Looking back — Dec. 11, 2023

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/12/2023 (1006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SIXTY YEARS AGO

A caretaker in the Brandon school system and friends of thousands of school children over the years, George Gauld has retired after 32 years of service.

J. Mervyn Hamilton, a 34-year-old farmer from Glenboro, has been awarded a six-month travelling scholarship by the Nuffield Foundation of London, England. He will leave Canada in mid-February to study farm practices and agricultural life in Great Britain.

Frank Sinatra Jr., abducted from a motel on the California-Nevada border, was released by his captors today for a reported $240,000 ransom.

FIFTY YEARS AGO

Eleven persons swore allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II and became Canadian citizens yesterday in citizenship court held at Brandon city hall.

Lee Clark was elected president of the Brandon West Progressive Conservative Association last night at the Brandon West PC annual meeting.

Brandon city police report that $12,963.27 was stolen from Consumers Distributing Ltd. at Richmond Avenue and 18th Street over the weekend.

FORTY YEARS AGO

A house fire at 105 Victoria Ave. sent one woman to hospital and caused about $20,000 damage early yesterday morning.

Gary Filmon defeated Turtle Mountain MLA Brian Ransom on the second ballot at the Manitoba Progressive Conservative provincial leadership convention in Winnipeg, capturing 297 votes to Ransom’s 251. Clayton Manness finished third and was dropped after the first ballot.

The Brandon Chamber of Commerce has appointed a farmer to its board of directors to show recognition of agriculture’s importance in the business community. Ken Young, who operates a mixed farm just west of Brandon, has been appointed to the 15-member chamber board for one year.

THIRTY YEARS AGO

Setting aside their differences for a day, Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk accepted the Nobel Peace Prize and promised to keep working toward a democratic, non-racial South Africa.

The Brandon Downtown Business Improvement Association is turning back time by installing a piece of city heritage on a prominent downtown corner. A clock that originally hung outside Reesor’s Jewellery for many years has been dusted off, restored and mounted in a place of honour yesterday, outside the Brandon Gallery.

TWENTY YEARS AGO

The Eighth Street bridge, which crosses the Canadian Pacific rail line and connects downtown Brandon to the Assiniview area, was originally built in the 1930s. In the late 1960s a new piece was added on the south side of the bridge, closest to downtown, replacing the old iron structure that ran over the CPR tracks. City engineer Ted Snure says his department plans to replace the oldest part of the bridge in 2008, although that decision rests with a structural engineer the city would hire to review the project. Money is being put into a reserve now to pay for the future upgrades, with Snure estimating the project will cost about $2.4 million to do.

TEN YEARS AGO

Helping Hands opened its doors for the first time Tuesday night, providing some of Brandon’s homeless shelter from the cold. The Safe and Warm program — a joint effort between Helping Hands Soup Kitchen, the Salvation Army, local churches, Samaritan House Ministries, Prairie Mountain Health and the Canadian Mental Health Association — has been scrambling to secure funding this season. A small amount of funding the committee already secured, combined with contributions from local businesses and private donors, should carry the shelter through the next couple of weeks, Hamm said.