The entire community of Valley East is still in shock as a result of the tragic accident which took place on Deschene Road in the early hours of March 11, 2001. Andrew Chaput, a 16 year old boy with a great future had all that come to an end as his life was suddenly ended when struck by a motorist while he and three other friends were walking along the road. Candice Kirkbride, 15, was also hit by the vehicle and has been recovering from serious injuries ever since.

Since the accident, several charges have been laid by police, and recently, one conviction has been handed down. It is the conviction which has many parents scratching their heads. Butch Woodbury, 34, has been found guilty of illegally selling liquor and selling liquor to persons under the age of 19. Woodbury’s common-law spouse, Tammy James, has had the charges against her dropped. For Woodbury, the conviction has resulted in a 30-day jail term, which is to be served on weekends.

How and why the actual accident took place and who was at fault will be left to the courts.

Details which have come about since the tragic night seem to indicate that the party was well organized, well publicized and extremely well-attended. Reports of over 200 people and cars parked up and down the road way have been confirmed. However, this was not just a normal party. Admission was charged and alcohol was made available for sale by a person who has been subsequently found guilty of the charges.

This was not the first time that a large house party has been held in Valley East, nor will it be the last. Unfortunately, the mere planning of a party can result in trouble once the word gets out.  We’ve all heard countless stories about how teenagers had planned a small house party only to find that dozens of others showed up uninvited. These gatherings almost always include fights, drunkenness, drugs, sex and usually ended up causing thousands of dollars of damage to the property of the home-owner. The wild parties become the talk of the town the following week, almost like a status symbol for the kids who took part. Kids are almost embarrassed to let it be known that they missed the event and quickly make plans to join in during the upcoming weekend schedule. Indeed, many teenagers are afraid to invite their friends over for a small party for fear of the word getting out to the rest of the kids around town. And heaven forbid if the kids around town find out that the parents are not going to be at home.

Young people today have been taught over and over again in school about the dangers of drinking or taking drugs. Police officers have made presentations; units of study have been covered from as early as Grade 4; posters are plastered everywhere in schools and at youth centres; and yet, all of this seems to be forgotten when kids get together in large groups and allow themselves to lose self control for a few hours in the name of fun. Most of them return home after the party and change right back into the responsible boys and girls they were before going out. In fact, many parents reading this article most likely are counting their blessings that their own children, who were among the hundreds to attend the party on March 11, returned unharmed. So what happens during those few hours?

I’m not sure if these wild parties can ever be stopped. Word always gets out on the street when a kid “has the house”. As the news spreads of the location of a place where kids can “hang out” for a few beer and some drugs, the house becomes a magnet. Often, once enough damage is done to one house, the gang heads off to another location to continue the night of destruction. The more damage that can be done in one night, the better the conversation the following day.

Adults in the community should not be shocked by this news! Talk to your teenage sons and daughters and ask if they are aware of wild parties that have been held around town. Talk to some of the parents who have had to pay thousands of dollars to repair damages following one of these events. Talk to your kids about how often they have heard of kids driving while drunk and bragging about it to their friends on Monday morning.

Perhaps these parties are merely a fact of life. Perhaps it is all about growing up. Perhaps they are something that cannot be prevented and we will just have to live with them, hoping that our children will survive without getting hurt.

If that car had missed the group walking along Deschene Road on Sunday morning, this would have been just another wild Saturday night in Valley East. The organizer of the party, Butch Woodbury would not be serving 30 days in jail on the weekends. Ten defendants would not be facing lawsuits totalling nearly $10 million. How heartbreaking it is that but for a split second or a quick turn of the wheel, we have lost the life of Andrew Chaput, a boy who had such a promising future. How heartbreaking that Candice Kirkbride and her family will have to suffer mentally and physically for the rest of their lives. Let us hope that the crowd of kids who gathered at the house party that night learn from this tragedy. Let us also hope that parents have learned to say “NO” when it comes to the organization of a “small” house-party by their children when they are not at home. “Small” house parties tend to grow very quickly when the word gets out - and you can bet your bottom dollar that the word will get out! Let us also hope that parents have learned to say “NO” when their children want to attend one of these house parties. Your child may be embarrassed if you drive him/her to the party and ask to speak to the parents, but a bit of embarrassment is easy to get over.

The beginning of a new school year is always considered to be a “party-time” as kids prepare to return to school and get a chance to see all of their friends again.

Let’s make sure that we don’t have a repeat of what happened on March 11.