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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, December 12, 2012 · 6 OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 905-845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 905-631-6095 -- 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America Canadian Community Newspapers Association ATHENA Award NEIL OLIVER Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief, Halton Region DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Bonus days a gift He may be a little thinner, but that wide smile is most definitely still there as well as his unwavering spirit to kick cancer to the curb. Last October, Rod Jerred wrote in this space about savouring `Bonus Days.' After a melanoma scare three years ago, he decided never to take life for granted. Everything was good, he wrote, until melanoma returned in September. The disease wasn't satisfied to entrench itself in one area, it marched through his system with purpose. Rod is a colleague of staff at The Oakville Beaver where he spent nearly three decades working in the newsroom. Just over a year ago he took on the challenge of managing editor of Hamilton Community News. Currently, Rod is participating in a blind drug study and has undergone five blasts of radiation. Last week, he enjoyed a potluck lunch with his staff, went Christmas shopping and met with former colleagues for another holiday lunch. He stopped by The Oakville Beaver to say hello. If you didn't know he was undergoing harsh cancer treatment, you may not think there was anything wrong with him. His gutsy determination to battle this cancer is remarkable and courageous. He knows he couldn't take this path alone and is blessed with a wonderful, supportive wife, sons and relatives. Friends, staff and colleagues are also walking the path with him. We are buoyed by the fact he has come so far since the difficult diagnosis. Rod has made all of us pay attention to those `Bonus Days.' This time of year can be so busy that too often we forget about the beauty of life and, perhaps, the people who care for us. We need to slow down, take a deep breath and embrace what is truly important. It isn't the number of Christmas presents stashed under the tree, the amount of food laid out on the table or purchasing the latest trends in technology. It isn't about swathing the house in colourful lights or rushing from party to party. What is important, though, is our ability to recognize, on a daily basis, all that is good about our collective lives and appreciate the people who make it so. If each of us lived as if every day was a `Bonus Day,' what a kinder, gentler community we would have. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Thank you to the three Hulk-like teenagers Letter to the editor Disappointing for Brantwood I attended the event at the Oakville Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 5 for resident input on the surplus lands project and was extremely disappointed to see there is no option to preserve the newly-built playground structure and soccer field at Brantwood School. The community is still upset with losing Brantwood as a local public school and we feel a decision that does not preserve "some" green and play space at Brantwood is illogical. Local parents have struck a committee to lobby dialogue on this issue while there is still time to provide input if in fact the Town has not already predecided an option for Brantwood. We are understandably cynical. The Town of Oakville very recently invested $100,000plus to erect a brand new play structure and landscaping at Brantwood. Why negate this investment and penalize residents with a proposal that does not include green and play space? The logic of the current proposals that were presented on Dec. 5 do not make sense to us and invite a call to action. Al Saplys, chair, Parents Commitee to Save Brantwood Playground and Greenspace, Oakville Letters to the editor The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Follow Oakville Beaver staff on Twitter @OakvilleBeaver @NewsHooked @DavidLea6 @DominikKurek @BeaverSports or @Halton_Photog Thank you. On the morning of Thursday, Dec. 6, I was on my usual route dropping the kids off and heading into work. Just as I was passing through the busy intersection of Stratus Drive and Westoak Trails Boulevard, my car made a horrifying sound and stalled. I had a bit of a rough start at home that day, too, and thought, this can't be happening. To top it off, my children were in the car and scared. There are a lot of impatient people on the road and I know it can be frustrating when you are trying to get into work or go home and there is an issue on the road or traffic. Even though I had my emergency lights on, I can't tell you how many people still honked, yelled and even swore at me. The reason for writing this is to actually acknowledge three young gentleman from Garth Webb Secondary School who saw me in distress and came over and actually pushed my car out of the intersection and off to the side of the road while I waited for CAA. A huge thank you to Eduardo Montero, Evan Notley and Aiden Scott for your help to me that morning. You even risked being late for school. My older son thinks you are as strong as The Hulk and can't believe you pushed the car. It just goes to show that we have some great youths in our community who actually acted more maturely than the adults in this situation. Angela Bosco, Oakville