• New telephone exchange on Hugel Avenue is delayed due to shortage of steel, Barrie contractor Emery Engineering and Contracting Ltd. indicated that extensive foundation work is necessary due to quick sand on the site
• Prolonged drought sears farmland, farmers having to feed hay, grain is ripening too quickly and the local potato crop is at a critical stage of development. PUC may ban watering entirely, upper pond only half full (at this time Midland received all of its potable water from the springs and reservoirs along Vindin Street)
• City of Dover having to turn away passengers due to capacity limits
• Marriages; Lois Henderson and Jules Arbour, St. Anns; Laura Nina McLinchy and Duncan Wilson, St. Mark’s Anglican; Nancy Kinnear and Joseph Barron, North River United Church.
• Ernst Leitz Canada Ltd. announces further construction, optical research department grows as senior scientists move here from Wetzlar, payroll now over $250,000.00
• Town buys Pratt barn on the north side of Bay Street at Queen St. and three lots on Queen St. to house public works and temporarily police and fire departments, until new building on Dominion Ave. is completed. Price $15,500.00
• Tourist bonanza, all accommodations sold out, cruises, museums, Shrine, all report over flow crowds, 1,200 people visit Indian Village in three days, local theater sets box office record. “What are we going to do next weekend, on the August holiday” was the question posed by Mrs. Lyna Rankin of the Penetang Chamber of Commerce
• Albert L. Breithaupt, 84, uncle of local industrialist and Ontario’s lieutenant governor Louis Breithaupt drowns in a boating accident near Whalens, deceased’s boat struck by Honey Harbour water taxi
• Nap Beauchamp, local contractor buys Hotel Commodore from current owner Fred Breakwell, August 1. Formerly known as the Northern Hotel, the name was changed when Mr. Breakwell took over several years ago
• Tidewater elevators filled to the brim, cause local freighters to sit loaded in Midland Harbour, delayed two weeks, Lemoyne may not be unloaded
• Fifty Hurons from Loretteville QC will make a pilgrimage in August to Huronia, plan to visit Martyrs Shrine, St. Ignace, St. Joseph and St. Louis where their ancestors once lived as well as Christian Island
• “We are more than pleased with the Midland district labour force and the general attitude and application of the staff to their jobs, quite frankly it is much better than we anticipated when we moved from Toronto seven months ago.” said Gord Moss, president of Canadian Name Plate. 37,000 square foot plant employs 180 people (by this time next year they will be on strike)

 Again we have a shortage of negatives for the last two weeks of July, is Ken Somers on holiday? Pictures in the paper at this time were submitted by others or staff photos from Penetang, neither of which we the have originals of. We have gone back and photographed recent Penetang items from the paper, the quality is poor, but hopefully the content is of interest.                                                

CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

Diving tower installed at Penetang’s red dock this summer has provided plenty of sport for those looking for relief from the scorching heat. With staggered boards it is possible for all to use it at once safely. David Hook on the bottom board, Stanley Legault, middle, Alvin Legault on the top. Tower was built from used material by Wilkie Garraway. (Staff photo)

The gas boat Julie F. of Midland goes back into the river at the top after crossing the portage at the Big Chute. Summer visitors find the operation of the marine railway a never ending source of interest. And still do. (Staff Photo)

Opponents in the finals of the club championship in the ladies section of the Midland Golf and Country Club this year were Miss Margaret Robinson and Mrs. Cecil English. Mrs. English won and received the Jeffery Championship Trophy.

City of Dover approaches the government dock at Honey Harbour on her daily afternoon cruise which gives passengers a fine view of the Delawana Inn on the right and the Royal Hotel on the left. (Photo by Dorothy Bushmann)

Public School League high singles champs Tom Lancaster, 285, and Alfreda Devillers, 252.

 

Public School Bowling League playoff winners with their trophies, front, Ron Marchildon and Tom Lancaster, back row, Brian Dubeau, Rene Moreau and Doug Sanderson.

Teen aged bowlers in Penetangs Public School League, Alan Trudeau, David Dusome, Joe Robitaille, Willard Garraway and seated, captain Wilfred Lacroix.            

Surrounded by 30 former students who have graduated in the last ten years from the Lafontaine Continuation School are this years graduates, Viviane Marchildon, daughter of Achille Marchildon, and Leo Marion, son of Mr. & Mrs. Herman Marion. Graduates  in center wearing white gowns and mortar boards. George Johnston, the local MLA and Rev. Thomas Marchildon, pastor of Holy Cross Church, stand behind the graduates. (Photo by Rolfoto)

This group of smiling graduates and their young attendants are the senior class from Sacred Heart School being photographed following graduation exercises at St. Margaret’s Church. (Photo by Rolfoto)

Gold medalist in the 1955 class of graduates from Barrie’s Royal Victoria Hospital School of Nursing were Mary Jeanne McKay of Midland, at left, Norah Jean Forbes of Owen Sound, center, won the prize for highest standing in obstetrical nursing and Audrey Marie Murray of Victoria Harbour, who received top honours for bedside nursing. (Barrie Examiner photo by Favero)

 

Agnes Jean McConnell was one of three Midland girls who graduated this year from the Royal Victoria Hospital’s school of nursing. (Barrie Examiner photo by Favero)

A dance recital held by the students of Audrey McLeod at the YMCA last week played to a full house. Mrs. McLeod can be seen at the far right of the back row. (photo by Lorne Watson)

Quebec has no monopoly on quaint scenes such as this where home made bread is baked in an outdoor oven. Removing the tasty looking loaf on a “paddle” is Mrs. William Moreau of Concession 11, Tiny. Girl beside her was not identified. (Photo by Favero)

     A. “Deen” McGill was only a teenager 45 years ago when he drove his father’s model “T” to Toronto and back in June of 1910. His father, Dr. H. R. McGill who practised in Elmvale and Hillsdale before coming to Midland bought the car from the late J. C. McMurtry who actually was a grocer but had the Ford franchise on the side, later establishing a garage of his own. There were no highways at that time, no 12, 27 or 11 and the existing roads were gravel or sand all the way to Toronto. Starting at 7 A.M. the first stop was Faragher’s Hotel in Waverly where Deen dutifully drained the hot water from the radiator, refilled it and checked the oil. In 1910 it was standard practise to add a quart of oil for every five gallons of gas used. Gas was 20 cents a gallon. The Ford got around 20 miles to the gallon and averaged 18-20 miles per hour, thirty was tops in those days. Next stop was Hillsdale where the ladies visited Frawley’s Store, one of the district’s largest. It was nearly 10 A.M. when the Midland tourists pulled up in front of the Queen’s Hotel in Barrie. Here Deen included cleaning the four spark plugs as part of his maintenance routine. Then to Bradford and Holland Landing where a toll road was encountered. Charges were ten cents for cars, five for horse and buggy and one cent for bicycles. Aurora and Richmond Hill then down Yonge Street turning at College and going over to their destination at Broadview and Girard, arrival time, one P.M. “We used to figure 6 hours to Toronto including stops,” said Deen. The return trip the next day was also uneventful, no breakdowns, no flat tires. Dr. McGill later sold the car and bought a horse and buggy but in 1913 purchased another new Ford.

•  The water shutoff threatened last week in Penetang saw Water & Light employees roving the town after 9 o’clock Friday night and shutting off service to ten customers. Besides the penalties violators had to pay a fee to have their water restored.
• Pete Lepage reports both freight and passenger business on the Penetang 88 is double that of last year – ship to shore telephone recently installed has been used to great advantage
• Penetang native W. Neville Keefe appointed general manager of the recently formed Georgian Bay Development Association, representing fifty municipalities around the Bay
• More than 1,000 Slovaks make Shrine pilgrimage Sunday
• Les Marsell playing golf with Joe Wilkie on the second hole at Midland Golf & Country Club was unable to find his ball, lost in the setting sunlight, after hunting in vain it was found in the hole, his second ace on the course
• 10 years ago, American tourists coming to Midland shopped mainly for china, shoes, perfume and meat which were more easily obtained in Canada
• Letter to the editor; How many official tourist information bureaus. I notice the Chamber of Commerce operates one which is supposed to serve the area but on the western entrance to town, outside a dance hall operated by the mayor, is a sign saying “Official Information” and then there is another in front of the Georgian Hotel proclaiming “Official Tourist Information”, very confusing, signed TORONTONIAN
• Graduates of the Lafontaine Continuation School are Viviane Marchildon, daughter of Achille Marchildon and Leo Marion, son of Mr. & Mrs. Herman Marion
• New dress code at MPDHS, skirts & blouses or dresses for the girls and dress pants and shirt for the boys
• Mr. & Mrs. Sam Ellery, lifelong residents of Wyebridge, celebrate 60 years of marriage. For many years Mr. Ellery operated a blacksmith’s shop in the village and later was one of the district’s leading bee keepers. Mrs Ellery, nee Mary Celesta Edwards and Sam were childhood sweethearts who went to school and grew up together in Wyebridge
• Representing North Simcoe at a meeting of the Simcoe County Children’s Aid Society were A. G. Calvert, G. E. Hurl and Ralph Dalton. Miss D. Jackson presented the field report, 505 children in care compared to 471 in 1954, an average of 70 to 80 per case worker. Most children were in foster care
• S.S. No 18 Tay (I believe this would be Moore’s Corner school on the sixth) exam results; grade 1 to 2, Jennifer Bumstead, Mary Burnie, Sharon Rumney, Rodney Sallows; 2 to 3, Judy Bumstead, John Holm, Allen Mount; 3 to 4, Wanda Russell; 4 to 5, Eleanor Holm, Neal Mount, Shirley Sallows; 5 to 6, Eldon Irish, Karen Sallows, Sharon Sallows, Brian Webb; 6 to 7, Mary Holm, Maizie Mount, John Russell, Garnet Sallows; 7 to 8, Shirley Holm, Tom Smith; 8 to 9, Victor Irish, Karen Robinson, Wayne Sallows. 
• Whipper Billy Watson and Gil Mains battle the hated Kalmikoff brothers in the pro wrestling matches held at the Arena Gardens
• In 1909, before Camp Kitchikawana, the Midland Y had a joint camp with the Orillia YMCA at Lehmann’s Point on Lake Couchiching. Norville E. Luck was general secretary of the Y in those days, he also ran the store at Paradise Point
• New Canadian Angelo Anest, 20, drowns at Balm Beach. Angelo came to Canada in 1952, was employed by Jim Deakos at the Diana Restaurant and was living with his aunt, Mrs. Katherine Anest at 320 Queen Street
• Jim Anderson of the county health service was quoted as saying; “it is difficult to justify preventative health care based on the North American tradition that if you can’t see it, eat it, feel it or re-sell it for a profit, you’re a sucker to pay for it. Supporting a public health service,” he said, “is paying for troubles you don’t have, rather than for those you do.”
• University of Western Ontario’s summer school of Indian archaeology is making Fort Penetanguishene’s Officer’s Quarters it base for this season while working on the Forget site at Wyebridge
• Orr’s Jewellers is selling the new Motorola portable radio for $49.95 including a free beach towel valued at $2.50 (batteries not included)
• Car raffle won by Montcalm Forget nets the Penetang rink and hospital funds $1,000.00 each
• Simcoe County Health Unit now the largest in the province with a staff of 39 and a budget of just over $160,000.00

 Click on Photos to Enlarge

Everyone is talking about the weather and this thermometer under an awning and on the shady side of King Street in front of Hartman’s Hardware read ninety degrees by mid afternoon Friday. Two Toronto visitors, Miss Anne Middleton and Mrs. W. Mortimer check it out.

On the stage of the Midland High School auditorium is this group of graduates from Sixth Street School Midland. They are from the grade eight class taught by James Robinson and are being honoured by the Midland Home & School Association.

Re: Grade 8 class of Sixth St. School. Darlene (Lowes) Rutherford listed the following names (to the best of her recollection):

Front Row: (Left to right) 1, Dave Crawford. 2, Lorraine Chapman. 3, L.D. Bowman. 4, Dave Bertrand 5, William Bates. 6, Ian Docherty, 7, Ernie Somers.
2nd Row: 8, Pauline Church. 9, Joanne Hansford. 10, Pamela Howard. 11, Marjorie Blythe. 12, Barb Nichols. 13, Janice Gilson. 14, Lynda Playne. 15, Frank O’Kenka.
3rd Row: 16, John Irvine. 17, Fay Haines. 18, Carol McConnell. 19, Carol Lawless. 20, Darlene Lowes. 21, Peggy Dion. 22, Betty Baker. 23, Doreen Argue.
4th Row: 24, Daniel Richardson. 25, Gail Kettle. 26, William Roberts. 27, Kay Lambie. 28, Bev Scott. 29, Patricia Steers. 30, Wayne Mohan. 31, William Swan. 32, William Wright. 33, Lawrence Wagner.

Missing from photo, Frank Koening, Isobel Stewart, John Barber and Don Quesnelle

First students to enter the new high school, graduates of Morgan (Orson) Lewis’s grade eight class at Regent Public School are pictured during a commencement ceremony held at MHS and sponsored by the Home & School Association.

{We have the names as printed in the Free Press, we just need help to match them to the photo; Arlene Armstrong, Betty Barfield, John Bell, Orten Crawford, John Edwards, Carol Fox, Paul Gowette, George Haskill, Suzanne Lawson, Ingrid Maron, Bryson McQuirter, William Moss, John Nicholson, Mary Ann Nicholson, Pamela Perkins, Gail Webster and Diane Wilson, Dianne Campbell, Ann Chapman, Jack Cowan, John Daniells, Peter Davis, Donna Dempsey, Clinton Ellery, Clayton Gillett, Donald Green, Robert Logan, Beaulah Lyle, Robert Marchand, Kirk Morrisson, Ann Rankin, Ingeborg Schmidt, Ashton Tuck, Barry Vivian, James Wilcox and Henry Yee} For reference, front row left, #1 to 11, BACK row 12 to 22 and those in the middle 23 to 36. My cousin Geordie Haskill in the band uniform would be #29 and Mary Ann Nicholson 4th from the left in the back row would be #15

Also grade eight grads from Regent School, taught by Mac Wilson.

{John Adamson, John Jacobson, Stanley Ligowski, Catherine McAllister, Douglas MacMillan, Betty Ann McCullough, Gwendolyn Paice, Keith Cleary, Betty Coombes, Harold Howe, Betty Ann McCuaig, Kenneth Mackie, Theo Rutherford, Robert Scott and Kenneth Wainman.} For reference front row left 1 to 3, middle row 4 to 8 and back row 9 to 14.

Young girls getting a bit of swimming practice under the watchful eye of Judy DeNure and Jacqueline Palmer, assistant playground supervisors. This is part of the daily summer program at Little Lake Park and is their water safety training.

Largest and smallest at the recent dog show in Midland, Bruno owned by Meredith Wilson and handled by John Wadge was the biggest and Tag owned and shown by Andrea Deschamps was the smallest.