Oct. 20, 1993

25 Years Ago

Pontiac Community Hospital in the black: The Pontiac Community Hospital was able to record a surplus at the end of its first complete fiscal year in its new organizational structure.
The surplus of almost $200,000 was made possible by a one-time grant intended to eliminate the deficit caused by the opening of the new pavilion.
According to a report presented by Alain Guérette, the hospital’s director of human and financial resources, the Pontiac Community Hospital (PCH) closed its books with a surplus of $190,316.
Juniors beat Knights in home opener: The Shawville Junior B Pontiacs came out looking sharp in their home opener of the 93-94 season last Friday.
They took full advantage of visiting team, Ottawa West Golden Knights’ mistakes during the second period to blow open what was a close game to take a 8-5 edge into the final 20 minutes.
Scoring for the Juniors, Shawville’s Malcolm McGillvray and Paul Lang led the Juniors attack, evenly splitting 6 of the ten scored. Darrin Kelso, Wade Gowers, Gord McGillvray and Trevor Lang picked up the singles.
The final was a 10-6 victory for the Pontiacs in their first home game of the season.

Oct. 31, 1968

50 Years Ago
Staunch Johnston supporters enjoy roast beef and reminiscences at testimonial banquet in Bryson: Twenty years ago there was no bridge in Pontiac County that would carry a ten ton load. That was before the Ray Johnston era, and before he could get government going on building roads here, they had to build bridges which could carry the heavy equipment needed.
Saturday night at a banquet in his honour at the Lions Club Hall in Bryson, Ray likened that highway building from Quyon to Sheenboro to the building of the trans-continental railway.
Among the distinguished well-wishers was the Hon. Paul Martineau who said that Pontiac had never been heard of by some Quebec parliamentarians when Mr. Johnston was first elected in 1948. Mr. Martineau said that it was thanks to Ray that Pontiac was put on the map and got its first highway.
It was a well-attended testimonial dinner with about three hundred on hand to congratulate Ray.
Shawville Rotary Club brings Federal Minister of Agriculture to public meeting of farmers: The Hon. Bud Olson, Canadian Minister of Agriculture came to Shawville Monday night. He was greeted by Shawville Rotary President Ernie Stranacher who presented him with an honourary life membership in the Shawville Rotary Club and was welcomed to Shawville by Mayor Orla Young, to Pontiac County by Warden Bill Burke and to this riding by our Member of Parliament Tom Lefebvre.
Also at the head table were Neil Drummond, Wyman MacKechnie, Doug McMillan, Walter Kilgour and Irwin Hayes.
Olson’s main message was that Canadian farmers, both large scale producers and small acreage farmers are capable of increasing production and would greatly enjoy doing this but cannot economically do so because of the surpluses against which they are always working.
“It is mainly a problem of distribution, not one of production,” he said. He also said he and his department were at work trying to solve the problem and hoping to come up with some way to free the farmer from his current dilemma.

Oct. 28, 1943

75 Years Ago
Local News: On Monday morning of this week, Mr. Hilliard Hobbs began setting forms for the foundation of his new grain grinding mill.
The mill will be situated at the rear of the G.A. Howard property on Main Street, which was purchased by Mr. Hobbs several week’s ago.
The announcement that Portugal has granted Great Britain anti-submarine bases in the Azores is a development not only of immense immediate advantage to the Allies but one which carries political and strategic implications of world-wide significance, says The New York Times.
For the new anti-submarine bases in the Azores include both harbour and airfield facilities which will permit the stationing of British naval and air forces and possibly through reverse lend-lease of American forces as well, at an approximate midway point on the sea lanes between Newfoundland on one side and England and North Africa on the other.

Oct. 24, 1918

100 Years Ago
Local news: A Sand Point correspondent says the ferry boat Norway Bell has ceased making trips and people now have no way of getting across the river except by private conveyance.
The Shawville Milling Co have discarded as unsatisfactory the use of an iron smoke-stack and last week had a brick structure completed instead, the first of the kind in town.
Freddie Klock returned from the Kipewa district on Sunday ill with influenza. A couple of other Clarendon boys accompanied Fred and they also were ill with the prevailing malady.

With the exception of Fred’s case there has been no increase of the disease in Shawville since our last issue and about half the number who have been under quarantine, were considered sufficiently recovered on Monday to be liberated. Shawville has been very fortunate in having thus far, at least, comparatively few cases.
The toll of death has been very heavy around Renfrew and neighbourhood, chiefly from the prevailing epidemic.
The sympathy of the community is with Dr. ad Mrs. Klock and family in their great sorrow, caused by the death of their son Milton, who succumbed to wounds received in action a few days previously.
On Tuesday of last week, Mrs. Harvey Black, who lives in the neighbourhood of Campbell’s Bay met a young bear in the door-yard as she was about to start out for the cows. The animal made towards her but nothing daunted, she seized a good stick and succeeded in making Bruin shin up a tree that stands near the end of the woodshed. She then called to her husband and Mr. Black hurried to the house from the field. Procuring his rifle, he put a couple of bullets into his bearship, but these did not bring him down and he had to be beaten out of the tree with a stick.
The pressure continues: If the war-lords and junkers of Germany do not soon become seized of the wisdom of accepting President Wilson’s peace terms, “unconditional surrender”, the people beyond the Rhine will not have long to await the experience which has been that of Belgium and France since the war began. Except for the results of Allied airplane activities along the border, Germany has not suffered from the attacks of enemy heavy artillery, but if things keep on going as they have been during the past two or three weeks, the time will soon be when the land of the Huns must come within range of the Allied guns. In fact, it is reported that long range American cannon have already been pounding points in Germany near the Swiss frontier.
Mr. John D. Macfarlane returned last week from Parry Sound where he was engaged in the chemical works there, manufacturing the high-explosive T.N.T. The work would be very unhealthy, John thinks, once the cold weather sets in.

Oct. 26, 1893

125 Years Ago

Missing from our files