Right in the centre - Memories and going forward

By Ken Waddell

Neepawa Banner & Press

The older I get, obviously the more memories I gather unto my aging brain. The first Christmases that comes to mind seem to blend together. Always a tree cut out in the bush and placed in the house bay window. I remember the red ball placed near the top of the tree, the ball bought by my uncle for my brothers in early WWll to cheer them up as Dad was not home that Christmas. No electric lights either on the tree or in the house, as we didn’t get electricity until 1954 when I was six years old. I remember presents under the tree in plain green or red tissue. Usually there was a toy or two. One Christmas, my older brother played Santa Claus at the local Christmas concert and I didn’t even catch on. I was always naive and sometimes still am. When I was about eight or nine, my brother bought me a matchbox bulldozer and I still have it over 65 years later. Its poor little rubber tracks are pretty much evaporated away.

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Right in the centre - The CBC needs to get smaller to get stronger

By Ken Waddell

Neepawa Banner & Press

In Sept. 2022, I wrote, “Pierre Poilievre is calling for smaller government and I agree. I personally believe we should sell the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and have constantly said so. I think a strong case could be made to eliminate or very much scale down the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commisio (CRTC) as well. Hundreds of people work at the CRTC deciding who can and cannot broadcast on radio, TV and internet as well as what they can broadcast. It’s expensive censorship at best and a waste of time and effort at most.”

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Right in the centre - If only the bosses would listen!

By Ken Waddell

Neepawa Banner & Press

Unfortunately my wife and I have been hospitalized many times in the past five years. With stays in four Manitoba hospitals and three U.S ones, we have a wide range of experience. It has been mostly good experience and we received good care. We have met and interacted with dozens of medical staff and for the most part, the care has been very good. There are hundreds of extremely dedicated staff and quite frankly, I can’t believe how they do all that they do. I dedicate this column to them in the faint hope someone, somewhere will listen to these suggestions to help us all along the road to better, faster health care.

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Right in the centre - Repair or replace, that is the question (reprint)

By Ken Waddell

Neepawa Banner & Press

Following is a re-do on a column I put out around this time last year when I was asked a pointed question by a person who lives in the region and knows about Neepawa but doesn’t live in the town. The question was, “Neepawa is a progressive town, isn’t it?”

I paused with my answer and then offered, “Yes, it is a progressive town, but sometimes reluctantly.”

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Right in the centre - Watching the world around us

By Ken Waddell

Neepawa Banner & Press

Driving by a field on Hwy. 5 on Sunday north of Neepawa reminded me of a line of thinking I have been working through for a few years now. Sunday was very windy and so it wasn’t surprising that a bunch of ravens and several bald eagles were grounded. I am sure they could have been flying but they chose not to do so. One raven was flying into the wind and looked like it was actually going backwards.

Read more: Right in the centre - Watching the world around us