Jan. 17,1996
25 Years Ago
Fort Coulonge resident to receive Medal of Bravery: For his efforts in saving the lives of two people, a Fort Coulonge resident will receive a Medal of Bravery from the Governor General.
July, 4. 1994 began as any other typical day for Hydro Quebec lineman Glenn Romain of Fort Coulonge.
His crew was working on changing a transformer near Saint Hyacinthe when some . . .
kids playing near the river bank came over screaming that ten-year-old Francis Charette had fallen into the fast moving Noire River.
“There were people in trouble, and they needed help,” Romain says matter-of-factly. “You didn’t have time to think (of your own safety) it happened so fast.
One and a half years later, Romain, along with Carrière, Thibeault, Jean-Philippe Gilbert and Carl Gilbert will receive Medals of Bravery for their heroic rescue.
Work on river bypass system begins: The ice was broken at Portage du Fort last week to begin construction of a boat ramp for the new Ottawa River Waterway bypass system.
Work began at both the Portage and Desjardinsville sites on Jan. 11.
Work is expected to start this week at the Chapeau, Bryson and Cameron Farm sites.
Jan. 20,1971
50 Years Ago
Bazaar and Tea at Pontiac High: Mr. Force directed the Cycle L Glee Club during the High School Bazaar and Tea on Dec. 12. The choir consisted of Cathy Russell, Carol Lang, Adele Landry and Daphne Clarke.
Robert Evans, Reuben Hodgins, Eric Rebertz, Hugh Eades and Robert Richard were five young fellows who turned out to give a helping hand at the Bazaar and Tea at Pontiac High School.
Grants for fluoridation: A sum of fifty thousand dollars will be distributed during the current fiscal year to municipalities in Quebec in grants for the purchase of equipment to fluoridate water supplies.
An amount of five thousand dollars is being made available to municipalities where the purchase of such equipment and the planning for its use is approved by the government.
Jan. 17,1946
75 Years Ago
Local News: Some 300 part-time enumerators, the majority of them housewives, have gone to work for Dominion Bureau of Statistics, knocking on one door of every 100 Canadian homes. Through a series of prepared questions, the Bureau found there were 167,000 unemployed, about 10,000 more than were recently reported by the Labour Department.
In the opening game of the Pontiac Senior Hockey League played at Shawville arena on Friday night, Campbell’s Bay team defeated Shawville by a score of 3 to 1.
In a return game by Quyon juvenile hockey team to Shawville “Young Canadians” played here on Monday, the local lads again won out by a score of 5 to 2.
The game was said to be thrilling from start to finish and the final score was not a fair indication of play.
Although this was an “off-year” in municipal politics, since it meant election of only three councillors in the village and townships, still stirring contests were fought out for the three vacant seats in the various councils.
In Shawville 156 voters went to the polls. Retiring Councillors Edgar Hodgins and H.I. Hobbs refused to allow their names to be considered this year, and Councillor Arthur Horner met defeat at the polls, so that three new faces will appear at the council table.
Mr. Chas. Russell has announced that the opening of the new bowling alley at Pine Lodge, Bristol, will be open on Monday evening and will also be open night at the lodge with free bowling, ping-pong and dancing.
Prime Minister Mackenzie King will be accompanied to the Peace Conference, wherever and whenever it is held, by John Bracken as Leader of the opposition in parliament.
Jan. 13,1921
100 Years Ago
Local News: Since its organization the St. Paul’s Young Peoples’ Club has enjoyed two good sleigh rides.
A man arrested at Combermere, charged with the robbery of $2,200 from the Merchant’s Bank teller between Barry’s Bay and Combermere came up fro hearing before Magistrate J.C. Stewart and was committed to the county jail to await the next assizes, when he will be tried by a judge and jury. Mr. Bernacki, the Merchants’ Bank teller who was robbed, swore that he recognized the voice of the man who held him up as that of the man on trial. This was the only important evidence submitted.
Mr. Jack Telford and son Gilbert will soon be residing at their lower farm on account of getting the contract to draw gravel at Murrells.
A report from Otter Lake has it that a considerable quantity of “Poteen” (moonshine) reached that peaceful hamlet during the holiday festivities and one result was that a party out there was requested to hand over the sum of 400 bucks for having indiscreetly sold two lots of the stuff to a couple of supposed “hunters” who turned out to be whiskey spotters.
Jan. 16,1896 125 Years Ago
Local News: Although the sleighing was far from being just what the boys would like to see it, a number of teams started for Mattawa and elsewhere last week to be ready for operations.
The municipal elections passed off very quietly in this village, although at one time during the hour for receiving nominations, matters were shaping themselves for a contest.
More than the usual interest seemed to have been centered in the election for the township, judging from the number of ratepayers who turned out but here again extreme measures seemed to be deemed unadvisable and the “old hands” were allowed to resume their seats without much opposition.
A couple of weeks ago we inserted an item in our local columns in regard to a monster pine log which had been laid up for Hodgins Bros., of North Clarendon. It was indeed a monster but this week we have been informed of another log which was laid up during the past week by Mr. Robert Workman in Thorne and which if report is correct, simply takes the cake from all competitors while it also was laid up with one horse. The dimensions of monster number two are: length 15 feet; diameter at top end, 47 1/2 inches.
