The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, November 11, 1998 - BI TERRACE STANDARD | SECTION B ALEX HAMILTON ' 638-7283 Burma bomber remembers - INSIDE COMMUNITY EVENTS B2 WHAT? CHARLYNN TOEWS Back to the future UST OVER A YEAR ago, the Robinson family and their pilot blasted off into space. They were headed to Alpha Sentari to colonize an earth-Jike planct, due to massive overpopulation and pollution here at home. But on that day October 16, 1997 their space craft was thrown wildly off-course due to the interference of the evil Doctor Smith, This fel- low Smith, both a Colonel in the U.S. Forces and an enemy agent from a foreign power, sneaks onto the ship that day last year to booby-trap the robot, rigging a bomb to set off cight hours into the flight He then gets trapped on board, ‘The Reluctant Stowaway’’ is the tite of the very first episode of Lost in Space which beamed across the airwaves in black and white to television sets in 1965. Here’s what 1997 looks like from 1965; June Lockhart plays the mom. Her character is referred to and listed in the credits as ‘Doctor Maureen - Robinson,’’ In the very first episode she dons a spacesuit and goes outside the ship to rescue her husband who is floating helplessly,. his safety strap having failed. Very progressive, eh? There’s a very interesting domestic scene in Episode Four, after they land oa an unknown planet. They live in their space ship, of course, an open-plan flying saucer. The interior decor ds-modern and minimalist. a, ’ Although Maureen is a qualified astronaut and scientist, she is also a pioneer woman, and a wife and mother. The scene opens inside, with June Lockhart holding an incongruously old-fashioned looking plastic laundry basket, much like the one I have at home. She talks with Will and Penny, the kids, and they walk outside as the dialogue advances the plot (nionsters, I think, or a Freak Storm). Maureen takes the laundry to a smail table un- der a tarp. On the camp table is a black box about twice the size of a VCR. The hinged top opens like the lid of a washing machine. She places the soiled articles inside, closes the lid, presses a button, and takes a step towards Will as she says a line of dialogue. The washing machine says, and I quote, "Dweep bop boo dweep dweep beep boo dweep," while colourful lights flash and blink, Maureen walks back to the machine, which has obviously completed its cycle. She opetis the lid and starls taking out the laundry. It is not only washed, dried, and folded, but each item is individually wrapped in clear cel- lophane, It makes a crinkly sound as she puts it in the laundry basket. She heads back inside, and the next scene has, I think, strong winds and a giant cyclops monster. What a rip-off! [ thought when I first saw that washing machine last week on the video. Why, we should have had a home appliance like that since last year already! Talk about progress! Now that’s women’s liberation. But J guess I’m glad that they were also © wrong about overpopulation. Nor have we polluted the earth as much as they thought we would have by now, we can still live here on earih. And wouldn’t they be surprised if they knew then what we know now about Russia, about the Mir Space Station? The evil Dr. Smith was a cald war spy. Episode One, through a “‘live news broadcast of the launch’’ format, ex- plains the circa-1965 space race. Sabotage is feared, security is vigorous, the bad guys are technologically advanced and powerful, You know what’s funny? In every episode the credits list Jonathan Harris, who plays Smith, as a ‘‘special guest star.’” I guess that’s so the audience can believe he might actually succeed in escaping or get gobbled up by one of those monsters. The viewers of 1965 would find the question of who will win the space race very suspenseful. OF course we know - how who’s winning: it’s John Glenn. Last year, 1997, the year that never was, Oh, well, I guess I can live without one of those tly automatic washing machines. It’s a fair tiade for not being pushed off a wretchedly poisoned and critically overcrowded planet, I guess I can transfer and fold my own laundry in exchange for having the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Walt disappear. And I'll enjoy what I do have, the technology of the real 1990s,’ watching old TV shows through the miracle of — the VCR, Hey, maybe I could get some shiny silver fabric and make myself one of those spacey jumpsuits like June Lockhart has, to wear around the house. You know, while I’m. doing the wash. , THEY WOULDN'T kt Del Holtom’s twin brother, Don, fly in the same plane. If that plane was shot down, tvo brothers from the same family would have been lost so wartime policy would not permit it But Don flew in the same Second World War squadron as Del and had even had the same assign- ment, nose-guiner in a B-24 Liberator bomber. Their service in Southeast Asia was part of what is known as the Forgotten War, the battle against Japa- ‘ nese forces occupying coun- tries such as Burma, Malaya and Indochina. © I's been called the Forgotten War because it never drew the aliention the war in Europe did or the Pa- ‘cific conflict where primari- ly American forces closed in on Japan by island-hopping. But to Del and Don and other Canadians attached to the British Air Force it was just as real and dangerous. The Holtoms grew up and went to school in Kelowna, the heart of the Okanagan. Soon after graduating in 1942 and barely 18 years ald, they got the call to join the army. “There was no way we wanted the army, so we went to Vancouver and joined the air force,” Holtom recounts. The brothers first went to Prince Edward Island and then to Boundary Bay, now the Victoria airport, for training. “There were 110 of us and we formed into crews, 11 to a crew for the Liberator,’”’ says Haltom. They shipped out to Glas- gow where their ship formed part of a convoy and after 31 days at sea, docked at Bombay, India. The Canadian aircrews were attached to a British TWIN BROTHERS Del (left) and Don Holtom went off to the Second World. War at the same time, in the same air force squadron and with the same assign- ment. Their service was in southeast Asia and was known as the Forgotten War because it didn’t draw the attention as did conflicts elsewhere. squadron at Salboni on the Indian sub-continent from which they flew missions into Japanese-occupied countries. Their job was to destroy rail lines and bridges and drop Jand mines into bays, all as part of the effort to disrupt Japanese supply lines. “Once we left we would be 10, 11 or 12 hours in the air until we got back,’’ said Holiom of the duration of each mission. That meant for a cramped time in his nosegunner cap- sule although he was able to crawl out and into the main body of the aircraft once they were well on their way back home, “‘By that time there would not be too much of a chance of Japanese planes being around,’’ said Holtom., On his first mission, Holtom says he was so green and inexperienced he didn’t realize his aircraft sustained battle damage. **T was looking at the tail and saw a lazge rip in the fabric and didn’t think too much of it at the lime,’’ he says. 4 Two of the 10 crews: Holtom went over with were lost, one when the plane simply disappeared and the second shot down right in front of Holtom. “TY saw this big explosion, a big black spot in the sky. Our pilots knew what it was aud dropped down a few thousand feet,’’ Holtom recalls, In a lot of ways Holtom says being a young teenager was an advantage during the war. “I guess we didn’t have enough sense to have it worry us as we were just kids,’’ he says. There wasn’t a lot to do while on the ground be- tween bombing missions so the crews formed strong re- lationships. The food wasn’t bad but the heat was extreme. “Each half a dozen of us had a bearer to do our clothes. We had it pretty good compared to the army guys,’’ Holtom remembers. His active service ended as the war wound down and the Japanese threat receded. And although the Pacific’ war ended in the summer of 1945 it wouldn’t be until March the following year Holtom returacd home. ‘He was first seni to En- gland where he and others waited months for their turn for a ship to take them back to Canada, The two Holtom brothers were discharged within a week of each other and returned to Kelowna where they each bought a car and went into the taxi business. Holtom came north in 1951 and first settled in Prince Rupert where he met his wife, Hazel. They've lived in Terrace since 1961 and have opera- ted a log hauling aud truck- ing business now taken over by their two sons. Holtom’s brother also came north and also married a woman from Prince Rupert. But he returned south and now lives in Oliver. Holtom belongs to the Burma Bombezss, an associa- tion of Sotitheast Asian veterans formed in the 1960s, _ Members gather every two years and the next one is scheduled for Toronto next year, ; And Holtom will be at- tending. Loring enjoy the TLT’s piush new seats. WITH HELP FROM inmates, new scals were installed in the Terrace Little Theatre in time for it’s seasan opener. Four inmates from the Terrace Correc- tional Centre assembled, sanded, painted and stained each of the 95 seats the TLT purchased from a movie theatre in Vernon. The new seats arc a huge change from the hard folding chairs and the old wooden seats used last year, said Daniel Barnswell, vice president of the TLT. “They did a bang up job,” said Barmswel] of the inmates’ work. “It's a 100 per cent improvement from what we had,’’ Barmswell said the seats and the playhouse’s newly renovated washrooms were donc to improve customers’ comfort. It took six. inmates four days to paint, sand and stain the seats and another eight days to install them. Fred Sturby, the instructor handling all work programs at the Correctional Institute, sald he tries to organize inmates’ time so that they are free to do volunteer work, LET THE PLAY BEGIN: (From tap) Daniel Barnswell, vice president of the Ter- race Little Theatre, Fred Sturby, corretional centre instructor, and inmate Lorenzo yi oe New seats add comfort ‘We're always trying to free up time for the community,’’ Sturby said. ‘It’s positive construclive programming. ”’ He said inmates offen shovel snow for settiors in winter and do work for non-profit societies around town. “Crews just seem to shine and do the best work doing community work,’’ Sturby said. Lorenzo Loring, one of the inmates who refurbished the new seats, said he enjoyed his work at the playhouse and giving back to the communily, “You're participating and contributing to the community instead of just sitting there doing time,’’ he said. He also said that inmates who work to- gether become fricnds instead of simply seeing each other as inmates. Although the inmates work is voluntecr, they were all invited to watch 7 Stories, the theatre's first play of the season. Loring said the play was great, and the seats were roomy and comfortable! 7 Stories runs Nov, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21. Help Nicaragua By FRANCIS BIRDSELL CENTRAL AMERICA IS devastated. Areas like Nicaragua and Honduras, from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast, have ucver expericnced devastation like this before, The Pan American Highway, connecting Central American countries, has been destroyed in the entire northem part of Nicaragua and most of Honduras. All of the bridges in that section are wiped out, including all of the international border crossings. The situation is actually incredibly worse than the media has been able to present it so far. The city where I used to Jive in northern Nicaragua, was not as badly affected as mast of the area. Civic of- ficials saw the disaster looming and managed to evacuate people from the low lying areas, especially the poor barrios near the river that were setiled after the revolution/Contra war. People there had tiny humble dwellings on postage stamp size lots, where they were re-located alter all the political upheaval. All that is lost... The crops were due to be harvested, All that is lost... The regular drinking water is conlaminated with cows, villagers, housing, furniture. The oullying areas are totally wiped off the face of the carth, or perhaps just tolally isolated due to rivers/streams overflowing and bridges washing out;: time will tell. My friend, Luisa Amanda Juarez in -Esteli, Nicaragua, urge people to donate through their chur- ches, or through a non-governmental group, Funds directed to the government many not reach their ex- pected destination, such is the corruption in politics in Central America, ‘Nicaragua and Honduras are amongst the poorest of the poor nations of the world. They needed our help desperately before Hurricane Mitch. But now they necd a helping hand from the world even more than before, How will they ever recover from this devastation? How will they deal with providing water, food, shelter to thousands upon thousands of people? How will they prevent the widespread effects of disease running ram- pant? Or ihe emotional carnage from witnessing such dramatic changes to the face of their country. Both Credit Unions in Terrace will be accepting donations for Emergency Relief for Central America. OXFAM Canada will also accept donations (2524 Cypress, Vancouver, B.C, V6J 3N2 or call 1-800-466- 9326). People can support the World Relief Agencies of their own denomination, designating it as aid for Nicaragua/Central America, Church to church and people to ptople, scems to be the best way to ensure that the aid gets to the people who need it most. Help out In what ever way you can, including your prayers, and healing energy.