The Way We Were

April 26, 1995
25 Years Ago

Former mayor honoured: Former Bristol Mayor Alex Murray was honoured by the current mayor, Jack Graham, in observance of National Citizenship Week. Murray served ten years as councillor and ten years as mayor beginning in 1963.
Murray was mayor when a delegation was invited to Bristol England to celebrate the 600th anniversary of their sister town.
Murray stepped down in 1973 because he felt the office needed a regular injection of new ideas. “One person shouldn’t keep it too long,” he figures.
Pulpwood prices up: Local wood producers will be getting at least four dollars more per metric tonne of wood from the Stone Container pulp mill in 1995 than they got last year.
One dollar of this increase will go to pay for trucking.
At the same time, the mill in Portage du Fort will be buying between 25 and 50 per cent more wood depending on the species. White and yellow birch will fetch $26.75 per tonne at the roadside where it is cut and $26.72 for maple and beech.

April 29, 1970
50 Years Ago

An inside view at Elmside View: Construction on the new barn at the Maryland farm of Edwin and George Pirie was completed on Aug. 2, 1969. They moved forty four cows into the premises on Dec. 19. There are 39 comfort stalls 4’ 6” by 6’ and five box stalls 14’ by 12’ 6”, one of which is occupied by Elmside View Duplicate, the Pirie’s bull who is on display temporarily but will be moved back into his own special home in the old barn late in the season.
Edwin Pirie has been farming in this location for 42 years and this is the first new barn they have built so they are justifiably proud of it.
The plant includes a step saver dumping station for the milk with bulk tank cooler, all automatic milkers and they intend to install a generator which will run off the tractor for use in power failures.
Pontiac High School in badminton tourney: On April 18, Pontiac High School for the first time, entered a team in the Upper Ottawa Valley High School Badminton Tournament. This was held at Camp Petawawa in the spacious Dundonald Hall gymnasium into which six courts fit without crowding.
Our team didn’t win the title but at least they weren’t last. The experience was invaluable as most players on the Pontiac team had never participated in a tournament before. The Pontiac team was accompanied by their coach, Mr. Christie.
The tournament was well organized and efficiently run, with few delays and all six courts were busy from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

May 3, 1945
75 Years Ago

Local News: On Friday night Pte. Russell Black, son of Mr. and Mrs. W.J. Black of Charteris, arrived home after being five years and four months overseas in the Canadian army. He landed with the troops on D-Day in France and on July 14, 1944, was wounded in Holland. Shrapnel injured him in the left leg, right arm and left body and he has still a slug under one rib yet to be removed. He says that while wounded, a German put a revolver bullet into his legs and he lay on the ground 12 hours before being picked up.
Pte. Russell Black has two brothers in the armed forces, Bert who has been four years overseas and is at present in Germany and Denzil at Petawawa.
The young soldier was met in Ottawa by his sister, Miss Louise Black, Messrs. Thos. Roy and Robt. C. Carswell, all of Shawville who drove him to the home of his parents at Charteris.
The nearness of peace makes it necessary to give again a word of guidance to the people of Shawville and district as to how victory is to be celebrated. As soon as official end of the war with Germany is proclaimed, all business places, stores, schools, amusement places are to be closed for the balance of that day.
If the news comes before noon, the people of the district are asked to gather at 2:30 p.m. for a procession of victory to the Memorial Park and the Exhibition Park. Flags will be a fine thing to carry in the procession. A pause will be made at Memorial Park for a brief service of remembrance of those who have fallen in this or the First War.
The the procession will continue to the grand stand of the Agricultural Park where the mayor and the Clarendon ministerial association will lead in a service of worship, penitence, thanksgiving and prayer.
Keeping pace with the rapidly moving First Canadian Army is no small task when it comes to building bridges for their ever-growing lines of communications but the Royal Canadian Engineers have performed near-miracles in bridging the Rhine River after the Canadians’ historic crossing.
Sons of former Pontiac families drowned: On Saturday afternoon, Basil Thompson and Keith Brown, two sons of former residents of this district, were drowned in the cold waters of Porcupine Lake when the boat in which they were rowing capsized. It seems that Basil Thompson, 10, and his 13-year-old brother, Lorne, sons of Mr. and Mrs. Jas. D. Thompson of South Porcupine, who left Wyman for the north ten years ago, with Keith Brown, son of Mr. and Mrs. Dan Brown, former resident of Leslie, with a fourth boy, Rickey Pryor, found a boat on the shore of the lake and went out for a row. Somehow, the boat capsized and the four were thrown into the water. Some men heard their cries, but were delayed looking for another boat. They rescued the Pryor boy and pulled out Lorne Thompson soon enough that, while unconscious, he was still alive and was resuscitated after an hour’s work upon him.
The bodies of the other two boys were found some time later.

April 22, 1920
100 Years Ago

Local News: A note enclosing his subscription from Mr. Robert Story of Calgary says that spring weather is very late coming in that district and that nothing in the line of seeding has been done up to the date of writing April 9; also that there had been great suffering and loss of stock from lack of feed, which cannot be got for any money.
On Monday evening, the dressmaking classes in connection with the public school night classes held an informal party in the central school kindergarten room. The classes are in charge of Miss A.E. Brulotte and Mrs. O. Roy, assistant, and these ladies were presented with tokens of remembrance from the classes, each receiving a cameo ring.
Alleged scarcity of the raw article has again forced the price of sugar up to the extent of $2.50 per 100 lbs. The prospects that much preserving will be done this year by the thrifty Canadian housewife are certainly dim.
Mrs. Andrew Pirie returned home Saturday from the Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, after being operated on for a malady which she suffered from for twenty-five years.

April 25, 1895
125 Years Ago

Local News: Mr. John McAra, proprietor of the Norway Bay ferry who called at THE EQUITY on Saturday last, informed us that he expected to commence the season’s ferrying operations on Wednesday of this week.
A “box social”, the first ever held in this village, took place in the court room of the academy on Wednesday evening last, with rather successful results. The boxes, very artistic affairs in themselves, were the product of the deft fingers of a number of the village ladies and each contained a supply of the most toothsome articles known to the culinary art. The dainty receptacles and their contents were sold by auction to the highest bidders and the young men are said to have displayed a remarkably keen interest in the competition occasioned thereby.
Quebec West returned Hon. Mr. Dobell, independent Conservative, over Hon. Thos. McGreevy, also independent Conservative. On account of the narrow majority obtained by Mr. Dobell, (only seven) it is said his opponent has demanded a recount.
Ad: John Beckitt, Jr. is prepared to supply the newest designs in carriages, buggies and all kinds of wheeled vehicles this season. Leave your order with him now if you want anything in the above line.
Ad: It has always been a well-known fact that Mrs. McKenzie, Milliner, Shawville, has kept the largest stock and latest styles in millinery and the fact still remains as she has this season a larger and better stock than ever. Her stock consists of the latest styles in hats, flowers, ribbons, laces, old ladies dress caps, etc. Call and be convinced that this is no idle tale.
Ad: Logs wanted at Thackray’s Lumber Mills, Ragged Chute, Bristol. I am prepared to pay the highest price in cash for any quantity of good sawlogs delivered at my mill or at points along the Quyon River between Ragged Chute and Gray Lake.

compiled by Bonnie Chevrier