence at a meeting in Waterloo last weekend. "Don't you know - he gives out tlags." Actually, that is not a bad place to begin to describe my responsibilities. Citizenship. and its symbols like our tlag, is the core of my department's ac tivities. As the oldest department in the Canadian government, its programs are designed to foster a sense of belonging on the part of all Canadians. This is done through support to such programs as: 1. Educational support, language and cultural promotion and the enhance- ment of our national symbols such as Canada Day 3. Annual transfers to the provincial and" territorial governments for the support of educational institutions beyond the high school level. and 'tgtartelat assistance to the students enrolled in those colleges and universi- ties, through Canada Student Loans Pro- gram. 2. Support to voluntary organizations that take an active leadership role in improving the quality of life in- their communities for women. native people, youth, disabled persons and people striving to retain racial and cultural identities in our multicultural society. Ten Seventy four to eighty four. (subtraction makes it ten) Since council said to fearless leader. (known to all as Ken). "People who are up in years. need a place to go, Not a park. a place that's warm. 4. Support for Canadians wishing to exercise their official language rights. The Secretary of State Department also supports English language minority groups in the province of Quebec and French language minority groups out, side of Quebec - and support for immersion courses in French and En- glish. arid Gt closed down by snow thought. 'till soaked with perspiration. He chanced upon the magic phrase Adult Recreation! ' Now that don't mean the sexy stuff. (to do with procreation). It just means a friendly place, (to do with relaxation). A space of our own hero thought. and thought and Andy Mitchell 5. Support to governmental and pri- vate organizations to promote better human rights policy, research and edu- cation. 6. Services to the eountry's young people that provide educational ex- change opportunities for 14-22 year olds from different parts of Canada, inereas- ing their appreciation and knowledge of this land and its people. The link between citizenship partici- pation and education is what draws together all the programs offered by my department. Those programs are not thought up and delivered by a bureau- cracy working just in Ottawa. but out of a network of Regional Offices and Citizenship Courts across the country. I regularly participate in the weieom- ing of new Canadians at the Citizenship Court at King St. & Bridgeport Rd. in the Waterloo Post Office Building. The Regional office which supports our voluntary groups involved with multi- cultural organizations, youth, the dis- abled and health related support service agencies in this area is located at Suite 425. 150 Main Street West in Hamilton. The telephone number is (416) 523-2355. ”Another of the Secretary of State's responsibilities is for organizing State Ceremonial events, like the recent Royal Visit. Here again. the emphasis i put on these duties is one of encouraging an understanding of Canadian citizenship through interpreting the symbols of our heritage - our national anthem, the country's birthday. pride in our history and culture. I am currently working with officials to plan a suitable Canadian recognition of the achievement of our first astronaut, Commander Marc Gar. neau. A place to meet. or talk. or play A place that's warm and friendly A place where folks can have some Fun. A place that's fresh and trendy! The land was sought. and found. and bought, The building soon got cracking, Half a million bucks were spent. So nothing would be lacking. As I have, since being elected member of Parliament for Waterloo Riding, 1 will continue to communicate with you not only on broad parliamentary matters but about my own responsibilities as Secretary of State of Canada and Minister responsible for the Status of Women. The staff came next, he chose so well Kathy, Chris and Uttley. The place soon hummed with happy folks Busy day and nightly. But there's still room for many more. And we're so proud to say, The Adult Recreation Centre's Really here to stay.' This week's Chronicle carrier is 13-year-old Andy Mitchell, who delivers the paper in the Hazel- Hickory area of Waterloo. Andy's future goal is to become a metal machinist and we wish him all the best in that en- deavour. Andy is I grade 8 student at MacGregor school who loves swimming, riding horses and playing volleyball. . [Juicy [BEE For the past few weeks I have been reading Kathy Hammohd's "Fitness Forum" with more than a little interest. Her emphasis on the fact that spinal pain can be prevented through Proper work, leisure and sleep habits is most impor. tant. - The prevention orientated exercises Ms. Hammond has suggested would certainly help to keep people's backs in good shape. It only they would regularly do them. The Canadian Metric Council would no doubt concur that "A nilligrun of prevention is better than a kilogram of cure”. However. what about the multitude of people who are already suffering from amige low Working for solutions to back problems " could be your uncle. The neighbor next door. Your first boss in the busi, Have you ever experienced the joy of sharing a friendship with a man you love like your own father? l have, and for it I have to thank the man in the grey tunnel shirt. The what, you say? That's right, the man in the grey tunnel shirt. Because that's how I warmly and best remember Belton Abbe. a man twice my age. who I loved arif he were my own father. A transplanted lllinoian, Belton came to Toronto 'with wife Bea to become president and general manager of DoAll of Canada. Ltd.. when I was just knee high to a grasshopper. Neighbors on our street, Ahbes (pronounced Awe-bees) soon became close friends of my parents, and I. close friends of their children. Even when they moved no miles away to lslington. which seemed halfway across the country to a grade lll'er like myself. the friendships never died. In fact. they intensified as I always looked forward to the trips to T Hartfieid Court on birthdays. long weekends, school holidays. And while I went there to play with my friends, I always felt a special warmth for their Dad, a bond. a closeness shared with Belton. In fact, my most lasting memory of those days is looking down the breakfast table. watch- ing him sip his steaming coffee, reading the morning paper and chiding son Greg for mucking about' in the cherry jam. Mind your manners. Gregory. and keep your fingers out of the Jam. Memories, ah yes, the man in the grey flannel shirt. 1 don't know of a time in my life when Belton didn't have some influence on me, as a father-like figure, fun person. close friend. Naturally, the news of his death last Wednesday, less than two weeks after the happiest day in my life, was a bitter pill to swallow, even more so because he made such a special effort to attend "Rieky's" wedding. Eleven days later. he was gone. the victim of stroke complications. and a very dear friend had been lost. . But in my sorrow. as Belton took his final ride Friday to Des Plaines, a suburb of Chicago. I surrounded myself with happy thoughts of good times shared with Belton, Bea, sons Jeff, Greg and Brad and daughter Kim. In the cold, so often cynical world we live in, many scoff at the description of a person as a kind, considerate man, a man who loved his family and idolized it above all else. Me, I cherish that type of person. Belton Ahbe sure was. Give Belton his family. his wife and kids, and you could have the rest of the world, because he'd be at peace in his, through the good times and bad, the weird and the wacky, the strange and the satisfying. And there was plenty of each. Memories. The man in the grey flannel shirt. Up a ladder, hammering the hoop to the backboard. Teaching us to pull a nail out of a 2x4. properly. Fixing the loose sparkplug on the go-hart. Remember that silly birdhouse, the one supposed to be cat-proof to give JWtuNttMmmttxE, mum was St, ‘00. --PAaE , Rick 63mph." . . Gimmick Editor . Like a dad the robin eggs a fighting chance? How about the years tinkering with that antique car. The rainy Saturdays on the ki-Y football field, with faithful Belton run- ning his movie camera in the mud and the slop on the sidelines. And those gorgeous autumn Sundays, when he'd take us kids to colorful High Park. for a game of touch football or Just to roll in the leaves. The hot summer nights at Queensway Park, where we knew a Dairy Queen was in order after the baseball game. I'll not soon forget the wintry nights by the crackling fire, as he thrilled to those dastardly Black Hawks and their Golden Jet, guffawing and grabbing my knee each time they popped one by my beloved Leafs. Lichee Gardens for Chinese food on Jeff's birthday. No Gregory, you can't have fortune cookies before dinner. And Thanksgiving Days, American style. when we'd pile into the Ahbe basement, watch the Bears and Packers, and Join the clan for a big turkey dinner. As I grew older. the weekend visits naturally stopped, but the bond of friendship remained. Belton lived for his wife, his kids, their friends, loved the good times as much as we did, never wanted to let go of them. Always at his best with his "family" surrounding him, a family I always felt part of, whether with my "blood brother" Jeff in grade school, crazy, zany roomie Greg in college, smooth mover Brad, the one to watch, or with Kimmy, Daddy's little girl. The common denominator though was the man at the top, the one who lost an eye to an industrial accident but learned to live with and laugh with the handicap. The one who tackled a battle with cancer head on, and beat it. The one who started every conversation with "how's busi- ness," travelled hundreds of miles through snowstorms for a half hour with his children, and retired to the living room to play the organ when those fleeting free moments could be found. The one who loved the corduroy pants the kids gave him for Christmas in later years, who handed out more five and 10's than Mr. Woolworth himself. and who loved every minute of a spring 1984 European vacation with his wife, their first alone together in years and years, one insisted upon by the children. Bless Today, Belton Ahbe has gone to a better place. and is at peace like never before. but not before making the quality of life so much richer for so many of us he leaves behind. He'd shake his head and decline the epitaph. but Belton Ahbe's would read something like: Keep up the food work Kathy; maybe one day we'11 ttnatty get all those spines In top shape. back pain? What about the throng of stress-ridden people suffering from neck tension and headache? When the back problem already exists, prevention doesn't help very much. Is there really nothing we can do about those nagging back problems except wait months or perhaps years for them to hopefully go away? (And in the meantime consume handfuls of painkillers.) There is an alternative! Every year in Ontario over 500.000 patients seek Chiropractic care. Every week thousands of patients suffering from back problems are helped by their local Doctor of Chiropractic. Says it all. I don't know of a greater tribute. And it fits like a glove. on the man in the grey flannel shirt. Bolton Ahbe A good man, an honest man Who lived, and loved, for his family. A truly béautiful person. he was. Dr. Harold Paisley Cttirmtraetor Waterloo. Ont.