55 YEARS AGO:
The first annual P.T.A. Talent Show was a tremendous success if one judged by the “standing room only” for latecomers to the Clearwater Secondary School auditorium. About 400 relatives and friends turned out to hear almost 30 entries with performers from preschool to adult. Master of Ceremonies, Wayne Highland, kept things moving well and the backstage, under the capable direction of R. Catton, cut short the time between numbers so the audience was not kept waiting long between items.
50 YEARS AGO:
“Can’t understand the mentality of people so bankrupt that Highway 16 has to steal a name,” was the comment made by Jack Foote, chairman of the Central North Thompson Chamber of Commerce Tourist Committee at the March 15 meeting in the Clearwater Secondary School to an audience of 12 persons. Mr. Foote was referring to the fact the Northern Trans-Provincial highway was also to be named Yellowhead. He said a movement was needed to get the Yellowhead back on Highway 5 as the present planned system would confuse the travelling public.
45 YEARS AGO:
It was with deep regret the Times reported the death in Vancouver, March 9, 1975 of John David Harry Berryman, age 54, founder and publisher of the Times for several years. Berryman and his wife Mary, with their family, came to Clearwater from Oliver where they had owned and operate the Oliver Chronicle. The Berrymans also opened up a stationary supply office with the newspaper and both were located on the premises of the Clearwater Esso Service.
40 YEARS AGO:
Four British Columbians were amongst the latest winners of $10,000 on the Western Express lottery: John Rouse, who lived on a rural route at Clearwater had definite plans for his $10,000 — fix up his house and put in a new water well. According to Bill Anderson, in charge of distribution of lottery tickets for the local Canadian Legion branch and for the area, this was the first major winner for the district.
35 YEARS AGO:
“What goes up must come down.” The truth of this observation was tested rather dramatically when three B.C. Forest Service employees and their pilot had their helicopter suddenly lose power, forcing them to make an emergency landing north of Blue River. The group had been doing insect surveys for a few days previous. Then, as they were climbing from take-off and had reached an altitude of about 4,600 feet, the engine started to malfunction and the pilot was forced to hurriedly turn around and land on the highway.
30 YEARS AGO:
Twelve caribou were transplanted from the North Thompson area around Avola to augment a herd along the B.C./Idaho border, regional wildlife section head Fred Harper had reported from Kamloops. The animals, eight females and four males, were captured as part of the Selkirk Mountains Caribou Herd Augmentation Plan, an international agreement between B.C. and Idaho. The plan’s objective was to add 100 caribou to a herd which is shared by both Canada and the U.S. Before the agreement was signed, about five years previous, the herd consisted of only 15 to 20 animals and was in danger of extinction.
25 YEARS AGO:
Call-out of Highway Rescue or Search and Rescue services wouldn’t change when Provincial Emergency Program (PEP) Volunteer Area Coordinators contracts weren’t renewed by the government agency at the end of the month. “Call-out hasn’t changed,” said PEP manager of operations Geoff Amy from his Victoria office. “The ambulance people or RCMP can still call them out.” Consistency was the driving force behind the decision not to renew PEP area coordinator contracts as they expired.
20 YEARS AGO:
In the early morning hours of March 14, an Alberta-registered semi-trailer flat deck carrying a forklift went out of control in the slush on Highway 5, 16 kilometres south of Blue River. The impact with the guard rail caused the forklift to be thrown from the trailer. The forklift rolled down the embankment and ended up in the North Thompson River. Department of Fisheries and the Department of Environment attended due to the fuel leaking out of the forklift’s fuel tank.
15 YEARS AGO:
Voters in Wells Gray Country had killed a proposal to build a leisure center complex in town. However, a portion of the project – renovations to the Sportsplex — got a new lease on life thanks to $180,000 in funding from the province’s Olympic/Paralympic Live Sites Program. “The government made a commitment to all residents of British Columbia that they would feel the benefits of the 2010 Olympics,” commented MLA Kevin Krueger. “This funding is just one example of how this government is meeting these commitments and providing long-lasting benefits to all British Columbians.” The money would help fund a new stair-lift for handicapped patrons, two new change rooms for hockey and other sports teams, new equipment, and space for skate sharpening, and improvements for the lobby, public washrooms and figure skating rooms.
10 YEARS AGO:
Simpcw First Nation wanted to establish a community forest near Vavenby. “The first step is to be invited to apply (for a community forest),” said forester James Foster to a public meeting at the Clearwater Legion. “What we want now is to get grassroots support for the initiative.” The band supported the applications that led to the establishment of the Lower North Thompson Community Forest near Barriere and the Wells Gray Community Forest around Clearwater. Now, he hoped that support would be reciprocated for the Simpcw application.
5 YEARS AGO:
Upper Clearwater property owners had indicated by a narrow margin that they would like to continue funding the Upper Clearwater Hall through their taxes. In a survey conducted by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, 30 out of 57 respondents said, “Yes,” to the question, “Should the TNRD collect taxes in 2015 as a grant-in-aid for the operation of the Upper Clearwater Community Hall?” The remaining 27 said, “No.”
1 YEAR AGO:
After nearly three decades of operation, a Clearwater rafting business was changing hands. Riverside Adventures, formerly owned by Robert and Liana Beaudry, had been sold to new owner Sam Charvet, who bought the business the previous December. “After almost 30 years of rafting on this river the timing was good to pass it on to somebody 30 years younger than us; it’s time to pass the torch and we may have time to finally enjoy a summer off after so many years at it,” said Robert Beaudry. “We started here in 1991 and it’s been a good go.”
