50 YEARS AGO:
John Harwood was elected president of the North Thompson Hospital Association following the resignation of Mrs. C. Shook. Harwood said, “I will do my very best to help towards getting a hospital up here — after 28 trips to Kamloops last year for medical attention for my family, I promise whole-hearted support.”
45 YEARS AGO:
Clearwater Improvement District announced that the water system would be extended as far as the hotel and Harby’s subdivision. Chairman Jack Foote said people who had paid connection fees west of there would get their money back.
RCMP stated they had charged a large number of drivers after receiving noise complaints, including one from the Improvement District.
40 YEARS AGO:
A Clearwater youth received nine months in jail following a series of crimes that began in Birch Island and ended in Merritt. In between were one fraud count, two break-ins, a truck stolen, gas stolen from a self-service outlet. One day later the pickup was rolled to the tune of $4,000 damages, after which a car and another truck were stolen and abandoned after they ran out of gas.
Ollie Deane of Little Fort grew 51 pounds of spuds from one potato plant in a Women’s Institute contest.
The Minister of Health reversed an earlier decision and decided against any expansion at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital in Clearwater.
35 YEARS AGO:
A gathering of friends and relatives raised over $1,000 for a bursary to honor Nettie Dewitt to mark her 100th birthday.
The CNT Rod and Gun Club held their 4th annual Pistol Shoot. First prize, Smith & Wesson .38 calibre hand gun, was won by James Pusey of Blue River. Score – 450.
30 YEARS AGO:
MLA Bud Smith received a commitment from B.C. Parks to add paving of the Wells Gray Park Road as far as Helmcken Falls to the next year’s budget.
Planned changes in the planer mill at Weyerhaeuser’s Vavenby mill could cost about six jobs, said plant manager Bob Taylor.
Ronaye Havisto, TNRD director for Avola and Blue River, said she had no intention of resigning as TNRD representative after being accused of lying to the TNRD board regarding a meeting she and fellow director Boyd Elliot had with Municipal Affairs Minister Rita Johnson.
20 YEARS AGO:
A proposed snowmobile trail connecting Clearwater to 100 Mile House needed about $5,000 worth of work to finish, said Clearwater Sno-Drifters’ Ralph Sunderman. Quite a bit had been done over the summer by a crew funded by FRBC.
Avola’s millpond received a major face-lift in a federal Fisheries and Oceans project. The project included seven fish habitat structures, each made of 80 concrete ties.
15 YEARS AGO:
Garret Toma won third place at the World Sub-Junior (under 18) in New Delhi, India. Toma set four Canadian records while winning his bronze medal – one for each of the three events in powerlifting, plus one for his overall total.
Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Kevin Krueger announced $300,000 in federal-provincial infrastructure funding to link two community water systems – Vavenby water system and the Vavenby Southside system.
10 YEARS AGO:
Clearwater Secondary School students Jennifer Neufeld and Stephanie Maggrah shaved the heads of teacher Sylvain Menard and principal Alan Stell as part of a Terry Fox fundraiser. The fundraiser raised about $1,200, roughly ten times the previous year’s total.
More that 70 people attended a federal all-candidates’ forum in Clearwater. All four candidates were present: Liberal Ken Sommerfeld of the Liberals, Conservative Cathy McLeod, New Democrat Michael Crawford and Green Donovan Cavers.
5 YEARS AGO:
Raft River Elementary School students created a flash mob video in an effort to raise funds to revitalize the backyard of the school. The video would be used to enter the Aviva Community Fund contest.
Renovations continued at Vavenby Community Hall. The work included replacing post and beam supports with shoring and support walls. A $80,000 federal gas tax grant was helping to pay for the project.
1 YEAR AGO:
Forsite forest management consultants hosted a public meeting in the forests ministry office in Clearwater to update a landscape inventory of the Clearwater River corridor. The visual impact of logging along the corridor had been the source of some controversy.
Students from Raft River, Blue River and elementary schools in Kamloops took part in the second annual Dan Coleman Classic cross-country races at Clearwater Secondary. The event was named for a teacher who was passionate about coaching and who had passed away in February of that year.
Clearwater resident Kim Dunn used a metal detector to find a wedding ring a German couple had lost near Bailey’s Chute in Wells Gray Park.
Over 200 people attended the Serenity Harvest Festival at Serenity Performing Arts Centre (located on the road between Birch Island and Vavenby).
A Valley Voice profiled the history of Blue River School, which was celebrating its 100th anniversary.
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