Looking Back — Jan. 13, 2025

SIXTY YEARS AGO

Tommy Turtle, symbol of the Turtle Mountains Association, waving both the American and Canadian flags at the entrance to the Peace Garden as he signals tourists to follow him to discover the beauties of the Turtle Mountains, was unveiled to a Canadian audience yesterday at the annual meeting of the Boissevain Chamber of Commerce.

FIFTY YEARS AGO

The Winnipeg Convention Centre, occupying an entire downtown block, has its official opening this weekend after the scheduled opening in 1974 was delayed by labour problems.

All stores at Shoppers Mall were forced to close at 11:30 a.m. except Safeway, which stayed open until 4 p.m., following one of the worst storms in recent history. Strong winds and driving snow halted nearly all activities in and around the city. Many people were stranded for more than 24 hours. It has been reported to be the worst blizzard to hit the southwest corner of the province since 1921.

FORTY YEARS AGO

Brandon’s Jeff Partrick is the leader after the junior men’s compulsory figures at the Central Division figure skating championships in St. Catharines, Ont.

RCMP Const. Allen Giesbrecht, 32, a native of Winnipeg, died today in Edmonton about three hours after he was shot by a gunman holed up in a house in Vegreville, Alta.

Killarney residents held an auction and raised $2,500 to be given to the Red Cross Ethiopian Relief Fund.

THIRTY YEARS AGO

Directors of the Helping Hands Centre of Brandon Inc. voted to continue the work of Rocky Addison and his family and will take on the responsibility of serving Christmas dinner to the needy.

Brandon Police Service officer Marc Alain was introduced to his new schoolmates during an “adoption” ceremony before the student body in the gymnasium at Harrison High Middle School. Alain is the first member of the force to participate in the Adopt-A-Cop program.

TWENTY YEARS AGO

Mobile homeowners now have a major ally in their fight against paying property taxes to the City of Brandon. The Brandon Chamber of Commerce released a statement that argues mobile home dwellers should not be forced to pay taxes at the same rate as other homeowners. The city has asked for input from people in the mobile home community on how it should charge homeowners for city services.

A portion of the Towne Cinema fell to the ground during demolition this week. The movie theatre, which was a bowling alley in a former incarnation, is being levelled to make way for a parking lot.

TEN YEARS AGO

Attention, passengers: Brandon Transit will be installing new surveillance equipment on its fleet of buses by the end of the year. Officials say safety is the primary motivator for the initiative, which has been approved in the 2015 transit budget at a cost of $150,000.

Operation Red Nose doubled the rides it gave in Brandon this past holiday season over the previous year, which led to a $1,000 bump in donations. With final numbers tallied, Operation Red Nose gave Manitobans more than 3,750 rides home in the days leading up to and including New Year’s Eve.

Terry Marshall, well-known in the Brandon area for running horse-drawn sleigh and wagon rides at community events, has died at the age of 64. A former Wheat King and 1970 draft pick for the St. Louis Blues, the lifelong cowboy was also a regular face on the Westman rodeo circuit, who passed down the tradition to his three daughters.