St-Aubin got the idea of holding a local ceremony the day after the Princess of Wales died. She contacted the local Catholic priest, Father Merlyn Ethier, who agreed to give a prayer in Diana’s name. He said that before her death he had not been aware of the extent of the charity work carried out by the Princess of Wales.

Log home burns: Residents of Clarendon’s 5th Line have had their share of fires lately. Just a week after Gerald Watson’s barn containing 250 round bales burned, a log home next door to the Watson’s, caught fire last Friday. Because no one had lived in the home, owner Bob Bretzlaff had the power shut off. But after a power outage in the area last week, it seems the electricity was accidentally turned back on for the empty house. The cause of the fire appears to be electrical.

Although the house had been empty for years, Bretzlaff says he is sorry to see the historic home gone. It was built in the mid 1800’s using the squared, original pine timber of the area.

Sept. 20, 1972

50 Years Ago

Federal Agriculture minister officiates at opening of Shawville Fair: “If you have but one day to spend in country, you would be wise to spend it at an agricultural fair,” said the Hon. Bud Olson, Minister of Agriculture, at Shawville Fair last week. He was officially opening the fair for its 116th time and before doing the honours, he visited the cattle and horse barns.

At each breeder’s exhibit, Mr. Olson asked questions which surprised some of the exhibitors with his knowledge of their problems.

Arriving first at a public reception held for him by the local Liberal Association in the elementary school, Mr. Olson was able to meet and discuss current issues with a number of local people.

Irwin Stewart is best teamster at Quyon drawing: On Sunday, the Quyon Agriculture Society sponsored a horse drawing and picnic which proved to be a great success.

Mr. Jean-Guy Larivière, MNA and Mr. Tom Lefebvre, MP, were both present and assisted in the opening of the event.

Trophies were donated by Fairbanks Hotel. The trophy for the Best Teamster was won by Irwin Stewart. Best drawing team in the heavy class was won by Ken McNeely. Best drawing team in the light class was won by Lloyd Antler of Pembroke, Ont.

Sept. 25, 1947

75 Years Ago

Local news: Record attendance at Shawville Fair – larger grounds required: Shawville Fair, the annual exhibition of Pontiac Agricultural Society No. 1, on Friday and Saturday of last week, was favoured with fine weather, although a triffle too chilly, and attracted the largest crowds since the fair began 91 years ago. The fair, now recognized as the best in the Ottawa Valley, particularly for livestock has attracted such large crowds in the past two years that larger grounds will need to be acquired by the society if further expansion is to be made. This was very evident on Saturday when all of the parking spaces were packed with hundreds of cars and the odd bus on the streets outside the grounds.

Daniel’s Greater Shows, which formed the major part of the midway, featured three aerial rides and of course, a merry-go-round and was much larger than usual.

The feature event of the whole fair was the night show on Friday. This presented the largest and best show of cattle and horses ever seen in the Ottawa Valley, even larger than last year.

During both days aeroplane rides over the town and vicinity were carried out by two planes of the Bradley Flying School of Carp and they had good patronage.

On Saturday, Russ Bradley, one of Canada’s most outstanding pilots, stunted in view of the grandstand, while the various flips and spins were explained over the public address system.

An early heavy frost hit this district on Monday night, causing damage to garden crops and flowers. This cold snap was the earliest on record and many were not prepared for it. There was a mad rush to fire up furnaces and stoves. Some people in summer cottages not winterized, had to vacate rather hurriedly.

Another active and successful month is reported for August for the Pontiac Community Hospital with a total of 707 hospital days, making an average of 22.8 patients. There were 116 treated during the month, with 29 minor operations, 5 majors, 9 outdoor cases, 19 maternity.

Sept. 7,1922

100 Years Ago

Local news: The most interesting and best contested game played here this season was that of Shawville at Murrells on Friday last. The score was 6-5 in favour of Shawville. Umpires K. MacKay and H. Stewart.

In compliance with a petition from the merchants and trades-people, Mayor Hodgins has proclaimed Wednesday of next week a Civic Holiday to enable all citizens so disposed, to take a day off to attend the fairs at Ottawa or Campbell’s Bay.

A man who, in charge of a constable, was on the way from Ville Marie to Bryson jail for committing a felonious crime, jumped from the deck of the steamer Meteor in Temiscaming Lake and was drowned while a boat was being lowered from the steamer to effect the rescue.

Sept. 23,1897

125 Years Ago

Local News: Our annual fair saw Queen’s weather, larger attendance and increased membership. The gate receipts amounted to $454.00. The number of entries was 1,350 while the membership came up to the necessary compliment to entitle the society to the full amount of the government grant, namely, $250.

As touching the merits of the exhibition itself, it was on the whole an improvement of last year. Vehicles and conveyances of nearly every style and description made a conspicuous and very pleasing display. The displays of farm implements were in the hands of Mr. W.J. Starke and A. S. Smart. The latter gentleman had also on the grounds something entirely new to washing machines, which should strike the average housewife as being “just the thing” for a big day’s washing, comprising simplicity of mechanism with ease and convenience of operation.

The privilege of allowing farmers to enter the grounds with their teams free of charge this year was a favour by no means lightly esteemed by those who took advantage of it.

As usual, vice-president Hobbs “called off” the program from the judge’s stand and demonstrated the fact that his lung power remains unimpaired with another revolution of the cycle of time.

Special prizes: Men’s bicycle race (one mile) A. MacKay; Boys’ Bicycle Race – M. McGuire; Ladies Bicycle race: Mary Brabazon.

Lake Deschene has added two more victims to the long list of unfortunates who have met an untimely death in its treacherous waters. Albert Venn, aged 19, son of Mr. G.F. Venn of Ottawa and William Holland, aged 21, son of George Holland, Senate reporter, were drowned on Sunday night while crossing from Aylmer to Britannia by the upsetting of their sail boat. William Jamieson, a companion, survives to tell the sad tale, after enduring the chilly water for over nine hours. He drifted on to a sand bar some distance above Britannia about 2 o’clock in the morning in so exhausted a condition that he was unable to walk for some time.

The boat upset about 5 o’clock and the trio of young men struggled for hours in the water in the vain effort to right her. Willie Holland through utter exhaustion, fell off the bottom of the boat, where his companions had placed him and disappeared and an hour later young Venn followed. For four hours longer, Jamieson, alone and in the inky darkness, struggled for his life until the boat to which he was clinging, drifted ashore as above stated.

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