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COURT HEARS 120 APPEALS AGAINST NEW ASSESSMENT
Free Press Herald headline from January 24th 1962.
Sitting for almost ten hours Monday, Midland’s court of revision heard the start of 120 appeals against increased assessment following the first town re-assessment in over 20-years. The number appealing was less than expected said Assessor Ian McClung, who predicted it would take almost a week to complete the hearings. The five man court met again last night and is scheduled to sit all day Wednesday and Thursday night. Gordon Boyd was elected chairman of the court, which includes R. S. McLaughlin, Bill Jeffery, John Burke and Fred Hook. Present to assist were Clerk Wm. Hack, Assessor Ian McClung and building inspector Wm. Scott. Also present, in an observing capacity, was Simcoe- County assessor Eric Simpson. He was able to take in only the morning portion of Monday’s sitting but said he hoped to be back again later in the week. “This is one of the best courts of revision I have seen in operation in this county. I only regret I cannot be present for all your sitting,” said Mr. Simpson.
Despite Mayor Jerome Gignac’s recommendation at the inaugural Meeting, Penetang Council, Monday night, voted to retain membership in the Georgian Bay Development Association. The same resolution approved continuance of participation in the area map produced by the association.
An industrialist, Gordon Moss, was elected president of the Midland Chamber of Commerce last night by the 11-man board of directors at the chamber’s annual meeting. He succeeds William Orr. Also elected to other top posts in the organization were lawyer, Edward Kendall, as vice-president, and bank manager, Norman Shill, as secretary-treasurer. The meeting was held in the board room at the YMCA.
A new marina for Penetang is well into the planning stages according to information Mayor Jerome Gignac supplied to council Monday night. Mayor Gignac said he had been talking to officials of the Breithaupt Leather Company and was told they were ready to start a marina on the old tannery property, Fox Street. It is expected service will be installed for twenty yachts this year. The mayor said he was told future plans call for expansion of the boat facilities, and that a motel is also included in the plans.
Penetang Hurons, currently locked in a tidy tussle with Elmvale Harvesters and Beeton Bees for second place in the district OHA intermediate “C” grouping, took a step in the right direction to remedy this congestion by tripping Elmvale 9-3 at Penetang’s Community Arena last Sunday afternoon. Prior to the Sunday game, which brought Hurons’ home schedule to a close before the season’s top attendance of close to 600 fans, all three teams were deadlocked for the runner-up spot with 14 points each. So the Hurons’ triumph, while breaking the tie for the present, could go for naught should they drop their regular scheduled tilt in Elmvale tomorrow night. by CHARLIE NOQUET
25 YEARS AGO – 1937
J. Bray was elected president of the Midland Horticultural Society for his eighth term. Other officers included, W. D. Ross, Mrs. A. J. Preston, Mrs. J. A. Harvie, Mrs. James Mackie, D. L. White, D. Haig, R. R. Wilson and Albert Bowie. * * * The vestry meeting of St. Mark’s Anglican Church, Midland, heard the appointment of Archie MacArthur as rector’s warden and the election of V. G. Edwards as people’s warden. * * * Charles Douglas Stewart, 31-year-old reeve of Barrie, was chosen warden of Simcoe County after defeating Edgar J. Evans, reeve of West Gwillimbury by one vote. Two other candidates, George Patterson, Port McNicoll and Albert A. Toner, Flos Township, were defeated on the first ballot. * * * Roy S. King in his auditor’s report to the Midland Kiwanis Club noted that more than $1,000 had been spent by the club during the preceding year on welfare work. Much of this money was spent to aid crippled children, it was stated. * * * Rev. Dougald Brown was appointed Pastor Emeritus of Midland’s Calvary Baptist Church. Mr. Brown had served the church as pastor on three different occasions and had been serving as assistant to Rev. Dr. Ruttan at the time of his honorary appointment. * * * Stores were advertising rib roast of beef at 19 cents per pound, smoked side bacon, 27 cents per pound and bananas, three pounds for 21 cents. * * * R. Tipping, proprietor of Midland’s United Dairies, installed equipment in his plant to manufacture ice cream.
Ten Years Ago
There was plenty of broom action in the Ontario schoolboy curling championships in Midland Saturday. Above is a view of the action in the final game between Banting Memorial of Alliston and North Hastings High School, Bancroft. Banting won 18-6 and will represent Ontario in the Canadian finals in Halifax next month.
Monty Sinclair, CNR road master for Midland and district, was riding in the spreader plow last Friday near Perkinsfield when it derailed. (Man on left facing away.) The man with the shovel is Leo Moreau and behind him is Renee Parent, both from Perkinsfield. [Identified on Facebook by Drew Parent and Melissa Moreau. Guy Moreau said the two men worked at the Collingwood shipyards for years and travelled back and forth together.] Behind them leaning on the engine is Alderic Moreau aka Al or Joe, who lived on the 11th Concession of Tiny near the track, identified by his daughter Kelly Donaldson.
Pictured is one of the rear wheels of the CNR snow spreader derailed near Perkinsfield Friday. Along with a 114-ton diesel locomotive it left the tracks when they encountered 20-foot high banks of snow along the right-of-way between Allandale and Penetang. It took railway crews over a day to free the stranded equipment.
LAUNCH TRAINING COURSES TO HELP DISTRICT JOBLESS
County Herald headline of January 26th, 1962.
An attack on the problem of training unemployed workers in Midland and district was launched this week at a meeting attended by heads of community organizations and government officials. Under a plan recently put into operation, federal and provincial authorities will underwrite the cost to train and retrain workers in service, commercial, trade, technical and other fields.
When the Huronia Association for Retarded Children was formed less than three years -ago, it was on a foundation of some 70 interested persons. Today, the association may be not much larger in numbers, but their activities and projects include a day school for 16 special children, an auxiliary of women who raise funds, volunteers who tutor and chaperone, as well as the usual list of working committees and chairmen. The annual meeting of the association Monday evening in the YMCA, elected Mrs. Evelyn Banks, president, and directors Albert Calvert, A. E. Davidson, Lorne D. Garrow, R. LaCroix, and F. E. Whiteman. Mrs. Banks is serving her third term in the top post. A treasurer’s report given by William Child, announced a bank balance of $1,158.00. It will be needed to carry expenses until provincial grants are received. The whole venture is carried with a yearly budget of $7,500. Major outlays are the salary for a teacher and transportation costs.
BIRTHS
FERRIS — To Mr. and Mrs. Carl Ferris, 122 Eight Street , Midland, at St. Andrews Hospital, Jan. 19, a daughter.
JONES — To Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Jones, R.R 1, Midland, at St. Andrews Hospital, Jan. 19, a son.
REYNOLDS – To Mr. and Mrs. Eric Reynolds, Wyevale, at St. Andrews Hospital, Jan. 23, a son.
REYNOLDS – To Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence Reynolds, Wyevale, at St. Andrews Hospital, Midland, Jan. 19, a daughter.
An hour-long wait turned out fine in the long run for some 1,500 fans who watched Midland Flyers trounce Barrie Falcons 7-2 in a Georgian Bay intermediate “A” group game at Arena Gardens Wednesday night. The win broke a two-game losing streak for Flyers and stymied Falcons’ efforts to regain the group leadership. They’ll go at it again in Barrie tonight before what will likely be another large crowd.
“What’s the hold up?” says Charlie Coomb’s canine friend as the two await the start of Wednesday night’s Barrie-Midland game at the Arena Gardens. The game was held up for an hour when no referee showed up. Charlie and his friend had lots of chance to cheer later as the Flyers chalked up a 7-2 win. [As we scan these hundreds of local photos, favourites emerge, and this is one of them.]
FAMILY OF 15 FLEE FLAMES AS DISTRICT HOME RAZED
Free Press Herald headline from January 31st, 1962.
A family of fifteen was forced to flee from their two-storey frame home near Lafontaine Sunday afternoon and stand helplessly by, while flames leveled the fifty year old structure. Mr. and Mrs. Martial Blondin and family were watching TV when one of the younger children , who had gone out to play, dashed into the house shouting “fire.” The farm home was located on Con. 9, Tiny Township. Mr. and Mrs. Blondin found smoke belching from the entire upper floor of the house. Rushing back in, they attempted to make their way upstairs, but were driven back by the searing heat. Nearby neighbours quickly gathered at the home and assisted in removing furniture from the ground floor. Everything was saved with the exception of the kitchen range which was too large to pass through the door opening. The family was accommodated Sunday night among several relatives and friends in the Lafontaine area. Monday they started moving into a house in Lafontaine which had been owned by Mrs. Blondin’s mother (Adelaide Laurin nee Robitaille), who had died last fall.
Midland’s Y’s Men’s Club have decided to hold a contest on the opening of navigation this spring at Midland or Port McNicoll. Under the rules of the contest, entrants will be asked to guess the month, day, hour and second, the first bulk carrier enters the harbour at Midland or Port and officially opens the 1962 navigation season. A prize of $100 is to be awarded to the winner of the contest.
Satisfaction in the state of affairs a Midland’s St. Andrews Hospital was reflected in the annual meeting of the board, held in the municipal building Monday night. Twenty persons showed up for the meeting on a cold, blustery night, and it was all over in 22 minutes by Chairman John Burke’s watch.
Chairman of Penetang Winterama Committee, Ossie St. Amant, announced this week that at least two new features will be added to the annual winter event. “We discovered that Friday evening was inclined to be somewhat of a dead spot, so this year we have decided to liven it up with a huge torchlight parade,” he said. Members of St Ann’s Young People’s Club are in charge of this event. Plans call for a parade around the town with visits to various dances and other places where activities may be in progress. Visitors to the Winterama will also have the opportunity of witnessing a full-scale Emergency Measures Organization rescue demonstration. Ray Atkinson, EMO organizer for Simcoe County said he is bringing a group of 24 from Guelph to stage the demonstration on Saturday with a repeat performance Sunday. Last year’s Winterama parade set a record for floats, and indications are that it will be topped this year, according to parade officials.
Of the 100,000 humans killed in accidents during 1961 in North America, 70,000 were the result of disinterest, lazy thinking or just out and out indifference to safety and all that it stands for, claimed a well-known authority on safety promotion.
One of Midland’s few remaining links with the last century, Samuel Cyrus (Bert) Hanly died in St. Andrew’s Hospital Friday, in his 89th year. Mr. Hanly had been a familiar figure the town’s waterfront for many years. He was also one of its most avid hunters and was still going to deer-hunting camps till recently. Rev. J. L. Self conducted funeral services at Nicholls funeral home Monday. Interment was in Lakeview Cemetery vault. Pallbearers were Len Cowdrey, Robert Bell, W. D. Strathearn, Charles McElroy and Capt. Dick Smith. Born at Waubaushene Sept, 30, 1873, Mr. Hanly was the son of the late Dr. John Hanly and Mrs. Hanly. At that time the nearest doctors were in Penetang, Orillia and Hillsdale. One of three sons, Bert got what schooling he could at Waubaushene and also distinguished himself by going through high school without attending any classes. He appeared there only to write examinations. Next step was the School of Practical Science at the University of Toronto where he took a three year course. He came to Midland Jan. 6, 1896, and set up the Midland Engine Works with his late brother, Bruce Hanly. The building, near the CNR station, is now part of Midland Foundry and Machine Ltd. During World War I they made six-inch shells. The firm’s chief customers were the Playfair enterprises, CPR, and the shipyards. Mr. Hanly closed up shop in 1938, a year after his brother’s death. For many years after that he continued to operate the eight-ton crane on the waterfront. He hand-cranked up hundreds of small boats for repair or winter storage, launching them again in the spring. He continued to operate the crane until the fall of 1956 when he sold it to Lloyd Atkinson (pictured below with Bert). The crane was built around 1917. That same year, 1956, when he was 83, he was still going to the hunting camps with such old friends as the late J. W. Bald and J. A. Benson.
1955 Photos
1956 photo with his dog Digger
One of the best games we’ve seen in a long time. That seemed to be the feelings of the large crowd of Midland Flyer fans as they returned home from Barrie Friday night. The fact Flyers won the thriller, 4-3, didn’t detract anything from their glee, naturally. It was the second win over the Falcons in three nights for the Flyer’s, who had bombed the Barrieites 7-2 in Midland Wednesday.
Chicken Thief Jailed – A rare offence in this area in recent years, an 18 year old youth from Penetang (name withheld to protect the guilty) was sentenced to 15 days in jail in Midland police court Monday for the theft of three chickens. OPP Constable J. Pace said police found him sitting on the three birds, very much dead, on a Penetang street January 20. The chickens had been stolen from the property of Charles Robb, Tiny Township, Const. Pace said. There was no restitution.
A feeling of nostalgia, but a greater one of anticipation, was experienced when the Simcoe Presbyterial executive of the W.M.S., Women’s Missionary Society met to write their final chapter at the home of president, Mrs. W. A. Bell, Barrie. [This Protestant women’s organization had existed since the 1870’s in Canada and had representation from all protestant denominations. Now the authority and governance would come from, in the case of the United Church a new organization, the United Church Women, or UCW. At St. Paul’s in Midland the W.A. or Woman’s Association, the Evening Auxiliary, Jean Ney Auxiliary, the Afternoon W.M.S. and the Mission Circle were combined into the new UCW which continues its work today.] There was an executive meeting of the Simcoe Presbytery W. A. at Central United Church, January 22, the last to be held for the United Church Woman’s Association. Mrs. B. French of Elmvale presided. In future the new organization will be the UCW.
These top students were selected by a large Toronto firm last week for employment in their head office. They all received their training at the Midland Business College. School principal N. Schell said that demand for graduates has been the best in many years. Left to right: Faith Cripps, Helen Roi, Carol Arbour, Priscilla Forget, Judy Crawford and Jean Bourgeois.
These top students were selected by a large Toronto firm last week for employment in their head office. They all received their training at the Midland Business College. School principal N. Schell said that demand for graduates has been the best in many years. Left to right: Simone Roi, Jeannette Verrier, Betty Phillips, Brenda Herr, Sharon Greenman, Anita Moreau and Shirley Sallows.
Midland’s 1962 re-assessment brought a record number of appeals for the court of revision to handle last week. Seen near the end of Thursday night’s five-hour sitting are, left to right (seated) Wm. Jeffery, R. S. McLaughlin, Clerk W. A. Hack, Assessor Ian McClung, chairman Gordon Boyd, John Burke and Fred Hook. Standing are Eric Simpson, county assessor, and Wm. Scott, building inspector.
These four Midlander’s can sing “Under a blanket of blue” after receiving one each as second prize at the one day bonspiel staged by Midland Curling Club Saturday. Left to right are; skip Armand Robillard, “Woody” Woodrow McConnell, Jim Moss and Les Barber.
Huronia Museum 