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Webster Henry Kitching (Jan 23, 1868 – May 12, 1959), a Midland man who built and operated the town’s first dairy, recently celebrated his 90th birthday. A native of Sunnidale, in 1919 he built the first dairy within the town, and operated it under the name of Acme Dairy. This is the same building in use today (1957) by Dubbin’s Dairy, and previously by Midland Dairies.  In 1897, Webster Kitching married Mary Martha Reynolds (whose brother Henry now lives in Wyebridge 1957) at the opening  service of the Church of England at Newtonville. Their eldest son Ernest lives in Orillia and is a foreman at Otaco in the pattern shop, having learned the trade at Hanley’s. Clarence, in Toronto, is with a real estate firm; Orval is the only child living in the Midland district; a daughter, Mrs. Charles Trimm lives in West Orange, N. J. , and the youngest son Percy, is in Burbank, Calif. There are two granddaughters, four  grandsons, and three great grandchildren. Mrs. Kitching died 25 years ago, and in 1940 Webster married Mrs. Maria Van Allen. A “widower” for the last six years, he now resides at the home of Mrs. M. Campbell. He celebrated his birthday at the home of his son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Orval Kitching, where he chatted with some of his old friends and relatives from the rural area. These included Mr. and Mrs. Henry Reynolds, Wyebridge, and Mrs.  Tom Reynolds, Waverley, and a niece, Mrs. Lloyd Murday of Midland. [Orval Kitching operated a refrigeration repair business in Midland]

  Candidates for this year’s Queen of Hearts contest, the winner to be chosen in the final contest at Midland’s Roxy Theatre February 21st. All the girls are from MPDHS and half of the ten will be eliminated in the preliminary round February 14th. Seated, Janice Edwards, Vasey; Nancy Somers, Penetang; Judy McIntrye, Midland. Back row, Shirley King, Hillsdale; Sheila Barber, Midland; Marita Lalonde, Penetang; Peggy Couling, Penetang; Mary Popple, Penetang; Myrna Bannon, Vasey and Karen Hornsby, Waverly. 

 Copeland Flour Mill in Elmvale (Flos Roller Mills) has been in operation for 70 years but has suspended operations temporarily according to Arthur Copeland, one of three brothers who operate the mill. The mill will reopen if conditions warrant it. The mill was built in 1887 by the late George Copeland, grandfather of the three men. [The mill was located on the north side of Highway 26, west of Elmvale and west of the Wye River. The railway crossing is the CNR line from Barrie to Penetanguishene.]

 

 Work is progressing night and day on the Waubaushene end of the new Trans Canada Highway to Parry Sound and Sudbury. Here fill is being put down on the link with Highway 12 which is about half a mile away in the distance. A bridge is to be built to carry the new highway over the CNR. [This view is to the southwest, Waubaushene is out of sight to the right]

  Engineering students at the Midland Marine School work on their math problems. Instructor Robert Brooks, Jim Cordes, Penetang; Raymond Gagnon, Midland; Stan Smith and M. Carpenter, Collingwood.

 Members of the first student’s council at MPDHS are seen in this picture taken in the new boardroom. Front row; David Moffatt, secretary; Marion Gray, vice-president; Tim Lethbridge, president; Jarka Zabranski, treasurer. Back row; Judy McIntyre, Gail Marshall, Steve Maguire, Bob Thompson, Ron Blair, Joe Huston, Liz Piette, Martin Reynolds and Anne Hamilton.

  The bridge over Matchedash Bay at Waubaushene has been damaged by the continuous passage of heavy construction equipment being used to build the Trans Canada Highway. The bridge was immediately closed and a Bailey bridge will be used to temporarily repair the span. Traffic to Port Severn and Honey Harbour has been re-routed back through Coldwater. The bridge was replaced in the fall of 2015. [For more information on this historic Tay Twp. bridge visit this site;  http://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=ontario/duckbayroad/

 

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thestar/obituary.aspx?pid=176215829

 Vast improvement for the spectators is this new electric timer and scoreboard recently installed in the MPDHS gym. Score and time remaining can be seen at a glance and the horn above the clock leaves no doubt when the period or game is over.

 Long time home of famous ski jumpers, Trois Riviere, Que. had a large contingent at the international meet in Midland January 27. In front, Jacques Charland, 14 year old Alber Delamarre and Lucien Laferte, a 37 year old veteran of the sport. Back row; Frank Latour, Yves Doucette, Paul Desrochers, Claude Trahan, who won the junior division and Jean Louis Morence.

First big ski jumping meet of the season attracted nearly 5,000 fans to Midland Ski Resorts Sunday. That’s Midland’s Eric Kurle on his way down the big hill for his practice jump.

  Penetang and Winterama got some good publicity from these six betouqued delegates at the Georgian Bay Development convention in Midland Wednesday. Kneeling, L. I. Gumb and George Bryant; back row, Marcel Bellehumeur, Bill Morrison, A. B. Thompson and Ken MacDonald.

 

 

 

 [Was “Tie Cleaning Month” a provincial or local event I wonder.] 

• Penetang hospital ups room rates to keep out of the red, effective February 1st. Private room $12.00 was(10.00), semi-private $9 (8), ward $7 (6), nursery $3 (2).
• Penetang mayor A. B. Thompson declares “cooler” (jail cells) too cold and motions to have a heating contractor investigate.
• Andrew MacLean of Don Mills is offering his Georgian Bay island and cottage for sale in the January 24th edition of the Canadian, the 26 acre island we know as Lambert’s Island.
• Who remembers Baker Motor Sales in Elmvale, “your only local Ford-Monarch dealer”?
• A dog and slippery streets combined to cause Midland’s first traffic fatality of the year Monday morning. Struck by a taxi on Elizabeth Street, E., Linda Hudson, 7-year-old daughter of Mrs. Ethel Hudson, 247 William Street, died of her injuries in St. Andrews Hospital Monday morning.
• Brian Jones, 23, of RR 1 Midland, with his brother Ron as a passenger, were driving the Midland Flour & Feed truck around the big curve north of Elmvale when the box of their truck clipped that of a 20 ton coal truck heading south. The Jones vehicle spun around, flipped over and is a complete write off. The young men were not injured.
• First such mishap reported by Midland police this winter, two young lads narrowly missed serious injuries while toboggan riding on Quebec Street Saturday night. George Weatherell, 9, of 34 Quebec Street, received severe cuts and bruises about the head. His companion, Ron French, 7, of 145 Fifth Street escaped with bruises about the thighs. The car, southbound on Fifth St. was driven by Ronald Bolt of Fifth Street who was unaware of the toboggan until he heard something strike his car.
• Over 100 girls from North Simcoe have entered the Queen of Hearts contest.
• TEN YEARS AGO – One of the best liked and most feared athletes in the Georgian Bay Area, Doug Kettle led one of the best basketball teams in Midland High School’s history to more inter-scholastic records when he netted a total of 53 points in one game, to defeat Barrie 103-25. They had previously defeated a team from Bracebridge 100-11. Some of the leading scorers on the team were Bill Thompson, Allen James, Bob VanStone, Wilcox and Haig. [The first names of Wilcox and Haig were not printed, assuming Doug Haig]