October 1912
Readers of the Ladysmith Chronicle were sorry to learn of the death of Jacob Altonen on Fri., Sept. 30. Altonen, an unemployed miner in his 60s, left behind a wife and two children. He took his own life not far from the Ladysmith Cemetery by slashing his throat with a straight-bladed razor. His coat was found hanging from a nearby tree and in the pocket was a note explaining that he could not find work, was in poor health and overwhelmed by debt. Nanaimo Coroner Davis deemed an inquest unnecessary.
Mr. L.W. Coulson, manager of Canadian Collieries, visited Ladysmith in early October. In an interview with a Chronicle representative, Coulson said there was absolutely nothing to the rumour that his company wanted its employees to live in Extension. “You can say in the Chronicle,” said Mr. Coulson, “that the company has no intention of having the men leave Ladysmith. The men have their homes here, and I am pleased to learn that they are contented, industrious and law-abiding citizens.”
A group of Ladysmith businessmen went to Nanaimo at the end of September to welcome Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, who had been appointed Governor General of Canada in 1911. Prince Arthur, a son of Queen Victoria, was accompanied by his wife during his visit to B.C., but the star of the visit was their daughter, Patricia, who later became the colonel-in-chief of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) in 1914.
October 1937
Early in October in 1937, local clergymen Rev. C. McDiarmid and Rev. E. Spurling met with Ladysmith council on behalf of those suffering from the drought on the Prairies. They appealed for a committee to be formed to collect money and foodstuffs for those in the stricken area. The following week, a Tag Day was held in Ladysmith, with Girl Guides collecting more than $100. Produce was also dropped off at Jameson’s feed store, and cash donations were left at the Bank of Commerce for the “Prairie Relief Fund.” [NOTE: Later that month, the first of several carloads of supplies left Nanaimo with donations collected in Ladysmith, Wellington, Nanaimo and Parksville. The shipment by rail car included crates of fruit, canned goods and sacks of root vegetables, which provided relief to many Prairie families.]
After an unusually dry summer, Ladysmith Water Company announced that summer lawn and garden sprinkling regulations would continue through October. Residents were advised that, “The water supply will be turned off at the home of any person breaking these regulations and will remain off until the garden taps have been removed.”
October 1962
The local Parent Teacher’s Association held its first meeting for the 1962-63 school term with Ladysmith Elementary School principal Ron Jones as guest speaker. Jones explained to the members in attendance that the school was introducing a “new math” program in the elementary classrooms utilizing the “Cuisenaire System.” Jones warned the parents that this method of teaching arithmetic “takes time to learn,” and he asked parents to be very patient with their children and not to confuse them by helping at home with the “old” method of learning math. [Note: I wonder what happened to all of those sets of brightly-coloured Cuisenaire rods in various lengths we had in every classroom in the 60s?]
On Mon., Oct. 22, the Comox Logging and Railway Company Logging Museum was officially opened in Ladysmith. The museum featured Locie No. 11 “with whistle wailing, safety valve popping and bell clanging” as a key component in the new tourist venue. With Minister of Recreation and Conservation Earle Westwood and the vice-president of Crown Zellerbach, Hugh Hodgins, in attendance, Village Commission chairman Len Ryan told the crowd of more than 300 that “The logging museum and the arboretum would provide a permanent reminder of the logging industry in the years to come.”
Compiled by Ed Nicholson, Ladysmith Historical Society
