Apr. 7, 1993

25 Years Ago

Dinner theatre raises $4,500: All of Shawville society turned out for the gala dinner and opening night performance of Pontiac Protestant High School’s production of The Music Man last Tuesday night.
The pre-play dinner was a sold-out affair, raising $4,500 to be divided equally between PPHS student activities and the solarium fund at Pontiac Community Hospital.
During dinner, music from the play was performed by Connie Gray on piano, Tom Alexander on flute and Penny Frobel on vocals.
Director Joan Conrod’s casting was inspired. Rhonda Hodgins and Andrew Smith played the leads with assurance and style. Several of the supporting actors, Lindsay Kent, Andrew Woolsey, Robert McMunn and Greg Graham, gave their parts a skilled and spirited treatment.
McDowell keeps regional plaque: On April 2, Laura Wills, a grade 5 student at Dr. S.E. McDowell Elementary School in Shawville took first place in the regional public speaking competition held by the West Quebec School Board at Chelsea Elementary School.
This marks the second year in a row that a McDowell student has taken this honour, Aaron Perry having won first place last year.

Apr. 11, 1968

50 Years Ago

Eric Ross explains problems of pollution at Lions Club Zone Rally: The Shamrock Room of Gavan’s Hotel was the setting for a highly successful Zone Rally conducted at the request of Zone Chairman Clarence Wall and hosted by the Lions Club of Quyon.
The report of the activities and achievements of the Lions Club of Quyon was delivered by Lion Gus Peppard, Chairman and organizer of this entire program.
The meeting was enlivened by singing led by Lion Ken Dugan of Bryson accompanied by Zone Chairman Ken Cochrane of Renfrew.
The highlight of the evening was the talk delivered by the guest speaker F. M. (Eric) Ross, Chief Chemist of the Pontiac Mill. Mr. Ross had worked in British Honduras, Scotland and the United States before coming to the Portage project.
Farmers went back to school for two days: Galen Driver and Peter Hamilton of Macdonald College came to Shawville last week to give a short course in certain aspects of farming to an alert group of local agriculturalists, mostly dairymen.
They compared the costs of good hay, corn silage, haylage and grass silage. They pointed out that the better the quality of hay, the cheaper the cattle could be well fed. Improved quality of hay came through early cutting. When the quality of hay is poor, the dairyman has to buy dairy ration for his cows which is expensive.
Corn is high in energy and nutrients but low in protein and urea is a cheap source of protein when used with care. Urea was discussed at length with warnings that more than a two percent of urea in the ration can be poisonous but that it is a good additive to corn silage.

Apr. 15, 1943

75 Years Ago

Local News: Joseph Earlam, a well-known citizen of Radford section was found dead at the Pontiac Hotel on Thursday morning by the owner and manager, Wm. Gibson.
Mr. Earlam had been at the hotel for a few days recuperating from a severe cold. Before retiring Wednesday night, he appeared to be in good health. He died during his sleep, death being attributed to a heart seizure. He was in his 63rd year.
A native of Manchester, England, he came to Canada when very young and first resided at Kinburn, Ont. At the age of 13 years, he came to Radford section and lived on the Hamilton homestead for several years.
Many Canadian women have taken courses in first aid in the home in recent months
It will be easier to apply that knowledge if the home medicine chest is ready for all emergencies. Half-empty bottles of medicine which are no longer needed should be emptied and the bottles washed for salvage.
A well stocked medicine cabinet should contain all the tried and true remedies for simple illnesses, such as for burns, cuts which can be treated at home, or at least given first until the doctor comes.
Certain kinds of medicines, such as aromatic spirits of ammonia should only be bought in small quantities because they soon lose their strength. A fresh supply of iodine should be purchased every year as it gets too strong with age.
Do not open packages containing first aid dressings until they are needed. They will only remain sterile as long as they are not opened.
American flying fortresses recently deposited heavy bomb loads on the Nazi controlled naval installations at Lorient, port of France’s Brittany coast midway between Brest and St. Nazaire. Lorient was for many years, france’s foremost port for naval construction, says a bulletin of the National Geographic society.
The Nazis immediately turned the port into a submarine base following the French surrender in 1940. The set up was perfect since Lorient already had the heavy-duty cranes and dry docks for complete submarine overhauling. In addition, the port was conveniently situated as a base for undersea raids on English channel and North Sea shipping.

Apr. 11, 1918

100 Years Ago

Local News: Special revival services will be held in the Holiness Movement church, Shawville all this week and all-day meetings on Saturday and Sunday. A number of preachers and people from the surrounding district will be present.
Mr. John J. Caldwell left on Monday morning to begin work on a new sleep house at the Cheneaux Boom where operations will begin as soon as navigation opens. Mr. John Hobbs, one of the old timers on the loose and who appears to be good for many years’ service yet, has also gone to the boom to be on the post when the first log is piked through.
Mr. H.A. Carlson, of Haileybury, Ont., who a short time ago was bereft of his wife, paid a flying visit to his children, who are in the care of relatives at Bristol and Fort Coulonge.
A matter of very great interest to the homemakers clubs has recently come into the reckoning in connection with their war-winning efforts. It is the successful solution of the problem of knitting two socks at once, in very little more time than is ordinarily taken to knit one, after you get in to the swing of it, so to speak. THE EQUITY learns that Miss Reid, the teacher of No. 1 School has mastered the secret from instructions given in the Farmer’s Advocate and true to her profession, is ready and willing to share the knowledge thus acquired with any lady who may wish to know how the trick is done.
Reports from the western war zone say that the enemy has not made any important gains for several days. Monday’s dispatches state that the Huns are preparing for another big thrust at some new point on the front, which the Allies are prepared to meet. The first offensive, it is claimed, has exhausted its fury and completely failed in its objective.

Apr. 13, 1893

125 Years Ago

Local news: Ad: Go to Dowd’s, Quyon, for cheap, well-finished harness.
Although the snow is fast disappearing and the roads are in a bad condition, yet there is a rushing business doing here.
We expect a dressmakers shop to be opened up in Radford this week. Although we are small in population, who says we can’t keep up with our neighbouring villages?
Rumour has it afloat that a wedding is to take place before many months. I don’t know, I’m sure, but Ned has made his trips to our blacksmith’s more regular this spring.
Mr. G. R. Horner is home again. He conducted the prayer meeting in the school house on Sunday night.
House cleaning is all the rage here.
The members of the Shawville lodge, L.O.L. have decided to procure uniforms before the next celebration of the “Twelfth.”
The water is rising very quickly in Bryson. One of our citizens, Mr. Pasche, had to build a dam on the hill to keep the water from running down into his house.
Mr. R.W. Ralph, forest ranger has returned from his winter’s work on the Schyan and neighbouring territory.
A cow fell from a car on a swiftly running train last Monday, east of Biscotasing, the animal falling over a trestle over 40 feet high and received only a slight scratch on the back. The snow at the point where she fell is very deep, thus saving her life. The cow is now in possession of Despatcher Lariviere of Chapleau.