6 Terrace Review — Wednesday, May 18, 1988 es
Trash picking as’ |
an indication of |
class structure

“Commentary

- by Stephanie Wiebe

- dug through the garbage can
- in public the other day. Actual-
‘ly, a fast-food restaurant

_ i employee did the dirty digging

‘ while I stood by supervising.
* Still, it was a bit degrading.

It all began when my mother-
_ in-law came home and told me
- she had received the winning

, game piece for a contest the

‘ restaurant was holding. This
: piece was worth $300,000. I
’ didn’t get too excited, thinking

. , that she must have been

- mistaken. “Did you have your
, glasses on, Mom?”’

'  ¥es, I’m sure it’s the one.””
: She handed me the little square

_ of paper that was to change my.
_- financial status.. It was the

wrong half of the game piece,
the half that listed the contest
rules. |
‘‘Uh, Mom, where’s the other
half? This is just the rules.”
“Other. half? Oh, I guess I
threw it away with the tray of
garbage. Now how could I do
that?”’ ;
“Oh, well maybe you were
mistaken.”’ I‘never win contests,
anyway. It-couldn’t have been
the winning piece.
~ No, I’m sure it was the one.
I noticed it right away.”’ She was
very positive. I remained calm,
thinking that she’d obviously
not looked carefully, Nobody
throws away a paper worth
$300,000. Not in real life, at

least. Maybe in a situation com- |

edy, where the people would
frantically search. through
-mounds of garbage just for our
entertainment. Didn’t I see that
on ‘‘Laverne and Shirley’? I

looked around for Lenny and
—“Squiggy. .

As I though about this, while
my mother-in-law mumbled,
‘I’m sure it was the one. I know
1 thought, ‘Isn’t this the one?’
I’m quite sure...”

"| decided I needed to visit this
restaurant, just to see if I could
get another game piece. We
packed up the kids and left.

: By the time we arrived, I was
‘feeling half-convinced that
‘maybe she had thrown away the
_winning piecé: Greed had crept
into my skeptical mind.
$300,000 would certainly make
life easier. As we passed a trash
-can, Mom nudged me, ‘‘That’s
“the one.” - oo.

I approached an employee
-and explained that my mother-
in-law lost something in the
trash, and could we please have
‘a look? Without a grumble or a
giggle, a young guy pulled out
the can, and began digging
through cups, ketchup, half-
eaten hamburgers and pink
milkshakes. It’s disgusting to see

what people don’t eat. Each bit
was shown to me for inspection
and rejected. I self-consciously
‘looked around, and realized that
‘nobody was paying any atten-
tion to the anxious lady forcing
this diligent young man to
dissect garbage in the middle of
the restaurant. Finally, when
we'd exhausted all possibilities
of finding our ticket to financial

love to have heard what he told

freedom, I apologized and
thanked the poor guy who had
done all the dirty work. His
hands were covered with ket-
chup and pink milkshake, and a
bit of pickle stuck to his wrist,
but he smiled. I tried to pay him,
but he refused graciously. (I'd

his buddies later, though.)

Trying to retain some dignity,
we ordered some coffee and sat
in the corner to discuss our loss.
Mom was feeling guilty. ‘I’m
still sure it was the one.”’

1 drank my coffee and watch-
ed the people in the restaurant.
A well-dressed lady approached
the counter to. order her food.
Her clothes looked expensive,
she was slim, and her hair. was a
L’Oreal advertisement. I said to
Mom, “Look at that lady. Can
you imagine her digging through
garbage? Even for $300,000?
Some people are just not the
‘garbage-digging’ type. I think
it’s a matter of clags.”* We drank
our coffee and.:discussed the
philosophy of garbage and class
status.

I thought about how I
sometimes skip the jeans and
dress up in my ‘classy’ clothes,
feeling refined and
sophisticated. Then I thought
about being all dressed up and
bumping into the poor young
man who dug in the garbage for
me. I wouldn’t be able to keep a
straight face.

Well, I was almost rich and
classy. Easy come, easy go.

Fencing 7
bylaw?

On the recommendation of
Terrace City: Director Rob
Greno, the municipal council’s
Planning and Public Works
Committee is drawing: up
guidelines for the. construction
of fencing in the city which. will
eventually be adopted in the
form of a bylaw.

According to Greno, the city
receives ‘“‘numerous’’ phone
calls every year regarding private
fences. “It is evident that local
citizens would like some
guidelines | and: consistency,”
says Greno, ‘‘and from a safety
aspect some controls should be
introduced,”

Greno says there are no
regulations governing fence con-
struction at the present time and
consideration should be given to
the maximum height, types of
material. (electric, barbed-wire,
etc.), blockage of line of sight at

intersections, and location of

fences.

He adds that the guidelines
should vary according to the dif-
ferent zones within the
‘municipality. ce

. This is the crew of Usk residents who went on a trash-hunting binge recently when the
town's first Community Clean-Up was held. They are shown her on one of the ferry docks
that connect the two halves of the community, which is divided by the Skeena River.

Usk residents pitch in
by Usk contributor
Maureen Bostock

The Usk Community Associa-
tion held its first Community
Clean-up on Saturday, May 7. ©

Prizes were awarded to the
child who collected the most gar-
bage (Maru Newby), the adult
who collected the most, garbage
(Sheri Reidy) and. the. truck who
packed the most garbage to the
dump (a one-ton flat deck).

Prizes included a kite, a pair

tion would like to thank all par-
ticipants, and, the Ministry ‘of
Highways and Transportation ©
for the donation of. garbage
bags. sO Jes

of pink flamingos and a pair of
fuzzy dice. .
At the end of much hard work
a potluck luncheon was held.
The Usk Community Associa-

-Herltage Park is now open for the summer. Tours dally.
For information phone the Park at 635-4546 from 10 a.m.
-6 p.m. daily. |. . oo .

i OE age
The Terrace French Pre-School is.now taking names for
the new Monday program for, “younger” 3 year olds, -
commencing in September. Phone Denise at 635-4943 or.
| Jane at 635-2254. oe

Don

If you wish to announce _
the birth of YOUR baby, please fill out the form \ ia
available in the maternity ward at Mills Memorial.
Hospital. We will pick up your forms every week. =

BRAAM — Bili and Florence would like to announce the birth of
’ their son, Brandon Corey, born May 6, 1988. A beautiful brother for =;

Jennifer and Nicholas. Special thanks to Dr. Hoy, Mavis..and

Margaret. _ eo

we et te

‘RIDLER — Mr. and Mrs. Ron Ridler are pleased to announce the |
birth of their daughtér Sarah Nicole Ridler,: May 11; 1988, weighing
in at 9 Ibs. A sister for Travis. — | | ee a
BODO — Mr. and Mrs. John ‘Bodo are.pieaséd:to announce the | =
birth of thelr son John Martin, 7% Ibs., on’ May 13, 1988.°A brother
for Melissa. —- | ee ar ce

BURY — Lee and Jayne are.pleased to announes the birth of Shan-
nel Danna, born at.9:48 a.m., May; 15, 1988, weighing 8 Ibs. 14% Oz.

HAYNES — Debbie and Dighton are pleased to announce the birth =
of their son,Taylor James Dighton,on May 6, 1988, weighing 9ibs.7
OZ. - = | - a

FLOWERS _
A ILA CAIRT ES

oy 24-hour Phone /@M§
(604)635-4080 (aime
Skeena Mall

. Mambor of AFS Wite Service