Looking Back — Dec. 18, 2023

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/12/2023 (745 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SIXTY YEARS AGO

Douglas Clark was recently elected president of the Agricultural Society of Rivers.

Chemistry sets being sold in the city contain a deadly poison, sodium ferrocyanide. City police warned today that anyone finding a bottle of the coarse white powder should contact them immediately.

FIFTY YEARS AGO

A fire early this morning in the basement of Brandon Consumers Co-operative, 638 Princess Ave., resulted in fire damage to some furniture and heavy smoke and water damage to furniture and clothing. The total damage has been estimated at $6,000.

Karen Magnussen, from North Vancouver, B.C., 1973 world figure skating champion, was named Canada’s top female athlete. Phil Esposito, a 31-year-old centre with the Boston Bruins, has been named Canada’s outstanding athlete of 1973.

Alcohol is the biggest drug problem in Brandon — not heroin or speed — say Brandon authorities, reacting to the final report of the Le Dain commission on the non-medical use of drugs.

FORTY YEARS AGO

Soviet President Yuri Andropov is suffering from a degenerative kidney disorder that has responded to treatment, but doctors give him only two years to live.

Organizers of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary announced yesterday that CTV has won a $46-million contract to serve as host broadcaster for the Games.

THIRTY YEARS AGO

Barry Rabe has been named president of the Brandon Real Estate Board. Rabe takes over from Neil Agnew, who will be past-president.

Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra artistic director Bramwell Tovey worked his magic during the Christmas Pops concert at the WMCA last night. The sellout crowd heard the orchestra along with soloist Donnalynn Grant, perform a wide range of holiday tunes.

TWENTY YEARS AGO

The primary health-care access centre under construction in the old Velvet Rail building on Seventh Street has a new name. The centre will be called the Seventh Street Health Access Centre, the Brandon Regional Health Authority has decided. A variety of public and community health services will be available at the centre, which is due to start operating early in the new year.

The Keystone Centre finally has a full slate of board members again. Board president Tim Silversides announced yesterday that two new members, Chief Katherine Whitecloud and Blaine Cochrane, will now sit on the 10-member board as representatives of the community.

TEN YEARS AGO

A mother and her one-month-old boy are lucky to be alive after a semi-trailer collided with their pickup truck on Tuesday. Shortly before 7:30 a.m., Brandon RCMP and local fire and emergency services were dispatched to the scene of the two-vehicle collision along Highway 250 near Alexander. Cassandra Shand, a 22-year-old from Shilo, was behind the wheel of her pickup truck. Police said it looked like Shand pulled out onto the Trans-Canada Highway in front of the semi-trailer, which crashed in to her, causing the pickup to spin and end up in a ditch. The mother and child were brought to a nearby hospital for observation and were later discharged after suffering non-life-threatening injuries.