July 28, 1993 – 25 Years Ago

Some water unsafe to drink: Elevated bacterial content has left the water in Quyon and Campbell’s Bay unfit to drink.
Colleen St-Jean, secretary-treasurer by interim for the village of Campbell’s Bay, said they are increasing the amount of chlorine in the water to help deal with the increased levels.
Residents of the area were informed of the situation.
Germain Clairoux, secretary-treasurer of the Municipality of Pontiac said the water in the Ottawa River, where Quyon gets its water, is not that good to start with.
Mr. Clairoux explained that whenever there is a spell of warm weather and the demand for water increases, there is an increased liklihood of bacteria levels going up.
Tommy wows ‘em at RVN Jamboree: Canada’s Country Gentleman has done it again. On Saturday night during a two-hour show held at Riverview North on the outskirts of Norway Bay, Tommy Hunter warmed hearts and stirred old memories for the people of Pontiac.
Dorothy Dickie of Country 105, CKBY, emceed the show. By nine o’clock there was a crowd of about 800, with standing room only.
Hunter was never at a loss for favourite songs, and much to the crowd’s delight, he sang many of the old goodies. Donna and Leroy Anderson and Hunter’s six-piece band the Travellin’ Men rounded out the evening’s performance.
Hunter wasn’t at a loss for good stories. He talked and sang non-stop for two hours, even while the band took a break.
Hunter said he worked in television for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for 36 years, which included his time on Gordie Tapp’s program “Country Hoedown.” For 27 years, he had his own TV show. During those 36 years, he raised thousands of dollars for charities.

Aug. 1, 1968 – 50 Years Ago

You have to apply for retirement pension: It may be hard to believe but there are still people in Quebec entitled to retirement pension payments who are not receiving them simply because they have not applied.
The pension is something like the family allowance in that you have to apply for it in writing.
The retirement pension is paid to everyone over 70 who applies and to people as young as 67 if they apply. To qualify, you have to be at least 67, to have made contributions for at least a year and to have retired from regular employment.
Pontiacs Hockey Club 100 a month winners: Larry Lamb and Doug MacMillan were $25 winners in the Shawville Pontiacs Hockey Club 100 a month club draw made at Selly Langford’s store. Glenn Sullivan and Royce Richardson were the winners in the draw made at Lamb’s Corner store and Myles Richardson and George Gionet were the winners at the draw which took place at Bean’s Fina Station.
The Club’s 100 a Month Club is being conducted in an effort to regain solvency for the Senior Hockey Club which goes so far in providing good publicity for this county during the winter months.

Aug. 5, 1943 – 75 Years Ago

Local News: P.O. Claire Hyndman, R.C.A.F., of Rivers, Man., a former member of the Bank of Nova Scotia here, spent a day or two with friends in town during the past week.
Mr. and Mrs. J. Murray spent July at Sand Bay with their daughters, Mrs. W.F. McColm and children and Miss Mae Murray and Miss Shirley Crawshaw all of Montreal.
Many stores in the village are closed every Wednesday during July and August.
The war against Italy entered a new “gloves off” phase when Rome was bombed for the first time last week by a very large force of American heavy and medium bombers in broad daylight of morning, severely damaging vital Axis rail subs and hitting steel works and chemical plants.
Because Rome is known as the “Eternal City”, hallowed by memories and endowed with religious and cultural associations pricelss to the civilized world, the raid was made by daylight, even with the greater risk involved for our own planes, in order to give the Allied pilots a clear view of their targets. The pilots themselves and their crews were specially trained men who had memorized the map of Rome to the smallest detail during many weeks of training. The attack was accompanied by the distribution of leaflets to the people of the city, warning them that their government would lie to them about the character of the damage done by our attack.
Canada is now building approximately the same tonnage of merchant ships as Britain, in addition to corvettes and other protective naval craft, Sir Arther Salter, joint parliamentary secretary to the Ministry of War Transport, told the House of Commons recently during a debate on shipping.
Owing to war conditions, it is announced that dried apples may come into popularity again. While this may not usher in the old-time paring bees, it will recall to oldtimers the delicious aroma emanating from quartered apples strung in many a kitchen for drying purposes.

Aug. 1, 1918 – 100 Years Ago

Local news: It is reported that some draftees en route to Ottawa by the C.N.R. last Sunday, jumped the train at Clarendon Front and made off through the settlement.
The dense heat of the past week produced several heavy thunder storms in portions of this district, the country north of Shawville, getting an extra share with some hailstones thrown in.
Agent Charley Tucker of the C.P.R. who has not been in very good health lately is spending the week up on the Pickanock, accompanied by our photo artist, H. Imison.
Mr. John D. Macfarlane has accepted a position with the Militia Dept. in connection with the inspection of explosives at the factory near Parry Sound, Ont.
In a letter which is being sent to all bakers throughout the Dominion, the Canada Food Board urges upon them the importance of using these substitutes for wheat flour which are most readily available at moderate prices: the public demand for white bread, which has been developed for years, is a temptation to bakers to use large quantities of high-priced substitutes and to employ labour in mechanical processes for whitening the loaf. The public must be educated not to expect a white loaf and must be taught that a well-baked dark loaf is equally palatable and nutritious.
Two men were fined $20 and $2 in the Ottawa police court last week for neglecting to carry their military papers. The incident affords a lesson to others that there is danger in being careless.
According to a dispatch dated London July 27, the Germans now retain virtually nothing of the ground they conquered in their great attack of July 15 along the Marne. East of Rheims, it is stated, General Gourand’s army, by a series of local operations, has expelled the enemy almost everywhere from the narrow belt they occupied in Gourand’s advanced zone.

Aug. 3, 1893 – 125 Years Ago

Local news: Two matches came off on the Shawville club’s ground on Friday last between the clubs of Portage du Fort and this village. The first match was between the boys’ clubs and commenced at 10 o’clock. The Portage lads arrived about nine o’clock, apparently in the best of spirits and when they returned they evinced no disappointment at the laurels of the day that went with them. The game was a very spirited one throughout but at the close of the fourth inning it was marked by very sharp play and a consequent close score on both sides. In the afternoon, the senior Shawville nine crossed swords with the team calling themselves the “Juniors” of Portage du Fort. As the game progressed, however, it became evident that the visitors, if juvenile looking, had a long and familiar acquaintance with the diamond. P.D.F. had another streak of good fortune which adhered to them to the close which brought them two well-fought victories. After the match, both teams had tea at Caldwell Hotel.
A gang of men for the firm of Gillies Bros. came up by train on Wednesday evening last. They were driven to the firm’s Coulonge limits on Thursday where they are going to work on improvements for a few weeks before going into the bush.
Alexis Columbus, aged 104 years, and said to be a lineal descendent of the discoverer of America, is visiting the World’s Fair. Alexis was born in Quebec. He built for himself a sailing boat and for many years ran it along the St. Lawrence River. He now resides in Buffalo.
Smash-up on the P.P.J.: On Saturday evening, after arriving at Fort Coulonge with the regular train, the locomotive and tender in charge of driver Remington and fireman Blakely returned to Aylmer for repairs. A short distance below Eardly Station, at what is known as Riopelle’s culvert, the engine ran into a herd of horses and cattle, that by some means not yet known, had got onto the track. Eleven horse and one cow were killed and another had her legs broken.
As soon as possible, a force of men were put to work to repair the track and raise the engine but it was not until Monday evening that the work was accomplished. Traffic was resumed on Tuesday.