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February 25, 2026

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The Way We Were

The Way We Were

The Equity
The Equity

Feb. 1, 1995

25 Years Ago

Heavy equipment garage burns: Firefighters in Otter Lake answered a call early Sunday moring to extinguish a fire that was threatening to . . .

destroy Lafleur’s garage on Vadneau Crescent.

The garage houses snowplowing equipment owned by Maurice Lafleur.

His daughter Andrea, says that employee André Beauregard was on his way to work at 7 a.m. Jan. 29 when he noticed smoke coming from the roof of the building.

He telephoned co-worker Roma Dagenais and the two men were able to remove some heavy machinery from the garage before the firetruck arrived.

The snowplow truck wouldn’t start, so they hitched the backhoe to it and towed it out. They were also able to remove a second, smaller truck.

Andrea Lafleur commends the two men for their bravery in saving the equipment while the roof burned overhead and hot coals fell all around.

Sunny days for Chapeau’s carnival: A crisp, sunny weekend provided the perfect conditions for this year’s Chapeau Winter Carnival.

“It turned out really well considering it was difficult to plan because we didn’t know if we’d have any snow,” said Chapeau Agricultural Society president John Lapierre.

The snowmobile trails were in good shape for the poker run, Lapierre says. There was also enough snow for excellent snowmobile races and an exciting snow sculpture contest.

Feb. 4, 1970

50 Years Ago

Art works displayed in Shawville Council hall: The Shawville Clarendon Municipal Library has had a new look in 1970. Starting last month and continuing through the next several, a display of prints from great artists is on view for the pleasure of book borrowers and anyone else who wishes to go and look.

The Municipal Library is still housed in the Council Hall which is also the Fire Hall of Centre Street. Now that the library has been adorned by the addition of art works, it becomes an even more interesting place to work in.

The Christian Education hall: Ten years ago the congregation of the Shawville United Church discussed the need for a new Christian Education Hall to help meet the needs of the Sunday School the congregation and the community.

In April 1961, they voted to build and in June of the same year Ottawa Presbytery gave approval to the plans.

Shawville contractor Russell Judd was engaged and the first sod was turned by Mr. David T. Hodgins.

As of Dec. 31, 1969, the last bonds held against the Church Hall were paid off and the building became debt free.

Feb. 8 1945

75 Years Ago

Local News: Flt. Lt. Rooney Hodgins, son of Mr. and Mrs. Alex E. Hodgins, formerly of Campbell’s Bay and Shawville, has been awarded the D.F.C. Air Force headquarters announced in a release Thursday. Two other awards to Canadian airmen were also included in the release.

The citation which accompanied Flt. LT. Hodgins’ award reads: Flt. Lt. Hodgins has completed very many sorties over Northern France, Belgium and Holland. He has destroyed three enemy aircraft and has also been responsible for putting out of action more than 50 enemy mechanical vehicles. This officer has at all times displayed the greatest keenness to engage the enemy and has proved himself a skillful and intrepid pilot.

Sgt. Cyrus Fraser, Detroit, Mich., previously reported as missing, is now reported as a prisoner of war in Germany.

Friday night’s game at the Shawville arena between Renfrew Lions attracted the largest crowd of the Junior team and Shawville Juniors season The Lions won out by a score of 11 to 7.

The main schedule of Shawville Curling Club concluded during the past week. G.G. McDowell’s rink were winners at the club shield, defeating A.D. McCredie’s rink by a score of 13 to 9.

G. T. Paul and Emmerson Cotie were matched for the consolation honours, honours the former winning by the close score of 8 to 7.

On Tuesday evening, friends and neighbours numbering 87 gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Dods to welcome their son, Flying Officer Leslie Dods who returned from overseas recently.

Smoking a big cigar, Prime Minister Winston Churchill conferred with Field Marshal Sir Bernard L. Montgomery following a brief visit to the Western Front. The English leader returned to London early in January.

Jan. 29, 1920

100 Years Ago

Local News: The surrender of the German navy was the greatest political event in the history of the world. This will be the subject of an illustrated address by Rev. A.E. Runnels, in Montreal.

The banquet given by the O.Y.B. at the Pontiac House on Monday evening came off successfully, 30 couples being present. Chief among the after-dinner speeches was an address by Rev. J.A. Macfarlane in which he recounted some of the incidents which led to the organization of the O.Y.B. in this province.

A change on the train service on the Waltham branch becomes effective Feb. 1. The train from Ottawa arriving at Shawville at 10:20 in the morning will return at 1:50 p.m.

Another change in the Federal Cabinet was made last week when the Hon. Hugh Guthrie, Solicitor General was sworn in as Minister of Militia and Defence, succeeding General Mewburn who retired from office a short time ago.

Some of the Winnipeg dailies and other Western newspapers were forced to suspend publication last week owing to a shortage of paper, which they were entitled to receive from the Fort Francis Paper Co. in accordance with government regulations.

The company, however, in defiance of the regulation, shipped all its output to the United States where they claim to have gotten a higher price than that fixed for Canadian consumers. The upshot is that the government placed an embargo on all shipments from the Fort Francis Paper Co.

They have been enabled to straighten out the tangle; shipments of paper to the west have been resumed and the embargo has been raised.

Motion of the board of school commissioners of Clarendon: A motion from Dean and Tubman that the pupils of our municipality shall be excluded from our schools on and after the 19th inst., unless they can furnish certificate of successful vaccination and the secretary shall notify the teachers to that effect.

One of the worst accidents in the history of the C.P.R. in Northern Ontario occurred at a point 11 miles east of North Bay on Sunday morning.

A locomotive attached to the second section of No. 1 Canadian Pacific Vancouver express crashed into the rear of the first section which was stalled on the track by frost. The engine telescoped the sleeper and observation car, killing eight persons and injuring many others. Most of the victims of the accident were English immigrants en route to the west.

Jan. 31, 1895

125 Years Ago

Local News: A very heavy snowstorm prevailed on Saturday last, impeding traffic on the railways and blocking up the highways generally throughout the country.

A Quebec government official went up by special train on Friday to inspect the track of the P.P.J. from Coulonge River westward. It was remarked that this official’s sense of vision must have been intensely acute if he accomplished the object of his mission as the special galloped over the road at a rate of from forty to fifty miles an hour.

The Chircora of the Graham and Morton Transportation Company was lost on the lake last week with everything on board. The Mercury says operations at the Renfrew creamery are progressing favourably. The supply of milk is increasing steadily and a fine grade of butter is being turned out.

Pickpockets are said to have reaped a rich harvest at Ottawa last week and two or three of the Shawville ladies contributed to the spoils.

Those of our citizens who had phones from the Pontiac Telephone company during the past year, came to the conclusion on Monday that they would not retain them another year at the increased rental lately decided upon. To several of the number, the service has not been very satisfactory, the phones being out of order for months at a time.

There is said to be bad traveling on the lower and upper Allumette lakes this winter, owing to slush and weak ice. Many teams have broken thr ough and some have been drowned.

The U.O.I. Co. are doing a lot of improvements at the Chats rapids and chutes this season. Foreman John McAdam of the Quyon boom estimates the company’s expenditure there this winter at $18,000.



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