Sept. 20, 1995

25 Years Ago

Council bids on corridor: The municipality of Pontiac council finally got the go-ahead.

After months of delays, council finally passed a resolution to negotiate a price with Canadian Pacific Railway for the purchase of the abandoned railway corridor running from Quyon to Aylmer.

At Monday’s meeting, council agreed to pay . . .

CP a $5,000 down payment for the 35 km railway bed and gave the negotiating committee councilors Bruce Campbell, John Telford and Helene Belisle the mandate to actually negotiate a price which will be subject to council’s final approval.

Beautification contest winners: Shawville Mayor Randy Beattie and Sylvia Poisson Hodgins, councillor in charge of the town’s beautification program, presented certificates to some of this year’s winners of the annual beautification contest at a council meeting on Sept. 12.

Receiving certificates were: Madelon Smiley, Peggy Hobbs,and Eleanor and Roly Rennick. Other winners include Lloyd and Marjorie Hodgins, Bill and Irene Black and Bill and Ann Murray. Ann Rondeau and some of the residents at Pontiac Reception Centre toured the town in August when flowers were at their best, to do the judging.

Sept. 23, 1970

50 Years Ago

The man who missed the fair this year for the first time in 85 years: A record of 85 continuous years of attendance at the Shawville Fair was broke last weekend. George Robitaille, Shawville’s oldest citizen, failed to make it due to poor health.

He recalled his first visit to the exhibition when it was on Main Street where the Vee shaped Memorial Park is now.

As a barefoot lad of nine, he walked the six or seven miles from Murrells’ stopping only once to soak his feet in Dale’s Creek and put on a pair of boots.

When questioned about fairs in those early days, this veteran fair-goer recalled some interesting events. The only “ride” in 1885 was McCagg’s old Merry-go-round at 5 cents a ride turned by a steam engine using pine roots for fuel.

Social planning council reports busy summer: The executive of the Social Planning Council was busy during the summer in a number of interesting activities.

They welcomed the opening of the Community Services Centre and the arrival of several new full time workers to staff it. These are Mrs. Blaskie, Mr. Daniel Nadeau and Mr. Michael Keon for the Department of Family and Social Welfare Mr. Claude Legault, Mr. Claude Lemieux and Mr. Marcel Lahale for Outaouais Social Service.

This centre is a major step forward in the social services field in Pontiac and a major tribute to the persistence and effort of the Pontiac County Social Planning council.

Sept. 27, 1945

75 Years Ago

Local News: Record crowds attended the 89th annual exhibition of Pontiac Agricultural Society, Shawville Fair on Friday and Saturday of last week.

Despite adverse and very uncomfortable weather conditions Friday night’s show, under floodlights, attracted an audience very considerably in excess of former years which proved that feature of the fair is outstanding and gaining in recognition. Many people, particularly the adult guests at the fair, on account of the weather, were content to watch the show from their cars and for this reason the crowd did not appear to be as large as last year for Friday’s program.

Almost 400 animals were stabled on the grounds, the rink, adjoining the grounds, being utilized for housing the Durham and Ayrshire classes.

For the first time in years, there was no baseball or softball competitions, or anything in the line of field sports and the only music was recordings over the public address system supplied by Mr. Willard Elliott.

Amusements for the kiddies were provided by four rides int he extensive midway of Daniel’s Greater Shows, which included also a number of devices designed to extract money from adult patrons of the fair.

Among repats reaching their homes here during the past week were: LAC Harry Campbell, QM. Sgt. Ervine Hamilton, Major Basil Foreman, M.B.E. and staff Sgt. Laurence Young. Cpl. Louis Welch arrived home on Monday.

General Charles de Gaulle, Chief of the Provisional French Government placed a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial during a state visit to Ottawa last week. He was a guest of the Governor General during his stay in Canada’s capital.

Sept.16, 1920

100 Years Ago

Local News: A letter received from Mr. Wm. Hodgins at Domremy, Sask., states that it is his intention to rebuild the Woollen Mill as soon as arrangements can be made to do so.

Mr. O.T. Ballantyne has leased the Orange Hall for the purpose of giving moving picture shows twice a week, as soon as arrangements can be compiled.

Quyon’s recently organized Agricultural Society got off to a very satisfactory start with its first annual fair on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week.

The oblong field, situated on the south-east side of the village and extending out to the Ottawa River front, the scene of numerous picnics and gatherings during the past fifty odd years, was chosen by the Society as a fair ground. Nothing was undertaken in the way of building construction, the expedient of holding the exhibition “under canvas” being resorted to for the time being instead. For this purpose, a number of large military tents were procured and each department of the fair was housed in one of these.

Shawville exhibitors contributed largely in making the horse show as interesting as it was.

A lumbermen’s 4-oared boat race and a swimming contest contributed to large crowds lined up along the river bank and on the wharf. Two of the boats were manned by Quio boom hands and the third by men from Mohr Island boom.

Music was furnished by a pipe band from Ottawa.

Make your entry now for the Egg Laying Contest at the Shawville Fair.

Sept. 19, 1895

125 Years Ago

Local News: Another smash-up occurred on the P.P.J. on Friday night about six miles above Fort Coulonge. The accident was due to a drove of horses getting on he track through two gates being left open. Four of the animals were killed and others were injured. Fortunately none of the train hands were hurt. The locomotive and part of the train was ditched. As soon thereafter as possible, word was dispatched to Aylmer and a relief train was sent up to the scene of the accident.

Campbell’s Bay has been visited with diphtheria. There are at present three cases and one of these was considered rather alarming.

About two o’clock on Saturday morning, burglars effected an entrance into the office of Mr. H.M. McLean’s grist mill at Quyon and blew open the safe by which the tidy little sum of eight hundred dollars was placed within their grasp. This amount it is needless to say, they carried off feeling quite satisfied that they had made a very profitable expedition. But it seems a burglar proof compartment contained a much larger sum, which fortunately escaped the fingers of the scoundrelly gang.

There is no clue of the burglars’ identity, but a robbery was perpetrated at Mr. McIlroy’s store, Richmond, by three parties who are suspected of being the same gang which operated so successfully at Quyon.

Acts of daring are becoming more common every day but it would seem that the climax has been reached when it comes to balloons racing along in the air. The public demand novelties and their appetite must be appeased. Professor Leo Stephens or “Prince Leo” as he is more familiarly called, and his assistant will give exhibitions every day during the Great Fair which will be held in Ottawa.

The two-year-old son of Mr. Martin Nagel who lives near Rainham Centre post office, had both legs cut off last week by a binder with which his father was cutting the corn. The child died shortly afterwards from loss of blood.

Severe electric storms passed over this section on Tuesday and Wednesday night last. Wednesday’s storm was remarkable for an almost continuous illumination of the heavens by the electrical current and latterly by a strong wind which uprooted trees in some places. The storm brought a welcome change in the atmosphere which was almost stifling during the day and even until darkness set in.