Aug. 2, 1995
25 Years Ago
Giants win Campbell’s Bay tourney: With 16 teams participating, its an understatement to say organizers Jane Ann Findlay and Lisa Dagenais were satisfied with their first baseball tournament.
Teams from throughout the Pontiac, Fort Coulonge, Calumet Island, Chapeau, Otter Lake, Portage, Shawville, Bristol and Campbell’s Bay participated. A portion of the proceeds will go to . . .
Campbell’s Bay minor ball.
When it was all over Sunday evening, the Giants of Fort Coulonge had won the A championship, beating Wilson’s, a team made up of Shawville and Bristol players.
Wayne Marion of the Giants and Julie Coté of the Wilson’s were named most valuable players of the A side.
Local country singer third in biggest contest in Canada: William Webb has music in his blood. His grandfather, both parents and several aunts and uncles have all played music for years, some of them professionally.
It was not too surprising then that the 16-year-old took third place in the under-18 category at the Canadian Open Country Singing Contest in Simcoe, Ont. in early July.
William’s grandmother Diane, who lives in Clarendon says it was a memorable experience attending the Simcoe contest.
Aug. 5, 1970
50 Years Ago
Direct air link Pembroke – Toronto: The Upper Ottawa Valley now has a direct air traffic link with Toronto since the opening last month of Pem-Air Airline’s scheduled passenger flights.
Pem-Air has been formed by a group of area citizens who realize the need of improved communication from this area to Southern Ontario. They hope that the airline will prove a service to the Upper Ottawa Valley and encourage economic development.
Two Beechcraft-18, nine passenger aircraft are used to fly a morning and evening flights from Pembroke to Toronto Monday to Friday and evening trips on Sundays.
Wins feature race – takes new record: Feature winner at Connaught Park Raceway July 27 was Pontiac Roselle, owned by Sterling Hobbs, Brent Horner and Bill Horner. This four-year-old mare set her new lifetime record with this win doing the mile in 2:08.
On Saturday, at the local Shawville Driving Club, Northwood Heidi, owned by Ebert Richardson won the mile in 2:19.
Aug. 9, 1945
75 Years Ago
Local News: At 11:30 Friday morning fire completely destroyed the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred Bean, 100 yards south of the village.
The fire is believed to have started from a spark from the cook stove in the summer kitchen. It was first noticed by Mrs. Bean who was in the garden at the rear of the building and neighbours noticed it about the same time. The fire spread very rapidly to the main residence and those who reached the scene first managed to remove Mrs. Bean’s father, Mr. Wm. Tubman who had been confined to bed on the first floor through illness. Some of the household furnishings were removed but Mr. and Mrs. Bean and their daughter, Miss Ruby Bean lost most of their clothing and most of their furnishings in the back of the house were destroyed.
Trucks of the Shawville Creamery rushed to the doomed building loaded with water but little could be done except confine the blaze to the one building which was a brick structure.
Full military honours were accorded and hundreds of civilians attended the funeral of Pte. Hawley Pirie on Friday which was held from the home of his sister, Mrs. Melvin Wickens at Bryson.
Pte Hawley Pirie, the 23-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. John Pirie of Shawville died of drowning while bathing in the Ottawa River.
While working on an electric transmission pole at Norway Bay on Saturday, Melvin Kehoe, lineman of the Gatineau Power Co., received a severe electric shock. His safety belt saved him from falling and he was assisted to the ground by Morley Wilson and Earl Elliott who were working on the same line.
When on the ground, he became unconscious and was rushed to the Community Hospital where he regained consciousness some hours later. On Tuesday evening, he was reported to be recovering nicely.
Canadian troops in Holland are going to help to bring in the harvest. All headquarters and units have been ordered to get in touch with Dutch authorities in their areas and arrange for the fullest possible assistance to Dutch farmers in alleviating the critical farm labour shortage.
July 29, 1920
100 Years Ago
Local News: Gasoline went up another two cents last week, but that does not seem to make any difference to the chap who delights to leave his jittney buzzing in front of your door for 10 or 15 minutes.
If nothing happens between now and cutting time, Pontiac is likely to yield a heavy harvest of grain this year and thus will be compensated for the slim crop of 1919.
Farmers who have been travelling around a bit, say they have not seen as fine a stand of grain for many years.
Commencing with Sunday last, Rev. Mr. Clapham of Otter Lake and Rev. Rural Dean Phillips, instituted an exchange of ministerial work which is to be continued for the next two or three weeks.
Mr. Leonard Paul of Haileybury is visiting friends in this section at present and at the same time doing quite a business in piano tuning at which he is an expert, notwithstanding his great handicap of total blindness.
British settlers to the number of 629 with a capital aggregating one million dollars, have been secured by a committee of the Soldier Settlement Board to settle on Canadian lands.
Recent awards affecting railway employees, it is stated, will increase the payroll of men employed on Canadian railroads by about seventy millions of dollars and yet there is an uncertainty that this vast amount will be sufficient to allay the unsettled condition that has prevailed.
Aug. 1, 1895
125 Years Ago
Local News: A bush fire at Wahnapitae last week destroyed a set of shanties belonging to the Emery Company and a farmer lost a mare and colt in another bush fire.
Some of the farmers of the county have commenced harvesting.
The directors of Agriculture Society No. 1 held a meeting here on Monday last to get matters into shape for the approaching exhibition.
Mr. Andrew McCredie, the well-known threshing mill man of bristol has purchased a traction engine for the coming season’s operations.
Messrs. W.D. Harris, C.E., and P. W. Resseman, Supt. of the P.P.J.R. made a trip over the route of the proposed Pontiac and Renfrew railway this week.
The long spell of drought which this village and neighbourhood has experienced was broken on Monday by abundant showers which recurred at intervals on Tuesday this past week.
The crops in Quyon are looking well notwithstanding the very dry weather.
Wheat will be a better crop than it has been for years.
Capt. Davis launched his new boat on Monday.
It was christened by Miss M. McLean, the name given being the “Bella Ritchie”.
Everybody is looking forward to an enjoyable trip under the guidance of our popular and genial friend, Capt. Davis.
The P.P.J. will not make much money out of the ladies after the Captain gets the “Bella Ritchie” in running order.
Bryson’s old friend, Dr. Gaboury shed a ray of light around the town by his presence on Sunday and many were the remarks made as to how much his genuine good fellowship had been missed.
Our magisterial court presided over by his worship, Mr. Rimer, had the tale of a cow and the tale of a dog, well and gravely argued before it, also a timber misunderstanding or stealing case which contributed another boarder for the county whose apartment is engaged for the term of two months.
The tale of a dog excited a considerable amount of interest. Mr. Walsh had strong suspicion that a favourite hound had been shot, but although Mr. Gaboury put his witnesses through a severe cross-examination, Mr. Neault argued that nothing had been proved, that indeed the affair would be known in annals of crime as the Pontiac mystery.
