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PAGE 0 - wusngoo cmoucLE. WEi'1EtirAr_tKWEMBER 29, mg This past summer Victor Davis touched off a wave of patriotism among Canadians when he obliterated the world 200m breaststroke mark in winning a gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics. It was a proud moment for Vic and his family, an honor and tremendous recognition for the Region of Waterloo Swim Club and Vic's mentor Cliff Barry, and truly a spine-tingling sensation from Cornerbrook to Vancouver Island. Second Class Mail Registration Number 5540 This week in a provincial court heahng, surely in a blend of Hill Street Blues and The Other Side of the Mountain, the same Victor Davis was given an absolute discharge after pleading guilty to a reduced charge of assault. The case, stemming from a dubious incident in Davis' townhouse last November in which he became involved in a skirmish with an uninvited guest received ample play in the national and international media, primarily because of Davis' alleged notorious image as a "free spirit" and sometimes impulsive "bad boy". In court this week, both defence lawyer Frank Roth and assistant Crown attorney Peter Speyer asked Judge Donald MacMillan to grant an absolute discharge. MacMillan agreed, noting the contribution Davis has made, and also indicating that a conviction could Jeopardize the swimmer's career. He plans to continue in competition at least through the 1988 Olympics. No doubt" there are those who will react negatively to the ruling. If he wasn't Vic Davis, gold medal winner, would he have been afforded the same treatment? To be truthful, many of the questions that will be asked are not without merit. But judgement on the judgement should not be made until an examination has been made of all the facts surrounding the life and times of Vic Davis. During his meteoric career, the combination of drive and ambition has often proved to be a lethal dose for Davis. In retrospect, he is the first to admit that at times he hasn't handled the pressures with the greatest of ease. In fact, without the guidance of Barry and others, chances are Davis' career would have spun off aimlessly a long time ago, victim of unbridled obsession. But in controlling the fires that burn within Davis, Barry has remained adamant about stoking the flaming desire that ultimately led to his protege becoming such an awesome performer. Neither made or makes excuses for what has happened along the way. The intensity that makes Davis the champion he is, notes his coach, is the same element that shapes Vic's image. Media types, in a similar vein, have had an equally troubling time handling the situation. They don't approve of someone who denies them access to their innermost psyche, and hence have painted the athlete in a negative light. Davis, despite his shortcomings along the way, hasn't deserved the treatment. 'lcaE2C22l 'iiiiiiiEEE . a. rjI'ra"CTCI 1; pal 'd) In a; W' .' " "t pq, "m _ a, Q“ T ~5- “‘8 I TdF . ‘A 'f'"""""""',! 'GTI-ll , y - CUC, . ‘ I '. v 9- “a? in - , “s: . u Fs ."rr" a“? 's , may “gnu. .4)". F F", . e , is”; "fsfaii; "'i/",1x' ": sriiiii,CtitiEii, "iit;igii;sT1'aMlM' gm” .v..»¢r,,%¢uv1£vmhw - a .. my. *agfifgy”3¢” , 7, _',',"',"',"'",", . (. T,r' a; 'ict " y Mt 'r"""?" ' 4“,.‘63; rtt'i'ifi;,? 1.3g ':eri'#, 'sei,;))));'-'))')",':,',',',-.)',-'.:, B6,6% ' H J': , ""_r_-. 8 ' a" . .r _ r. fs, 1mg, ., K; '_" t: '.,'rfitt'tfl'i7, "feT9Fsl 'st';" o' I we», 3% . w W3 if " _ , ', . a 1% 5‘53. 3 t'Ciislxt;ir?ys: * M» _ U," ltr' _ . MN . " km . - 5 But what we have here is a real-world blemish that has been erased, through the forgiving courts, to allow a young man the chance to prove he has learned from the situation, and will build on it. Victor Davis says he has, and will. The community, at least for the most part, is behind him. Now it's up to him to prove he is worthy of the support and idolatry heaped upon him. For the first time in his career, he owes a little something, and he should rejoice in the opportunity to pay it back in spades. Moral Victor: published every Wednesday by Fairway Press, a division of Kitchener-Waterloo Record Ltd., owner 225 Fairway Rd S, Kitchener, Ont address correspomteoce to Waterloo office " Hr!) SI E [ Waterloo, Itrtt N2J 1L7. telephone ttttti 3830 Waterloo Chvomae omce :5 located m the Haney While Law Ottrce Bualdbng (mat entvance upoet tioor) Parking at the real ot the bulking Open Monday to Fuday 9 00 a m to ts 00 p m Publisher: Paul Winkler Manager: Bill Karges Editor: Rick Campbell established 1854 I have come up with some items that bring back memories and voices from the past. A few months ago, a young colleague of mine was heading off to Zimbabwe (formerly Rhode- sia) with his wife and children to teach school there. They didn't know a soul in that part of Africa. I had a thought. which occurs every so often. "Mark," I told him, “I have an old war-time friend who lived in Rhodesia. I'll dig up his address, and maybe he can at least give you some tips on life there." So I went to my old prisoner-of-war log book, and there it was. Unfortunately, Don McGibbon lived in Bulawayo. not Salisbury, to which Mark was posted. However. I Rave him the address and a note to my old friend. There was every likelihood that he was dead. or had moved, or had got out of the country. as so many white Rhodesians did when a black takeover seemed inevitable. And the other day, while I was having lunch. a member of our staff was reading a letter from Mark's wife. It turned out that they'd been sent to Bulawayo. not Salisbury. She described conditions. pretty grim - curfews, house searches for insurgents. and so on - and the letter said: "And we're going for a picnic on Sunday with Bill Smiley's old air force friend." You could have kocked me down with a Spitfire. I hadn't heard from Mac since I945. when we were both incarcerated in prison camp. We'd been on the same Typhoon wing in Normandy. where I knew him slightly. He'd been shot down shortly after I was, and. joined by a wounded Australian. Frank Land, we wound up as a trio doing a train journey all over Germany: first to a camp occupied by British and New Zealand veterans of Cyprus, then to an interrogation centre at Frankfurt. then off on a long haul across the war-torn country to a prison camp, where we wound up in the same room in barracks. One forms pretty close associations under trying circumstances. We did. I had a lot of respect for the Rhodesians I'd met: their courage. their cheerfulness. their lack of swank. And. of course, they were only colonials. so we Canadians could needle them about that. Mac was one of the best of the best. As if that weren't enough to start the Juices of memory (loving, my wife. while cleaning out drawers and boxes. came across a cache of ancient letters and pictures that I'd forgotten existed. There I am. heading Aircraftaman Smile ' at 't. black hair. whit. teeth (the opposite Td WATEK TANK us is).cAtrisii10h!rerMiNr,s - I DON'T THINK we mean AMY Maile lee'ug air ENOUGH oval MM " ALREADY! A Old buddy Bill Smiley Syndicated columnist present), wedge cap tilted to one side, dashing moustache, cocky as only a young fellow can be when he knows he's going to be a fighter pilot. And there I am again, on a prison camp identification card, complete with numbers and fingerprint, soon after I'd been shot down, looking bewildered and anything but cocky. And another photo, at another camp, front and side view, looking to years older, stubble of beard, mean. And finally, a photo taken soon after release, sporting the magnificent handlebar moustache I'd grown in camp. There's a picture of Freddy Wakeham. Canadian. Eric Necklen. New Zealander, and self, in front of our tent in Normandy. I am the only survivor. And another one, both leaning against a Spitfire's fuselage. of two of our gang, a motley crowd, when we trained in Shropshire to take off and land Spits without killing ourselves. Jacques Van der Perren. Belgian, and Singh Thandi, Indian Air Force. Van escaped when the Germans invaded Belgium, made his way through occupied France, got over the mountains into Spain and was thrown in jail for six months. He was eventually released, got to England. joined the R.A.F.. and was shot down and killed on a mission not far from his home town in Belgium. Singh Thandi went back to India. I heard he was killed flying Hurricanes in Burma. We were closer than most brothers. The only one of that crowd left is Jack Ryan of Toronto. The others were from hall the countries in Europe, and from all over the then British Empire. Here's a letter. written to my mother, from Casajus Pascal, postmarked M. Stammlager XI, Deutschland. It's in French. Part of it: "lei mon aml Bill, votre Ills qui actuellement dans mon stalag...“ and so on. He told her I was en parfalte santee (in perfect health) and tried to reassure her. how good of him. I don‘t even remember him. although I knew a number of French POWs. He ends by saying. in French: "I hope that he himself will be able to write you soon." Why couldn‘t I write then? Who was Casajus? Must dig into the memory cells. A letter of commiseration hom my college president. when the first "missing" report went out. Finally, a letter from a chaplain in England: "So happy to be able to welcome and chat with your son. on his sate arrival in England." Dated May as. 1965. People In those days really cared. And I've only dimmed the “Mace. K. mate oe'