Looking Back — Oct. 21, 2023

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/10/2023 (1070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SIXTY YEARS AGO

Donnie Richardson of rural Brandon came up a big winner as animals from his herd topped all comers for top ribbons at the Manitoba Winter Fair’s inaugural feeder and stocker calf show and sale. Members of Congress, shocked and confused over U.S. President Richard Nixon’s sudden firing of his tough Watergate special prosecutor, were returning today to Washington suddenly alive with talk of impeachment.

Kenny Rogers and the First Edition performed before a less then capacity crowd at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium last night.

FIFTY YEARS AGO

Three Westman residents are to receive “good citizenship” awards from the Tourist and Convention Association of Manitoba — Harvey Tolton, Richard Patmore, both of Brandon, and Tom Hainsworth of Deloraine.

Premier Ed Schreyer dismissed a request by Mayor Bill Wilton for further financial aid for Brandon’s Keystone Centre, saying the province has already made concessions to Brandon on the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium and adjustments to the provincial contributions to the Keystone Centre.

FORTY YEARS AGO

Grenada’s army enforced around-the-clock curfew yesterday, warning that violators will be shot on sight, after killing left-wing Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, three of his cabinet ministers and two prominent union leaders.

Don MacPherson drove a grain truck across the new bridge over the Little Saskatchewan River about 15 kilometres northwest of Brandonto officially open the $25,000 structure. The new bridge replaces the old McMillan bridge, built in 1912, that had deteriorated and was too narrow for modern farm machinery. The Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council officially opened its group home on the Sioux Valley Indian Reserve today. It is the first on any reserve in Canada to offer this level of care.

THIRTY YEARS AGO

In a totally bizarre Game 4 of baseball’s fall classic, the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 15-14 in the highest-scoring game in World Series history, taking four hours and 14 minutes to play — the longest game in

World Series history. Toronto trailed 14-9 in the eighth inning before scoring six runs to forge ahead and eventually win the game. The federal and provincial governments announced today they will help the private sector finance construction of the $5.2-million Asessippi Ski Hill north of Russell. The project will be a “world-class” facility that is expected to attract 25,000 skiers each year and generate $20 million in economic activity over the next 10 years.

TWENTY YEARS AGO

More than 40 per cent of Manitoba’s registered psychiatric nurses will be eligible for retirement in the next 10 years, says Annette Osted, executive director of the College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses. The average age of a Canadian RPN is 45.7 years, according to a report on RPNs released this week by the

Canadian Institute for Health Information. “We have figured out we need a minimum of 50 graduates per year for the next 20 years just to maintain what we have, which itself is a shortage,” Osted says. Brandon University, which hosts the only psychiatric nursing degree program in the province, has been funded for 50 seats per year since 1995.

A Reston-area farmer is the first Liberal to announce he wants to be the next member of Parliament of Brandon-Souris. MurrayDowning has formally thrown his hat into the ring, seeking the Liberal nomination for the riding, which has been held by Progressive Conservative MP Rick Borotsik since 1997.

TEN YEARS AGO

It’s a good year to be in the grain dryer sales business, as farmers across Westmanfrantically wrap up the harvest in less than ideal conditions.

A major storm two weekends ago, which dumped close to 80 millimetres of rain in some areas, has forced some producers into the unenviable position of harvesting crops while they are above moisture levels required for safe storage.