CASTLEGAR NEWS, September 14, 1980 Konkin-Sommers vows exchanged | To the atrains of the traditional Wedding ‘March, ‘Ruth Ellen Sommers was escorted down the aisle by | her father in the Church of God on July 5 to vows with C Vital Statistics / For ‘All Seasons HAN — wo Mr. Ming Mra. Rick han of Nelson, a son, born Sept. a . . ° COEN — To Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Coan of Neison, # son, born Sept. eascenee GOODWIN — To Mr. and Mra. Gordon Goodwin of Nelson, a ton, born Sept. HENLEY — To Mr. and Mrs. Frank Henley of Reins, ‘a ton, born Aug. 30. KONOPADA — To Dr, and Mra. Nick Konopede of Trall, @ eon, born Sep! had been part of her grandfather's watch- ‘and tl groom's gift of birthstone earrings.’ The’ bride “eet ac ding bouquet of red roses and’ ‘white | carnations Arthur Konkin, The bride is the daughter of Mr. ‘and ‘Mrs, ‘Marvin Sommers of Castlegar and the groom is the youngest: son of Mrs, Emma Konkin of Salmo. Pastor Ira Johnson heard the young “couple _ atan altar setting of stately candelabras with long white tapers and white and yellow flowers with blue ribbons. Mrs. Jim Hemmons, accompanied by pianist Miss Brenda Johnson, sang “Till the End of Time” and “We've Only rae Begun” during the signing of the register. Given in marriage by her parents, the ra a beautiful floorlength dress of “jswhite;’, crepe” chapel-length train. The high fitted bodice with contoured was d with p lace with roses. The skirt was into the A ui ne at the interspersed with ivy and baby’s breath. Maid of honor was Miss Shelly Adams of Castlegar, with Miss Memory Pudwell of Red Deer and Mrs. Kathy’ Harker of Castlegar as bridesmaids and Tara Poole of Nelson as flower gir. The attendants and flowergirl were all identically dressed in long gowns of soft blue crepe with Pine and yellow flowers. The gowns featured empire waistlines wit aight panels in the front and gathered at the back. The square necklines were accented by the full short sleeves gathered - into sleeve bands. The dresses had been made and fashioned by the bride and her attendants. Each of the girls wore an oval: shaped locket which was a gift of the bride and groom. They carried colonial bouquets of silk flowers consisting of blue delphiums, yellow azaleas and white, carnations with trailing blue ribbon. the bridal attire were the tuxedos of the back. The long full lace sleeves were to: lace overlay cuffs with looped closing and covered bare, The lattice bandeau covered with embossed rose. lace. , Nestiod the net were white silk/satin roses, The ensemble had: ae designed and made by the bride--~-~ Her jewelry was a locket belonging to her mother which AFFORDABLE HOUSING at Northwest Homes Double wides from 960 sq. ft. to 1440 sq. ft. Dealer for Meduline and Manco. 4378 Cel. Ave. No. 6583 VALLEY COMFORT DISTRIBUTORS (on the Farm) Winlaw ... Ph. 226-7221 Valley Comfort wood heaters & furnaces. Hunter & Wood burning boilers. Insulated chimneys.. Wood cook ranges. Add-on wood furnaces, Since 1958 aon and his attendants; the groom wore a soit blue tuxedo: with dark blue trim and a red rose boutonniere. Best man Mr. Mike Bonderoff of Nelson and ushers Mr. Dietmar Trommeshauser of Fruitvale and Mr. Walter Osachoff of Nelson, were identically dressed in blue tuxedos with light blue trim and white carnation boutonnieres. For her shtet’s Mrs: chose a long dress of polyester jersey sheer ‘in silvery-blue print, specially ‘made for her- by the bride. A corsage of red silk roses “complemented her dress, Mrs. Konkin chose a long blue sheer gown, with white accessories and a corsage of white silk roses providing a striking accent. The guest book was attended by Miss Elaine Hicks, and Miss Tracey Konkin, niece of the groom. Mr. Leo Sommers recorded the wedding in pictures for the bride and groom. The Hi Arrow Arms Motor Hotel was the setting for the reception, with the blue and white color theme carried out in the decorations. ‘The candelabras had been moved from’ the church and : placed behind the head table, which was covered with a lace Froth and held the bridal bouquets with white taper candles. The bridal couple's place was marked with engraved silver goblets — a gift from the bride's parents. KOTYK — To Mr. and Mrs. Ker Kotyk of Nelson, a daughter, born Sept. 4. sy | MORGAN, — To M Ken Morgan of Netecn, ® a jenghi ter, born Sept. 4, - .PAYNE. — ‘To Mr. and Mrs. ‘ Charlge one of Castlegar, a son, eat PHILLIPS — To Mr. and Mrs. Castlegar, m eon, Warren “outing a ‘Castlegar, a son, born z ZIMMERMAN = To Mr. and tn irs. W. Zimmerman of Nelson, a “daughter, Gorn Sept. 6. OBITUARIES CRAIG — Former Nelson resi- Gent John Arthus (Art) Craig, 87, dled Aug. 31 In Golden following # lengthy Uiness. Funeral service and Interment were conducted at Golden on Sept. & \.DeBELLIS — Emanuela DeBallis, Sept. 4 In Trail” 88, of Trall, dled Regional Hospital. Prayer service was conducted from. Carber Memorial’ Chapel ‘on Soot a Funeral mass wea celebrated by Father, Charles Malini from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church'on Sept. 8. Interment was In Mountain View Cemetery. FLEA MARKET SWAP MEET SUN., SEPT. 14 10a.m. till 4 p.m. GENERAL ADMISSION FREE » SELLERS $5.00... ’ For all info. 825-4665. IT'S FALL CLEAN-UP TIME... SAVEIT... THEN SELL IT... Each guest table was decorated with vases of red silk : roses. Behind the head table-were two blue and white hearts inscribed with “Ruth and Arthur” on white ribbons across the centre. bells, ies and ‘doves leted the decorations. f The round three-tiered wedding cake highlighted a table of its own. Placed in front of the head table it was covered with a lace tablecloth belonging to the groom's mother. The |- cake had been baked by the bride's mother and beautifully decorated by Mrs. E. Adams, friend of the bride and mother of the maid of honor. The cake was iced in bluish-white icing with clusters of white roses and doves. Each layer was separated by narrow glasses inside of which were blue roses, A miniature bride and groom ding in front of three white bells with blue COLLEGE wa. SELKIRK WZ BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT ‘The Business Administration Deportment announces o second course ace costed by the he Conadion iatitere of heanapement; Course #} “ORGANIZATIONAL jer “MANAGEMENT | CEMENT PRINCIPLES” In Trail, , starting? 9. Wodosedoy. $4 Ser. Moser aire. chocl, Thai rolled for CU credit (and not alreody CM student members) pay an od. Wigrel's 373 for 0. years me membership. Reglatrction ond textbook ars, con be mode ot the fog ot the fret elas. Instructor: pass Glover A . POETRY 2, 3rd Year Creative Writing Courses offered by the UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA Creative Writing 307 Basic forms’ and technique in Poetry. (Begins Sept. 25 at7 p.m.) Creative Writing 308 Advanced forms and techniques in Poetry. (Begins Sept. 25 at 7 p.m.) REGISTER AT DAVID THOMPSON UNIVERSITY CENTRE or send inquiries to: Fred Wah, Co-ordinator, School of Writing, David Thompson University Centre &20-10th St., Nelson, 8.C. VIL3C7. Or telephone 252-2241. rosebuds inside graced the top of the cake. This had also been used by the bride's parents on their wedding day. { The bridal party, the bride's parents, the groom’s mother and escort Mr. Arthur Turner received the guests. Special guests were the bride's grandparents Mrs. M. Dennis of Unity, Sask. and Mr. and Mrs. F. Berchtold of Osoyoos and the groom's grandparents Mr. and Mrs. J. Shoustoff of Salmo. _ Master of ceremonies was an uncle of the bride, Mr. Jerry Kelm of Richmond. The toast to the bride was made by Mr. Terry Smith of Rock Creek. It was ably responded to by the groom, who also proposed a toast to their parents. Best man, Mr, Mike Bonderoff, toasted the bridal attendants. The bride’s father welcomed the groom to the family, thanked everyone for sharing the day with Ruth and Arthur and hoped everyone enjoyed the evening. Russian grace was said by Arthur's grandfather, Mr. J. | Shoustoff and followed by English grace by Pastor Ira Johnson. A delicious smorgsboard followed. An evening of dancing to the “Rhythm Aires” followed the dinner.. The bride's bouquet was caught by Dione vanBeynum and the garter by Jamic Harker. For going away the bride changed to a wrap-around summer dress in delicate yellow print. The elastic at the neck and sleeves highlighted the neckline. It featured tie belts and lower ruffle. Completing her outfit was corsage of blue silk roses. The groom changed to a slate-blue gabardine pant and vest suit with cream shirt and blue tie. Both outfits had been made by the bride. The bride and groom returned the following day to the home of the bride’s parents where open house was held for friends and relatives. After the gifts were opened the couple left for a short honeymooon in Spokane. Mr. and Mra. Konkin have now taken up residence in Salmo, where the groom is employed while the bride is on the staff of Castlegar and District Hospital. family beats. ¢ We hove the rates — Rent by the Hour, Day or Week. Enjoy 4 relaxing dey oa the loko * CALLUS 229-4777 SUNNY SLOPE NEW IN TOWN? LET US PUT OUT THE MAT FOR YOU! ‘The best Famers Basten the orld” LINDA GREEN 365-6316 M. KENNEDY 365-3590 . ri i: HOPKINS. — Marjorie Elizabeth OUTCHAK — Ann ope e. of Ymir Rosd, Salmo, died Gept. In the Trall Regions! et Funeral service =) was. Sept 13 In th mo Legion with Rev. bon wine SHiciating, Burlal wes at Salmo Cemetery. Its, ‘Boys & Mens Wear ” 3B5-8761 Remember 10% oF for Cash WERE MORE THAN A )_NICE PLACE TOEAT relax In our friendly ‘atmosphere “and paay cuisine at its best. Choose from our lental Culsine or delicious Western eo. d ;-FABBRO a Antonia, ony) ‘Fan. of Rosstand, died Sept. 5 intel feglnal Hospital. Prayer J rvice was held at Sacred Hi ry Ghureh In oealand on Sept. 7, funeral mass celabrated iby Father fer mando Magiio trot Heart on Sept. 8. interment was ‘waa at Mountain View Cemetery. - Hopkins, 64, of Trall died Sept. 9 | Regt na | Hospital. } Mom ‘om Kingdon” a r at th Jack Skinner officiating. Cremation to follow. Mon. fo Thurs. - 1] a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday - 11. a.m. to 11 p.m. ‘Saturda -4p.m. to 11 p.m. “Sun. & Holidays - 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday Smorgasbord 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. HURST — Victor. * quipina d Mr. Cam Sept. 9. Me tee was held Hop. 11 at Knox nited Church with Rev. John Patigeton officiating, | ‘ Attention. Men & Boys! RELKOFF — Anne G. Reikoff, 61, of Winlaw, died Sept. 8 In Castie- Rivesian’ Halt, Durlal was ot Perry. siding Cemetery. Taghum Community. ca burlal In Kreatova Cameti Arriving Soon JUICE ‘Order through your . . Castlegar ‘SuperValu Store —365- 5755 F. WwW. Wholesale 368-5518 from 15% A Special Offer GREAT WEST MEMORIALS LTD. DISCOUNT on Monuments ordered between Sept. Ist & Sept. 30th All | monument orders will be delivered by Oct. 15, 1980 | for Fall setting. See our West K - CASTLEGAR FUNERAL CHAPEL 411 - 9th Ave, Castlegar, B.C. 365-3222 y repr CARBERRY FUNERAL HOME Lid. NELSON MONUMENTAL & STONE 1298 Pine 533 Baker St. Trail, B.C, Nelson, B.C. 364-1211 352-5555 PACIFIC WESTERN AIRLINES FLIGHT SCHEDULE FOR CASTLEGAR _ EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 8, 1980 M1 Flight Number 344 Dly. Frequency Dly. Victoria Vancouver 0715 1553 0737 1530 190 Flight Number 189 Diy. Ex. un. Dly. Ex. Frequency. Sun, Vancouver Penticton Penticton 0945 1147 1035 . 1085 Edmonton ery be od ua Shy At 9 a.m., half an hour before the office is sup- .posed to open in Court- enay’s Westerly Hotel, he's already waiting — belli- gerent plaid-shirted ex- miner with a 10-year-old beef about the way he's been treated by the Work- ers’ Compensation Board, And ombudsman Karl Friedmann — the $54,000- a-year unanimous selection |. of the B.C. legislature, a former political science professor, long-time critic and analyst of ombudsmen, holder of a PhD from the ¢ University of. Heidelberg — does not flinch when he's handed a crumpled brown paper bag full of tattered dog-eared ‘letters and re- ceipts. Half an hour. later, after untangling the man’s ¢ rept ‘a: delight, sarge not kindly received by..several of those pres- “Td he thinks he's vil” right, he'll speak out and uds- man selection ‘committee ' reached oyerité its,neigh- boring | province'a year ago, and, plucked ‘ ‘Friedmann out of the University : ‘of let the chips fall where they..may. “The factis that he did ; his, ‘research and made what. he thought ‘ were \proptr criticisms and he wasn't very popular for awhile. I think he'll speak Calgary's::political “science '": departm more than’ an ivory-tower academic who had made a career out‘of- telling the © country’s‘ombudamen what they should be doing. It was getting a tough, tale and‘ chand. The miner leaves smiling. “Antagonism is in the air as Friedmann | steps onto the platform of the Carnegie Centre theatre, his perfect cream-colored summer auit and brown Dior tie contrasting vividly with the shabby attire of the sparse crowd culled from Vancouver's_ down- town Eastside. In introducing him, Libby Davies of the Down- town Eastside Residents Association, shuns the flat- tery traditional on such occasions and bluntly asks if his office is “really meet- who need it: most'— the kind of people who aren't aware that your office even exists.” And if it, is really an agent for change “or is it just another government bureaucracy?” When the meeting ends, Friedmann has the group in the palm of his hand. To everyone — no matter. how. bizarre ,the query;!” incémprehensible the dialect or hostile the attitude — he is unfailingly thorough, patient and po- eo steps off the plat- form and leans over an old nobody else can hear or understand. When openly- hostile DERA president Bruce Eriksen is not sat- isfied with a detailed ex- planation of why com- plaints he laid months ago still haven't been resolved, Friedmann says calmly: “I won't ask any more for your patience because I think I have exhausted blows today as you dish them out.” him of “just talking words” and urges that the money spent on his office be put to more useful purposes. Friedmann says he can’t convince everyone, but he knows his office helps some people, and he feels that has been worth- while. When the -session ends, Friedmann flatters his i P ig to iny Friedmann ‘shakes his ing the needs of the people ~ man to hear a question that “that. I'll have to take my. Another man accuses: fortably ensconced univer- sity, professor. “I felt I had all these bright ideas about the po- tential of the ombudsman institution — what it could’ do for our society — and I didn’t see myself as having a great deal of effect.on the existing ombudsmen,” he says. ~ “Some of them were really/nice chaps, friendly and all, very helpful, but their ideas had been form- ed many years ago and it wasn’t easy to get them to change them suddenly. In short, he thought he could do a: better job. And he's going to enjoy proving it. “YT say let’s have a competition,” -he says. “Why not? Let's find out who's most effective, who has the most convincing style and , Procedures and practices.” F will be y them “for some . rather among a new breed of sharp Tve been to press fe and. tures and I've newer had as sharp-as questions as I have today.” Karl Friedmann does not look like the white knight, Robin Hood or sragon sever: his_ position as B.C.’s firs . I've been to university lec- ' open, deter- mined to. have a real impact on the bureacracy rather than sit! in an isolated office solving indi- vidual complaints that come his way. “I'm committed to two things. One is making the would seem i demand. The 42-year-old Ger- man-born son of a Roman Catholic schoolteacher, he as well as relevant to the public. And the other is actually having an impact on the looks on first impression like an unprepossessing middle-rank civil servant. Soft-spoken, humorless, a ~ bit pompous, Dull. A short man with the beginnings of an office worker's paunch, he wears well-cut, conservative suits that tell no more about him than his face, a square, emotionless place orna- mented only by steel- vimmer glasses and a modi- fied Fu Manchu mous- tache. ' His dark hair, parted on one side, is moderately fashionable. He speaks his: sentence structure_a with a Germah accent, but & grammar is perfect and Otherwide, it wouldn't be worth my time.’ He's well aware he'll end up stepping on a lot of toes. But bland and ac- commodating as he may appear on the surface, his past record has shown he won't hesitate to speak out when he thinks the time is right. As his colleagues in discov- it was.getting. . - ready. begun doing that, «His» annual" report's © crit- idem of the B.C. Buildings ~ “Corp. for its lack of. co- operation when he- was trying ‘to set up his office, . ‘this suggestion that he'll gu court to gain access to a torney-general’s min- istry files if necessary and his recent well-publicized warning to the B.C. legal profession to clean up .its act are just titillating hints = Goes to bat for the public aon of $188, Friedmann sends each away with a feeling they're important and that he'll do the best he can for them. After watching his performance at the DERA meeting, one spectator described him as a “com- passionate man.” Another remarked on his patience and deseribed him as “car- ing ‘and concerned.” Even the psychotics — the disturbed people in- . evitably attracted to an open target like the om-. budsman's office like to honey, Friedmann says that if it's anybody's job to. deal with such people, it's prob ably his. ~ “I sometim wonder vi if we're spending money. spending so much time on. : these people, but I think we are. It costs us a lot of - time, but I think it’s un- avoidable.” His technique with . them is simple and human- itarian —listen’ to their! complaints and try. to find something in them suf- ficiently within his’ juris- diction that he can take action. “That usually takes’ them by ‘surprise because it’s the first time anyone has taken them seriously. He says he has little hope that they'll accept findings “but you never, know. Maybe you're doing more good just by listening to them.” Although many ‘com- plainante’ problems aren't within his jurisdiction, Friedmann squirms at the idea of having tosend them away empty-handed. When the jurisdiction question is . cloudy, he'll go out of his way to find a way he can justify handling it. Even when a matter is clearly out of his hands, he'll make a few phone calls to the ===}... Appropriate authorities to of what lies ahead. © Kark | Friedmann’s name is not a household word in B.C. by the time his six-year term is up, it will only be because the bureacracy rolled over | and played dead. . Gerry Amerongen, speaker of the Alberta legislature, recalls that nies Friedmann served on smooth the way to “speedy solution. “I think the ombuds- man’s. office should be the - last one that resorts to the -tactic of slamming a door in the face of citizens who have problems,” he says. “There are many other helping agencies out there who can help and who can help much better than we can — then our job is to bene them together.” jedmann'’s concern akgute serving the public shows up in other ways. In ALANS HOE WT SOLS SOLARA ‘Learning to cope with ‘those realities of life ” By.the time t was 25, | had learned three Important Foal of ie life. + CJ . promised to SRBORE the opposition for the sham he was “played golf withthe opposition every Wednesday. yi 2) The pollti¢ian who vowed the country would “follow the polltics'of Genghis Khan under the leadership - of his opponent. . ..Joined hands with Genghis 48 hours following the primary. 3) The'child who ran crying to his mother that his best friend: shovéd;him into moving traffic and tried to set fire to his. clothes ... begged to spend the night with hls best friend tWo hours later. _ The third reallty came hard. ~ [had always; been led to belleve that no mother stands so tall.as when she stoops to champlon the cause of a child. During the formative years wisn ny children began to have social : lawyer who represented me jand 4 CASTLEGAR NEWS, September 14, 1960 /€rma - Bombeck. ney wrote the book on creativity. See Mother run. Mother looks funny when she runs. Her face is red and when she Is angry she spits when “stehie talks. See the veins stand out in her nec! It would behoove all mothers to study 5 language of children and realize that what the child Is saying is not always translated into what you hear. “Mom! Mark shoved me down In the dirt and punched me in the foga. 8 ane stole my bicycle!'’ (Mark reluaed to:share his'ice. “Timis:mother sald: if i} Thad a home 1 oughta spend more time in it. Then,she locked the door and wouldn't let me gat a drink or use the bathroom.” (Tim's mother “Just, waxed the kitchen.) “18) don't kriow why Miss Wonka wants to see you. | was‘Jist on the:playground minding my own business when sho started shouting and said she was golng to call ‘ my:fnather. (He * was Playing keepaway with Miss with othe: made more trips soross the back yard in eine name. 3 diplomacy than Henry wen. he and forth between Israel and Egyp' The third Lace on Joe Killough is ready and will be This is not to say you cannot trust enyone under 30. I'm not suggesting that chitiven lie. Let us just say JOHN cHAREREE out next week. Meanwhile, the constitutional conference and the many points of view that are being presented by our earnest and concerned legislators are being listened Recollections. 7 to by many earnest and con- cerned, citizens — each con- vinced that his or ‘her view is Both examples are: hys- not only correct, but the best terical jumpings at shadows. for all. Perhaps the Argentinians It was again reminded had great theoretical cause that people are funny. As a - for alarm for after all we only matter of fact, had the same eat cranberries a couple of view some 20 years ago and times a year or so, but none- - offer an old E.G.O, column to theless it does make us look prove. it, silly. * Talking, for I Hiv water “whether it is 240° or pax dt-Riakes no us for it always sina to the other guy. We are immortal, And not only are we immortal but ,our wives.and children are also. Somehow 79 people, mostly women and children, d to kill Pecuio'ars funny, and 1 the fact that at least 240 do, mean ‘funny -peci their periodic flaps over the public outcry demanding possibility of getting cancer more severe handling of from cranberries and in spite drunken speedsters, the chief of the assurances of an ex- culprits in this carnage? Not pert in toxicology that a likely. person would have to eat Either we subconciously 16,000 pounds of berries to: think to ourselves that “that get cancer, the bottom drunken speedster might be dropped out of the cranberry me sometime” and give an market with a loud sloppy ° ironic twist to the golden rule squish, . by saying nothing, or are we Asimilar scare occurred like two soldiers who were in Argentina a while ago talking on the eve of going when some preservative into a suicidal engagement, wed on beef was rumored to “How would you feel, The entire Bill,” asks one, “if someone setting up his and Victoria offices, for le, he was deter- choosing six or seven peo- ple out of 60 or 70 appli- cants for a legislative in- ternship program, Fried- mann was the one who had always studied the huge piles of documents in- volved. “I found that when we had those selection com- mittees, Friedmann had really done his homework.” He's still at it. When a Campbell River woman complains that an elk herd » is destroying her ranch, Friedmann makes a side trip to see it for himselft, After a tramp through head-high grass that re- veals little in the way of damage or elk, he com- ments: “You have to keep them (complainants) hon- eat, too.” When. possible, he tries to gather as much information about a prob- lem as he can first hand so he won't be “snowed” by biased information, he says. “The more you know about a subject, the leas chance you have of getting half-truths.” But what is probably most striking about Fried- mann is his essential hu- manity — his empathy and concern for those he is supposed to be serving, his respect for everyone with whom he deals. The well-dressed Campbell River woman pat to their own dis- * comfort. Manitoba ombudsman George Maltby, a long-time acquaintance says simply that Friedmann is “not in- _the popularity game.” He recalls an ombuds- men’s conference where Friedmann , wound up in with a complaint against her bank; the Courtenay trucker whose eyes are bright with the hurt of ° being laid off without being - formally told; the severely- injured 24-year-old Camp- bell River logger expected to make do with a life ..time_ monthly WCB pen: mined that they be central and easily accessible. “I didn't want to be on the 20th floor of a high- .tise apartment, out of: sieht and out of mind, reduced irrelevancy,” he says. 4 ‘wanted to be there for the people to just walk in if they felt like it.” And he made sure there's toll-free lines so people all over B.C. can contact him at no charge. In the early days of his office’s operation, he drove his overworked staff near- ly crazy by picking apart their letters, insisting that any communications with the public should be clear, concise and convey exactly the right meaning. He went so far as to force one of the investi- “gators to take a language training course, and placed an outright ban on certain . words and phrases. The acceptable phrase is “we hla oe to sub. male population from babies told you that every man in atonce gave this i except one up their favorite beef steaks would be killed tomorrow?” and the only happy expres- “Pd think it'd be awfully sions to be found for weeks in lonely here with all of the Argentina were those on the gang gone,” answered Bill. © faces of the steers. For many of us — .. people will be killed and over . >, Our neighbors to: “the: 1,000 injured on B.C.. Toads : south have gone into one of this year, do we hear any ~ by carelessness at home last year, and 41, mostly children, poisoned ves, and 4,100 were hospitalized for the same reason. In fact, according to Labor Minister Lyle Wicks, the average yearly accidental deaths in B.C. for the past six years have been 1,161 — most of them preventable. We'll certainly have tokeep a elese eye on those cran- berri eas © Another pean of the average citizen is that no matter how much or how little he knows about his own business he is always an expert in numerous other fields, I was only slightly taken aback therefore, when I read recently a statement by a that the old testament law of “an eye for an eye and a tooth” for a tooth” should be the rule for é ‘ In the first place the suggestion is a little ridicu- lous as even so staunch on Old Testament type as Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia pointed up when he asked which of the insistent relatives of a man killed when another. fell on himrouto! a date palm, would be ready to fall on the culprit and kill’ him in a like fashion, In the second place, if this theory is followed to its logical conclusion, crime . should have been non-exis- tent in the 18th century when prisons were hell-holes and a man could be hung for steal- ing a loaf of bread. The fact that crime at all levels was. rampant makes the good man'even more rid- iculous as a penologist. And thirdly, prisons are still pris- ons, People are peculiar. é As for our legislatots, I just hope they remember that they are Canadians for C: Tm senior ¢ list that “per- funny-peculiar that way, also. sons are t and after all, in the service of _ the public.” If the sort of office he has set up is any mark of the man, Friedmann has done himself proud. His vhard-driven staff, even af- ter long months of coping with huge numbers of complaints and inadequate facilities, remain excited © about their work and en- thusiastic about their boss. Veit says the atmos- phere-in the office is “just fantastic. It’s one of ‘the most’ competent and en- | thusiastic group of people T've ever worked with.” Part of the reason, she says, is Friedmann’ choice of employees from a wide variety of backgrounds and ” As Friedmann points out, . “There’s a subtle differ- ence. In other words, it's our shortcoming if we were not able to see the sub- stance in your complaint. If there's anything else that we haven't seen yet, please let us know. ia | guess I got every- body mad at me the way I corrected their letters, es- pecially the professionals, the lawyers. At-a time when typing resources and everything else was short it was very difficult to do that. “I think we have to in- sist on being correct and polite with the public. I think civility is a number one consideration. We are, ‘or realizing he'd need some- ‘one who could put up with psychotic complainants, he hired a former minister who served as classifi- cation officer for convicted murderer Andy Bruce. Friedmann says some of the hardest-hitting dis- cussions in his office aren't with bureaucrats but among staffers deciding what to do with difficult cases. Clearly relishing the give and take of such bat- tles, he’s glad his employ- ees have finally realized he wants to hear their true opinions, not what they think he wants to hear. Bob Cronin, an execu- tive director with the min- istry of human resources, who has had frequent con- tact with Friedmann’s of- fice, says he’s impressed. * “He's developed ob- viously a very responsive, good organization. He's at- tracted some of the bright- est, sharpest people you can imagine. They're ex- cited, dedicated people who believe very strongly in what they're doing. - They make the system * work, “I think they're “doing a first-rate job, even when they | rub us the wrong way. Up close, Friedmann’s external stuffiness melts into a fence European charm. His family — wife Hella and son Oliver, 14, and Bjorn, 10 — is ob- viously an important part of his life, even though his chock-full work scedule of 12 to 14 hours a day, six days a week leaves him little time to be with them. Enthusiastic about hiking, - cross-country skiing, hunt- ing and fishing, it is with almost physical pain that he turns down an invi- tation to go salmon fishing in Campbell River. 's route to Heidelberg area of post-- war Germany with three sisters, he was the only son in a | whose oceu- pations by long tradition had been farming and tea- ching. For economic reasons, his father wanted him to become a shoemaker, but he escaped that fate when his parents split up when he was 14. Fried: does bureucracy or in Ger- many’s “archaic”. univer- sity system, he went to the University of Calgary after tossing a coin to choose between it, the University of Waterloo and Simon Fraser University. During his.14 years in Calgary, he became Can- ada’s ombudsman critic and analyst — attending not talk easily about that part of his life, but it is clear from his gesture of dismissal when he calls his father a “traditional strict schoolmaster” that rela- tions between them were less than cordial, His mother, he says, was “the opposite.” He was 14 when he was attracted to political science “like a flower to the sun,” and remembers lis- tening for days and nights to the 1952 radio broad- casts of parliamentary de- bates over the course of Germany on such issues as reparations, re- heresy and foreign pol- icy. Working summers ata variety of jobs, including an iron foundry, to pay his the: spacious arch-window- ed ombudsman’s office in Victoria's Bastion Square was fraught with coinci- dence. As he says himself, “Nobody sets out planning to be an ombudsman.” Growing up in the tuition, he ob- tained his BA, MA and PhD at the University of. Heidleberg and won schol- arships to the London ier of Economics and ee cdias the possible careers in the European interviewing ombudsmen, researching their impact on society and publishing Pad papers about his Bat when the B.C. government was looking for its first ombudsman — the ninth in Canada — it was only as a last-minute afterthought, when a sec- retary “shoved the ad- vertisement in my face and asked me why I didn’t apply” — that he fired in a special delivery appli- cation three days before the deadline. Members of the all- party selection committee that chose him for the job are glad he did. Committee chairman Walter Davidson (SC-Dewdney) and Eileen Dailly (NDP-Burnaby-Wil- lingdon) say they've heard nothing but good about hi jim. “It's obvious that he's not going to just sit back and do nothing,” says Dailly. “I think we were very fortunate to get him.” The Vancouver Sun ~