Looking Back — Aug. 5, 2023

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/08/2023 (1153 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SIXTY YEARS AGO

G.T. Smith, founder of G.T. Smith and Sons, and an ardent sports enthusiast, died in Penticton, B.C., where he had resided since leaving Brandon about eight years ago.

FIFTY YEARS AGO

Rain dampened the landscape during the early afternoon but failed to dampen the spirits as the 18th annual Travellers’ Day Parade played to standing room only crowds through downtown streets and drew spirited applause as the band and units passed a fair crowd in the exhibition grandstand.

FORTY YEARS AGO

There were 242 fires in Brandon last year causing $2,781,417 in property damage compared to 250 fires causing $1,868,303 damage in 1981.

The Daly House Museum is currently re-enacting the days of Mutter’s Store complete with sampling of cheese or maple syrup served in the old-fashioned way.

THIRTY YEARS AGO

Robert Stevenson, the Manitoba Zero Till Research Association; Dave McAndrew, Parkland Agricultural Research Initiative; Dennis Haugen, Manitoba-North Dakota Zero Till Farmers; Agriculture Minister Charlie Mayer; and Claude Wilson of Ducks Unlimited Canada took part in a sod “re-turning” ceremony to mark the opening of the new zero-till research farm north of Brandon. The project will develop farming methods which protect soils and the environment. The farm will consist of 640 acres.

Brandon’s Bob Cornell fired a 6-over-par 77 to win the Shilo Senior Men’s golf tournament by one shot over Glen Peterson.

TWENTY YEARS AGO

After four days, the annual Little River Rockfest came to a close Sunday evening, the tunes of BTO still ringing in the air. The Lake Minnedosa site was busy all weekend. Rockfest’s president, Greg Blahitka, estimates that a daily average of at least 8,500 fans of classic rock enjoyed the lineup of bands.

A formal checklist won’t be made, but Brandon’s mayor and city councillors have their priorities outlined for what they want to see accomplished once they go back to meeting every two weeks later this summer. City councillors in Winnipeg are meeting behind closed doors at this time of year to rate what items they would like their city to tackle when it returns from a summer break.

TEN YEARS AGO

Brandon University, which heavily relies on international students, says the impact of striking visa officers across the globe hasn’t hit the school yet. An estimated 150 officers in 15 countries walked off the job last Monday after other Canadian foreign service workers have been entangled in a strike since June. The labour strife has slowed the visa application process to a sluggish pace, causing delays for international students starting school across the country.

Many people raised a glass after the province uncorked the new and long overdue liquor-and-lotteries act expected to come into effect by next year, but some say the revamped booze rules still haven’t caught up with the rest of Canada. According to at-home brew equipment retailers, Manitoba and Alberta are the only two provinces which don’t allow private businesses to offer brew-on-premises operations, or U-brews/U-vins.