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The Observer | Saturday, July 19, 2008
Playing for kids benefits from a touch of the theatrical............................. »22 Cooking up something new in St. Jacobs
»13 VOLUME 13, ISSUE 29
SATURDAY, JULY 19, 2008
www.ObserverXtra.com
PRICELESS
Tears and smiles as Dan Snyder golf tournament winds down Fifth and final year sees $115,000 raised for new rec. complex VANESSA MOSS As the fifth and final Dan Snyder Memorial Golf Tournament wrapped up Monday night at Lions Hall in Elmira, there was a mix of emotions in the air. Although the $500,000 fundraising goal has been exceeded and the Woolwich Memorial Centre is taking shape, participants were unsure they wanted the yearly event to end. Hockey Night in Canada’s Ron MacLean could not make it to Elmira this time around, but expressed his desire to maintain a friendship with the Snyder family and “party” with them in years to come. “Love you Snyders,” he said on a videotape during the Stanley Cup finals at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. See SNYDER page »06
photo | maRC mIqUeL heLsen
FORE DAN ottawa senator Dany heatley tees off at the fifth annual Dan snyder memorial Golf tournament in elmira July 14. See more photos on pages 16-17.
Ten-year-old boy drowns in Hawkesville pond Elmira youth may have struck head before falling below the surface and remaining under for 20 minutes MARC MIQUEL HELSEN An innocent summer swim at a Hawkesville-area pond turned tragic Tuesday when a 10-year-old boy from Elmira died after sinking to the bottom of the water. Joshua Weber, who had been swimming with friends in the popular private pond on a Temperance Road property, was airlifted to Grand River Hospital in Kitchener, but could not be revived. When firefighters from the St.
Clements station of the Wellesley Fire Department arrived on scene shortly after 2:30 p.m., they couldn’t immediately find the boy, diving into the murky water of the pond, said township fire chief Dave Geil. “We had about three firefighters that were in the area that responded in their own vehicles and the rescue came right behind them … the fellows that got there first were diving in the water for him,” said Geil. Some three minutes later, rescuers found Weber at the bot-
tom, a depth of roughly four metres. Police believe he may have hit his head near a dock after losing his grip on a rope swing. Emergency workers were called in when the boy failed to come back up for air, at which time his young friends tried to find him but were unsuccessful. One of the boys then ran across the gravel road to alert a neighbour who subsequently called 9-1-1. Firefighters believe Weber may have remained at the bottom of the pond for as long as 20 minutes, said Geil. Emer-
gency personnel tried to revive him at the scene before calling an air ambulance. Attempts to resuscitate the youth were made at the Kitchener hospital but were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead shortly after. Police said that the property owner was not home at the time and no adults were watching over the youngsters. “In order to provide safety for the young swimmers, adult supervision is suggested,” said Sgt. Merv Knechtel of Division 3A in Elmira, who also lauded the firefighters’ quick response.
The private, manmade pond, which sits behind the Temperance Road property near the Conestogo River, is a popular spot for area youth and is used despite signs warning visitors to swim at their own risk. “If there were no parents there, then I think it should be supervised,” said Geil. Waterloo regional police are urging all parents and caregivers to review water safety tips with their children and remind everyone to take appropriate precautions near ponds, rivers and other waterways.
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