Sometimes it takes a look from the outside to appreciate how great things are inside

Despite its vastness and beauty, King Township has, alas, been a location for a lot of internal acrimony, bickering and squabbling over the last couple of years.

Now granted things aren't as bad as they once were. Opposing forces have demonstrated a couple of times the ability to work together for the common good, but we still have a few pockets of hostility. And the memory of some of the antics that went down not too long ago have not completely disappeared.

With that in mind, it might be hard for some of us to appreciate what we have here in King, both in terms of what nature has bestowed, but also in the human resources.

Sometimes it requires the observations of some people from outside to see what those close to the ground might miss.

"A visitor must experience the Township of King to appreciate the green rural farms and forests. Here, there is an oasis from the fast food and coffee shops, the pace of life is slowed and traffic is reduced to mainly that on the through highway leading to Toronto or Barrie."

Those words aren't ours. They appeared in the report issued over the weekend by the two judges from the Communities in Bloom national competition, who toured King in August.

And things got better as their report progressed.

"At first, the visitor is surprised that the Township of King is not encouraging growth, does not want subdivisions and box stores, will not allow new development on existing farms, will

not allow the forest to be cut or even individual trees cut without a permit. These things are so foreign to those of us who are living and travelling in other municipalities, however, the judges experienced a different atmosphere in the Township of King and enjoyed this rural life. Everyone seemed to know one another and the warm sense of friendship that exists."

The two judges awarded the local effort a score of 831 out of a possible 1,000 points; an impressive score which allows local residents a certain amount of bragging rights, combined with clear indications that there's still some room for improvement.

David Urquhart and Ed Toop spent a couple of days in August touring the township, and their comments at

the conclusion left a lot of good feeling, as they both had words of praise for what they saw.

Urquhart pointed out in August it's easy for two men judging 12 communities across the country to have their vision blunted by what they have seen.

"You don't forget the people," he remarked. "People is what makes things work."

With that in mind, it doesn't surprise us that of the eight categories in the judging, King's highest marks came in terms of community involvement.

True, those involved in the local effort made sure King was putting forth its Sunday best to impress the judges, but so were the organizers in every community that was taking part in the competition. It's also true these judges have been

doing this long enough to see beneath the shine and look for substance, and it's clear that's what they found in King.

The effort was headed by Nobleton resident Lynda Rogers and was aided by Councillors Steve Pellegrini and Peter Grandilli, Joan Jackaman, Jeff Laidlaw, Judy Craig, Peter King, Cathy Webster, Brian Chung, Ed Sikkema, Bert Duclos and Patty Fleetwood, along with Catherine Purcell, Laura Campbell, Kyle Brett and Scott Donald from the Township.

These were the people who fronted King's entry. And they are entitled to some of the share of the 83.1 per cent score. But the real credit goes far beyond that. It belongs with them, and all the rest of the people in King who pitched in.