The following is a re-print of a past column by former Advertiser columnist Stephen Thorning, who passed away on Feb. 23, 2015.
Some text has been updated to reflect changes since the original publication and any images used may not be the same as those that accompanied the original publication.
January 1958
68 years ago
A warm spell in late December 1957 gave way to a week of extreme cold during the first week of the new year. The temperature dipped to -15 degrees Fahrenheit on Jan. 4. One benefit was good ice at the Drayton arena. Hockey players enjoyed their first game on Jan. 3, and the next night the arena was open to skaters for the first time that season, about a month later than usual. The first home game for Drayton’s Intermediate ‘B’ team was Jan. 11, when they defeated the visiting Palmerston squad.
Bert Amy was among the Drayton merchants to run extended sales through January. His men’s wear store offered W.R. Johnston made-to-measure suits, using imported British cloth, at 20 per cent off. The popular Tip Top Tailor suits were marked down 25%. The sales were an effort to retain business that had started to drift to nearby centres as more and more residents chose to drive elsewhere to do their shopping.
John Bell, a popular teller at Drayton’s Royal Bank, was transferred to London. He was a local boy who grew up on Con. 10 of Peel.
Drayton contractor Henry Wimmenhove was also working in the London area. He and his men were completing a contract for a church there.
The Drayton Ladies Curling Club held its organizing meeting for the season on Jan. 4. The big event would be a bonspiel in late January. Mrs. Alva Cherrey continued as president for 1958.
Moorefield’s outdoor rink enjoyed plenty of use during January. There was public skating on Wednesday evenings and on Saturday afternoons and evenings. Mondays and Thursdays were reserved for broomball.
Maryborough’s Federation of Agriculture scheduled its annual meeting for Jan. 9. Euchre followed the business portion of the meeting; the ladies in the organization brought a lunch.
Grocery bargains at Bricker’s store in Drayton included Carnation milk at two cans for 29 cents, canned vegetables at two for 25 cents, and Clark’s baked beans at two for 39 cents. Gourlay’s in Moorefield offered red salmon at three cans for $1 and a 24-ounce bottle of catsup for 35 cents.
The Grand River Conservation Authority concluded its land acquisition for the new lake and conservation area by initiating expropriation proceedings against four landowners who had not sold out. Those affected were Gordon Coulter, Nelson Saigeon, Earl Caling and Fred Coulter.
The Wellington Federation of Agriculture sponsored a meeting of wheat producers at the Co-op in Guelph to discuss a proposed marketing plan.
Local councils held their inaugural sessions during the first week of the month. In Maryborough, reeve Phil Rowland began his tenth year in the job. He gave a short speech outlining the challenges for the coming year. A guest at the meeting was John Thompson, who had been a councillor in 1907, and later served as reeve, road superintendent and clerk. In a short business session, councillors applied for provincial road grants for 1958. Esther Hammond was confirmed as treasurer for the year at a salary of $425 per year. Reeve Rowland agreed to be the township’s representative on the Grand River and Maitland conservation authorities.
Peel council met the same day. Reeve Basil Peel presided at a short business session. Councillors approved a handful of accounts and set councillors’ pay at $5 per meeting and mileage at 10 cents per mile. Casual day labourers would receive 80 cents per hour, $1.25 with a team of horses and $2.25 for a man and tractor.
Reeve A.E. Andrews called Drayton council to order on Jan. 7. The main item of business was the calling of a nomination meeting to fill the seat of R.E. Henry, who had died suddenly.
The new Area 1 School Board of Maryborough made a splash with its first meeting by deciding to build a new two-room school building, to be open in September. Reeve Phil Rowland approved the project, stating that he believed the school consolidation would result in major cost savings over the existing one-room schools.
Rev. A.J.J. Vanden Pol began his term at Drayton’s Christian Reformed Church with his first service on Jan. 12. There was a reception for him and his family on Jan. 14, and an ordination service on Jan. 17. He had previously resided in Alberta.
The Wellington-Huron Liberal Association held its annual meeting on Jan. 30 at Harriston. Farquhar Oliver, the party’s veteran war horse, was the speaker.
Young people from the Lebanon area organized a toboggan party on Jan. 17. The Lebanon Women’s Association provided a lunch. Proceeds of the event were $14.
Drayton’s Chamber of Commerce organized a “Sale of Sales,” running from Jan. 24 to Feb. 1. Most Drayton stores and business participated. The merchants also sponsored free skating at the arena during the event, which was intended to bolster local trade and discourage out-of-town shopping. Undermining the effort was a decision by Drayton council to end a $15-per-month subsidy to Lambert’s Garage for providing public washrooms. That move provoked strong reactions from the chamber and the Rotary Club, as well as ordinary citizens. Some said the washroom facilities should be expanded to include a lounge, where the elderly could rest for a while before walking home.
January 1983
43 years ago
Drayton’s senior’s residential complex passed its final hurdle in the last hours of 1982, with the signing of a financing agreement with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation on the afternoon of Dec. 31. The federal agency would supply $971,000 for the 22-unit development, to be built at the foot of Wood Street. Construction would commence as soon as earth could be moved in the spring.
Maryborough council met on Jan. 3 for its first 1983 meeting. Dogcatcher FredKalbfleisch was present to explain new provincial regulations for dog pounds. He agreed to build pens to the new standards, and council agreed to a per diem payment of $6 per dog per day for canines held at the kennel.
Russell Rennie resigned as the operator of the north landfill site. Council authorized that the position be advertised immediately. Building inspector Art Ott also appeared at the meeting, with a request for a wood stove seminar. Rising fuel prices had led many home owners to install wood stoves, and there had been a rash of fires and other problems due to improper installations. Ott was authorized to schedule a seminar for Feb. 3 in Moorefield, with talks by provincial officials. Similar sessions were scheduled for other municipalities through the winter.
Drayton’s council met Jan. 4, and heard a pitch from Ralph Thompson of the Kitchener engineering firm Cummings and Cockburn for the contract to design the new sewer and water systems. Reeve John Green suggested that councillors schedule a closed session in the near future to consider Thompson’s proposal and various others that council had received from other engineering firms and consultants.
Councillors spent considerable time discussing a bylaw authorizing the village to assume the care and custody of St. Martin’s cemetery. The Catholic Diocese of Hamilton was anxious to turn the cemetery over to the village, but councillors had a number of questions and concerns.
Peel council met the next day, Jan. 5. One of the first resolutions was one to increase council remuneration by 5%. The new rates would give the reeve $3,900, the deputy reeve $3,150, and councillors $3,000 per year. Rookie councillor Marg Rickert had some objections to the new scale, which passed by a vote of 3-2. There was no increase in mileage and meeting payments, which remained at 40 cents per mile and $75 per day.
Hesselink’s store continued its big 30th anniversary sale with grocery specials that included grapefruit at five for $1, cinnamon buns at 99 cents per package, and tomato soup at three cans for 89 cents.
Euchre enjoyed great popularity during the winter of 1983. A group in the Parker area met at the home of Ralph and Ethel Bott on Jan. 10, with four tables in play. Sessions rotated around the neighbourhood, with games every two weeks. Another group met regularly in the Goldstone area. George Whale was host on Jan. 7.
Members of Drayton Reformed Church dedicated an addition to the church on Jan. 9. The work included an elevator to allow easy access for disabled people to the building’s four levels and new washroom facilities.
Another construction project got under way with the demolition of a residence owned by Alva Cherrey. The site would be the new home of Drayton’s Royal Bank branch. Building operations would commence in the spring. A group of Drayton residents, led by councillors Ab Hesselink and Bob Thurston, met for a close inspection of the Drayton Town Hall, originally known as the Opera House. The group concluded that the facility should be revitalized and restored to its former role as a social centre of the community.
The group had brought in Al Kennedy of Port Perry, who had been involved in a similar restoration project in his town.
Kennedy was impressed with the facility, which appeared to be in sound structural condition. The theatre, with 320 seats, had been constructed in 1902, but in recent years was little used. Councillor Hesselink believed the project would easily qualify for a grant under a provincial program to boost employment.
Council scheduled a public meeting on Jan. 20 to discuss possible projects under the joint federal-provincial employment program.
The funding underwrote local projects by covering 80% of the cost, providing the project was a new one. The cemetery board had a plan for new fencing, repairs to the chapel, a water supply, and a storage shed, totalling $12,500.
Gayle Blackwell and Fred Broumeester also made a presentation on behalf of the town hall revitalization group. Their plan was valued at $13,450, and included repairs to the seats, work to the floors, painting and new curtains.
Reeve John Green supported the town hall project, but advised the committee to consider possible uses and functions for the restored building. He recalled a project for the town hall in 1971 that went nowhere due to inadequate planning. After hearing the opinions presented, council voted to support fully both the projects, and to underwrite the difference between the grants received and the project costs.
*This column was originally published in the Drayton Community News on Jan. 4 and 11, 2008.
