WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25,1987, PAGE Welcome to the coniference room ln, the secoud floor of the Beaver Town Library and Senior Citizen Drop-in Cen- tre. We are gathered here this evening as guests to watch the proceedings of the Homebody's Equal Rights (HER) committee. "Just' sit in the corner and observe," says Rita Righteous, who seems to be in charge. "'You people from the press are ail the same. So don't try to interrupt." So we sit beside Lucas Letterpress,. editor & prop. of the Beaver Fiat Tail. "Rita used to be president of the Imperal Order of the Daughtersof the Empire," Lucas says, leaning forward, whispering past the back of bis hand. "'They say that the Sun neyer set on. the Daughters of the Empire. Do you know why?" "It wouldn't dare," you reply, having beard that joke s0 many times before. But these are different tin'es, and everyone knows it. Even Rita would admit that. But enough. It is time for the meeting to start. "First item on the agenda," says Rita, standing rigidly before the gathering, "'is this matter of day care. It is bad enough we lost- this battie* over kindergarten. Then over junior kindergarten." "'Next tbey'fl be wanting pre-natal care," says a voice. "Or -child care centres while they stop in for a quick abértion," inserts Candy Floss, twenty-two-year-old mother of six. "Worse," says Rita. "Now there's a group in Beaver who want a day care centre here in the Beaver Public Library Building. Right in this very room 1"1 She says this with so much venom in her voice that.snakes for miles around pack their bags and head south. "luà this very rooml" several voice repeat. Instantly, WITH OUR FEET UP by Bill Swan the room is abuzz with disbelief. It is as though the Leats had won two in a row. Most start to squirm in their chairs, as though they were now sitting where some unseemldy act had been performed. "Adaycare!" "'Yes', 'says Rita. "A day care." Now the Homebody's Equal Rights committee bas been known since its beginning - six months ago, right after the knitting bee at Jenny Lynn's - to be against the modemn trends which tear down the family unit. 0f these, day care ranks Houses of MI Repute and'Equal Pny laws. But before they can bring their forces to bear on the problem, a voice from the back row interjects: "I rise on a matter of personal privilege, madame chairperdaughter. I ..." "I am not," barks Rita, "famiiar with this term 'chair- perdaugbter.' "Hear, hear," say several unanimous members. "Identify yourself," orders Rita. The voice at the back of the room rises. "My name is Gertrude Gratitude," she says, "and I'm interested inu Equal Pay. " Gertrude, you wîll recali, once worked at the Lone Star Saloon before zealots burned It down last July 1 ini a fit of Canadian patriotism. At the Loue Star she was known as Gertie the Garter. &"'Chairperdaughter? " queries a voice. Gertie climbs on her chair. "Yer a bunch of twits," she says. "For ail of history, you have been slaves to men. You cook, dlean, scrub, look after children while your men have gone out and employed the double standard. Now the few things that might free you from some of that drudgery, like day care, and you act like it was the plague or something. " "Chairperdaughter?" asks the voice again. "Yeah," says Gertie, "chairperdaughter. How can you have a chairman of a meeting of women, fer the love of lambs? Why not chairperson? Or siuce son is a male suf- fix, why not cbairperdaugbter? " "Why not cbairwomen? Or better -yet,, chair- wodaughter? " But that voice is ssshed. '"Don't sssh me," Gertie continues. "But wby not a sim- ple termn like ... llke ... like chair. " "Chair," says Rita, rolling the term in her mouth as though she is tasting wiue. "That sounds like furniture. " "Chair," repeats Gertie. "Or I've got one better. Why uot something lîke... Stool." "That's it. Madame, I would like-to address the Stool. Yes, the Stool recognizes the speaker in the fifth row. Did the president fail between two Stools. If the chairper- daughter worked bard at chairing a meeting would she be séen to be straining? Stool pigeon. Toad Stool. Foot Stool." At this point Gertie is carried bodly from the room. The disorder, at first near panic, dissolves. Rita re- asserts her autbority. "Order," she says. "Order. The Stool recognizes the speaker in the fifth row... " SHOWN ABOVE is a rendering of an office and retail project by William Little at the northeast corner of Byron St. S. and Dunlop St. The rendering in- cludes additions to the existing house, built in 1868. Infili plan approved Whitby council bas approved William Little's plan for infilling betweeu the four existing buildings of bis Pearson Lanes development on Mary St. W. The infilling will add more retail and office space. Little bas already rented the inflling space to ac- commodate a tea room, linen and duvet shop and special clothing store. The existing retail space, in four converted old homes, is already home to a men's wear store, esthetician, ladies fasnion store, lounge wear and. lingerie sbop, the office for the Business Improvement Area, a furniture and giftwear sbop and Little's Marketing and Motivation Ltd. of- fices. Little plans to relocate bis offices to a building at Byron St. S. and Dunlop St. He bas planned an ad- dition to the existing bouse on the property to convert it for office and retail uses. Clubhouse burns down A kid' clubhouse built near a ravine west of Lynde Court in Otter Creek was destroyed by a fire on Friday, Feb. 20. The Whitby fire department was called out to extinguish the fire which started around 8 p.m. There were no injuries. It is still not known how the fire started. j> 1> q j> il i Goodfood, fast andfriendly service 308 Thickson Rd. S. and Consumners Dr. Whitby 430-1566 Celebrating 5 Years in Business We would like b îthank you, our cusiomers for your patronage over the lasi five years (with special îhanks to Dupont Canada) and look forward Io servingyou in the years £0 corne. Now offering 15%7 off on an>' part y order of thiri » subs or more. Great for college and high school parties. picnics. club get-togethers, dances and special events. Farnous for our homemade pies "Make the Fireplace your place."