In response to the letter about Garson youths
having no place to enjoy themselves, I was a child born and
raised in this area. When I was a child we had a park with more
equipment to play on, like slides, swings, teeter-totters, and
a baseball park where boys and girls would play scrub
together.
I still remember the old rocket ship that my
three older brothers and I would play on. We also had a
building called the Inco club. After school at L J Atkinson, we
would go to the club and the YMCA had a gymnastic program that
kept us entertained and taught us about physical fitness.
There was also badminton courts open to
anyone who wished to use them. A couple nights a week, Mr.
Paquette would instruct youth on the game.
Downstairs at the Inco club, there was two
full-size pool tables, which cost one cent a minute. There was
also four bowling lanes at a cost of 15 cents a line. I can
remember being a pin boy spotting pins at seven cents per line.
In the backroom there was three ping-pong tables open to public
use.
On Friday nights at the club, it Teen Night,
open to all teenagers so there was a place to go. There was
also Garson Billiards, but the owner wouldn't let you in unless
you were at least sixteen.
I myself miss the old Township of Neelon and
Garson. Its not the same since the silly City of Greater
Sudbury has taken us over.
The back stop at the baseball park has been
taken down, since they opened the big field called Brady Park.
It seems when the equipment in the park breaks they take it out
and don't replace it, but they put in more park benches, which
is all right, I guess, if you need a place to sit.
But there are a few concerned people devoting
their own time. Last winter they volunteered their own time to
create an outdoor skating rink, so the children can at least go
skating when they wish, not only when the arena has public
skating.
So, while many of today's youth entertain
themselves with computers, they still need recreation. We
should concentrate on our youth, because they are our
future.
David B Carroll
Garson