July 1911
A report from water works superintendent Bland indicated that, in general, there has been compliance with the order restricting sprinkling during the evening hours, so that ample water is available for cooking and bathing purposes. Mr. Bland was determined to have the order obeyed and will punish those who do not comply by cutting off their water.
City electrician R. Nicholson served notice that those availing themselves of free electric service through an illegal connection would be dealt with severely. A gentleman had recently been fined $10 and costs for the offence, but police warned that the next culprit would not get off so lightly [sic].
The Ladysmith General Hospital was officially opened on Tuesday, July 18, 1911 by the Honorable Dr. Young, Minister of Education and Acting Premier of B.C. to wide acclaim. Dr. Young made a personal donation of $1,000 to complete an infants’ ward in the new hospital. Ladysmith’s first two physicians, Dr. Wasson and Dr. Frost, were in attendance. The hospital was constructed by local contractor Donald Nicholson for a cost of $18,000. The first patient was Mr. M. Celle with a broken leg. [Note: The original hospital was demolished in 1957 to make way for the present structure.]
Ladysmith’s Dominion Day celebrations were interrupted by rain for the first time in history. The rain did hold off until the afternoon, allowing many events to proceed, including the annual Nanaimo/Ladysmith baseball game. The umpire did attempt to have the game called on account of rain in the fifth inning, but the Nanaimo team would not agree to this. Ladysmith was ahead from the start and won an easy 17 to 11 victory over their Nanaimo opponents.
July 1936
The Keisho Maru arrived in port to take on one million feet of logs from Acme Logging Company, destined for Japan.
Dominion Day celebrations were described as a “pleasing pageantry of color and variety.” The traditional baseball tournament was held until it ended by darkness, and May Queen Belle Beattie reigned over the affair with her two ladies-in-waiting, Isabel Allan and Cora Dabb.
The council was advised that Miss J.E. Nicholson’s long service with the telephone office in Ladysmith was coming to an end, as she would be leaving to set up a new telephone system in Port Alberni.
July 1961
A very successful July 1 celebration was held in Ladysmith despite threatening skies, Fire Chief James Lumsden showed off the new $18,000 Ladysmith FD fire engine in the parade, which intrigued parade watchers with its eerie sounding siren. The parade was rated as “one of the best ever” with 44 entries including four bands and 18 floats. In other events, Mrs. O. Rutti of Davis Road was the winner for the third successive time in the nail driving contest. Twelve ladies entered the grueling event with no crushed fingers or broken bones reported.
The July 13 edition announced the amalgamation proposal to add part of the Saltair and Diamond areas to the Village of Ladysmith has been approved and forwarded to the Minister of Municipal Affairs with only minor changes. The boundaries now extended from approximately Russell Creek to Rocky Creek. Size of the new area is about 1,800 acres, nearly eight times greater than the existing municipal area. The amalgamation doubled both the population of Ladysmith to 3,000 and the total assessment from $2 to $4 million.
— Compiled by Ed Nicholson, Ladysmith Historical Society
