Dec. 9, 1992
25 Years Ago
Shawville honours budding farmers at annual QYF awards banquet: The Shawville Young Farmers held their annual banquet on Saturday honouring the outstanding achievements of their members with trophies, certificates and awards.
Nancy Pirie was a big winner coming away from the evening with eight trophies. James Howard presented the Shawville Young Farmers’ President Kathy Howard with the David Pilgrim Memorial trophy for Most Outstanding member.
Sheen residents powerless: It will be a candlelight Christmas for homeowners near Sheenboro who were promised electricity seven months ago.
Pembroke Electric Light Company and Hydro Quebec have failed to come to agreement for the transfer of the Sheenboro distribution area to HQ.
The lack of a purchase agreement has meant that several Sheen property owners can’t get a hydro extension to their homes and cottages until the two companies complete their haggle over price.
It’s going to be a real old fashioned Christmas for the Pattersons, Hunters, Morrises, Walkers and McLeeses of Ferguson Bay in Sheen.
Dec. 14, 1967
50 Years Ago
Romanian Nationals 6, Shawville Pontiacs 0: A good time was had by all, even by international rules.
“When in Canada do as the Canadians do” is not on the rulebook of the Romanian National Hockey team but even on their own terms, they got a good game out of the Shawville Pontiacs on Saturday night.
The Shawville team has nothing to apologize for. Goalie Brian Pappin saved about twenty five good shots from connecting with the net and only let six through. A lot of skating and a lot of passing and a very good clean variety of hockey by Pontiacs however couldn’t make them any points, so wound up with a blank on the score board.
The Romanians were neat players. They never looked sideways to pass but just expected the receiver to arrive on the right spot at the right second, and the receiver always did.
Before the game, everyone enjoyed a nicely arranged opening ceremony consisting of words of welcome from Mayor Orla Young, words of wisdom from Hon. Raymond Johnston, words of encouragement from ODHA Secretary Alf Taylor and a rousing medley of marches and concert music from the Shawville Community Band.
Startup at Pontiac Mill: On the day they officially opened the Port du Fort bridge, the people down at the Consolidated Bathurst Pontiac Mill started pouring chips into the big digester.
This was the beginning of what some of those who have had experience in these things now call the smoothest and best start-up ever witnessed in a new mill. Raymond Bertrand was one of those who expressed this opinion.
Throughout the mill are a number of control panels. By pushing buttons and watching lights and signals, one is able to operate the gargantuan machinery on the floor of the mill.
Dec. 17, 1942
75 Years Ago
Local News: Mrs. Bruce Barber of this village has received a message from His Majesty King George in which he expresses his heartfelt sorrow in the death of her son Sgt. Air Gunner, John Barber who was killed in a plane crash at Debert, N.S. on Nov. 13.
The report for Clarendon No. 10 Red Cross unit shows that since its annual meeting in Nov. 1911 to the present time, the following articles have been completed: pyjammas 40 pr.; quilts 27; sheets 24; soldiers’ kits 12; dressing gowns 5; bed jackets 5; scarves 4; sweaters 3; cap 1. Donations: 1 pair of bloomers, 1 dressing gown and 1 shirt.
The Polish government said that Heinrich Himmler, Nazi Gestapo chief, had ordered the extermination of one-half of the Jewish population of Poland by the end of this year and that 250,000 had been killed through September under that program.
“According to information leaking from the German labour office, only 40,000 Jews are to remain in the Warsaw Ghetto, only thoroughly skilled workers to be employed in the German war industry,” a government statement said.
The statement said that those marked for extermination at any time are “driven to a square where old people and cripples are segregated, taken to a cemetery and shot. “The remainder,” it is said, “are loaded into freight cars, 150 to a car intended for 40. The floor in the car is sprinkled with a thick layer of lime or chlorine-sprinkled water. The doors of the cars are sealed. Sometimes the train starts immediately, other times it waits on a siding for days.”
“The people are packed so tightly that those who die of suffocation remain in the crowd side by side with those still living. Half arrive dead at their destination. Those surviving are sent to special camps. Once there they are mass-murdered.”
Dec. 20, 1917
100 Years Ago
Local News: A special cable to the Evening Telegram from Douglas S. Robertson says: a special Christmas parcel containing one plum pudding, a special tin of beef, chocolate, crystallized fruit, etc. has been sent by the Canadian Red Cross to Long to every Canadian prisoner in Germany. They were posted Nov. 24 and it is expected will arrive at all camps well before Christmas and help to brighten the day for 2,600 Canadians in captivity.
A four month course in Dressmaking will begin at Macdonald College on January next. Town women will pay a fee of $25 but to farmers’ wives or daughters the course will be free. Those taking the work will live in the college and will pay board at $5 per week, also they will pay for the material they use in making their own dresses.
Several attacks and counter attacks on the British front in the Arras district during the past week has resulted in the capture and re-capture of some ground won by the British in the recent big drive towards Cambrai. It is stated that the enemy is amassing large bodies of troops, drawn from the East with the object of making another desperate effort, before Christmas to break through the Allied lines, capture Paris and get possession of the French coast line along the Channel.
Dec. 15, 1892
125 Years Ago
Local news: On Friday last, whilst drawing a load of wood out of the bush, Mr. James H. Lang of Thorne had his breast bone broken and the left shoulder dislocated, besides receiving other injuries. It seems he was sitting on the front of the load and when going down a steep pitch, the wood slid forward carrying him with it.
The team started to run and the unfortunate man was dragged along the ground for quite a distance, partly under the sleigh. When at length he got free, he succeeded in getting up and following the horses which he overtook, they being held fast by a stump on the road. The injured man then managed to drive home. A messenger was at once despatched for Dr. Gaboury, who found the injuries of such a serious nature that he deemed it expedient to have an assistant. Dr. Lyon was therefore sent for, and together the two physicians did all they could to relieve the sufferings of the man whose case although extremely critical, is not considered hopeless. A chain of peculiarly unfortunate circumstances has linked itself with Mr. Lang’s destinies during the past two months. On the occasion of his marriage, a pall was thrown over the anticipated festivites by an accident which resulted a day or two afterwards, in the death of Mr. Charles Letts, of Calumet Island; then the young wife was stricken down by an illness which brought her to the threshold of death’s door; lastly comes the accident to himself which if he succeeds in recovering from, will at least incapacitate him for a considerable length of time.
We had quite a splash of rain here today, making the roads very disagreeable.
The bridge on the Gatineau Valley railroad near Farrellton has been repaired and the road is now completed to the township of Aylwin. Grading is completed to Kazabazua and rails will be laid to that point by Christmas.
Sore throat, pronounced by the doctors to be a mild form of diphtheria, broke out among some of the children and young people of the village last week in consequence of which the board of health deemed it expedient to close the academy for the balance of the year.-
