Looking Back — June 3, 2024

SIXTY YEARS AGO

The Hartney Home Economics Club held its annual achievement night recently with 28 girls taking part.

The Brandon Rock and Gem Club will be the new name of the Gem-Dandy Rock club, it was announced at a recent meeting.

The annual invasion of Brandon will begin June 29 when the 82nd Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba opens. About 87,000 people saw last year’s show.

FIFTY YEARS AGO

Harrison High School graduates will be returning to their old school this afternoon for an open house and tonight for a banquet and dance — a reunion before the school becomes a junior high school next fall.

Altar boys Danny Karashowsky and Mark Martinook aided Rt. Rev. Bishop Boris of Central Canada for the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church, in a service this Sunday that marked 50 years of service to the Brandon and western Manitoba community by the parish of the Holy Ukrainian Greek-Orthodox Church of the Holy Ghost.

FORTY YEARS AGO

Two city police officers were the first in Brandon to be awarded the Governor-General’s Police Exemplary Service Medals at a ceremony yesterday. Cpl. Douglas Bottley and Cpl. Clifford Ringash received the medal for 20 years of good service.

THIRTY YEARS AGO

The Queen unveiled Canada’s first major war memorial in Britain today, 50 years after 10,000 Canadians were killed or wounded in the D-Day invasion of Normandy. Assisted by Prime Minister Jean Chretien, the monarch opened the Canada War Memorial in royal Green Park, next to Buckingham Palace, before 300 Canadians.

TWENTY YEARS AGO

Residents of Melita are in shock after learning that one of the two remaining auto dealerships in the town will close its doors for good this Friday. Franklin Chrysler, which has been a fixture in the town of about 1,100 people for more than 20 years, employed nine people, say local residents.

Everywhere Jim Peterson walked in Hamiota, a town of 850 people, the question stayed the same — just when are you going to get that U.S. border open? More than a year after the United States stopped importing Canadian beef and sent the cattle industry into a tailspin, Hamiota and other rural communities continue to hurt and wonder what can be done to convince the U.S. that Canada’s beef is safe. Despite the difficulties, Peterson, Canada’s international trade minister, says he’s still optimistic the border will open and people’s livelihoods will recover.

TEN YEARS AGO

Local property owner Garth Hoy said he is “alarmed” that the City of Brandon has not been issued a licence by the province for the drainage work being conducted near his property. Since April, Hoy’s RM of Cornwallis home has flooded three times, which he believes is due to the city pumping water from a retention pond in Brandon’s southeast corner.

Mosquito counts in Brandon jumped on Sunday before falling significantly on Monday, according to the City of Brandon. They’re still higher than last week, however, which was the first week of counting mosquitoes in the season. But they are not high enough to warrant fogging the city with insecticide.