Looking Back — July 13, 2022

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/07/2022 (1520 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SIXTY YEARS AGO

Firefighters failed this afternoon in a bid to save the main building of the Brandon Woollen Mills in the north end of the city as flames engulfed the three-storey brick structure. Efforts of the firemen, however, did succeed in halting the spread to two other buildings.

FIFTY YEARS AGO

Laurie Lewis and Judy Raymer of Brandon will head a field of five local athletes who will take part in the Manitoba age-class track and field championship this weekend in Winnipeg.

At a press conference held this afternoon at Shilo, Helmut Schmidt, West Germany’s minister of finance and economics, outlined the proposed plans to bring German troops to Shilo for military exercises and training.

FORTY YEARS AGO

McKenzie Steele Briggs Seeds of Brandon has agreed to buy the Edmonton-based seed house of Pike and Co. Ltd. for $1.05 million.

Diane Hilko, a 23-year-old native of St. Catharines, Ont., joined Brandon University’s athletic department staff this week.

THIRTY YEARS AGO

Brandon residents and tourists are getting an inside look at the heritage houses that have become the foundation of the city’s proud tradition. A new bus tour, provided by the Daly House Museum, made its inaugural run yesterday.

The national unemployment rate soared to 11.6 per cent in June from 11.2 per cent the previous month.

TWENTY YEARS AGO

More and more Manitobans have steady jobs. For the second straight month, the Keystone province has the lowest unemployment rate in the country at 4.9 per cent. With three new retailers set to open next year in Brandon and a second shift starting soon at Maple Leaf Pork, that already-small pool of job hunters may become even slimmer. Errol Black, a retired economics professor from Brandon University, expects low-wage positions like cooks might be even harder to fill in the near future.

Brandon-based Outdoor Box Office (OBO) is under new leadership. Longtime OBO managers Sean Farnell and James Wenzel initiated a management buyout of the company at the end of June, taking over from a group of eight owners of which they were part.

TEN YEARS AGO

High school graduation rates have taken a significant leap in Brandon over the past decade. Last month, a total of 614 students, out of a possible 637, graduated from the Brandon School Division. At 96.4 per cent, it’s the highest graduation rate the division has seen in at least 20 years. Ten to 15 years ago, BSD was seeing rates in the 78 to 82 per cent range. Last year, that number was 90.5 per cent.

A decision to install individual water and sewer hookups at Clear Lake’s old campground has left a once unified community divided. While many residents support the Clear Lake Cabins Association’s decision to install sewer and water, some believe the services are unnecessary and have voiced concerns over how the board reached its decision.