From the pages of the Down Recorder, February 10, 1976

From the pages of the Down Recorder, February 10, 1976

10 February 2016

RATES — Down Council struck a district rate of 14p in the pound at a special meeting last night when their expenditure proposals for the next financial year came under the microscope.

That means householders in the district will pay 50 pence in the pound when the regional rate of 36p, announced last week by the Department of Finance, is added to give the total. To assess your rates you multiply the total rate by the new property valuation you received at the beginning of the year.

The two-and-a-half hour meeting only served to ratify the net estimated expenditure for 1976-77 financial year — a tribute to the work of the council’s administrative staff and departmental heads. They had pruned their original estimates before presentation to the meeting.

Only one alteration was made – the addition of £500 to the estimate for official and courtesy visits — and its proposal brought the only discordant note of the night.

Mr William Cochrane’s proposal brought a rebuke from Col Denys Rowan-Hamilton, who termed it as “most irresponsible” and said that they were there to cut expenditure to the minimum. His stand, however, went unheeded by his fellow councillors.

NEWCASTLE — Brook Cottage Hotel, Newcastle, is up for sale – and the asking price is believed to be over £80,000. The hotel and two-and-three-quarter acres of amenity land are for sale by private treaty on the basis of a going concern to include fittings.

It includes a lounge bar capable of seating 120, a dining room capable of seating 50, a modern kitchen, cold room, six single bedrooms and five double bedrooms. The estate agents looking after the sale are J A Whelan, of Chichester Street, Belfast.

KILLYLEAGH — A family of four, split up because of a housing shortage, is being reunited in a new Housing Executive home at Killyleagh.

Mr Christopher Maynard, an ex-serviceman, was given the key to his new home at Nelson’s Field and although the tenancy does not officially begin until February 28, he can move in as soon as the Electricity Board switches on the current.

His fight for a home was spotlighted last week when the British Legion and Lord Brookeborough were called into the battle for a roof over the family’s head. The family had to leave the house where they were staying with a family of seven — the overcrowding was too great.

After spending the first night in their car, Mrs Maynard and their two children moved into a hostel in Belfast. It was the couch in a friend’s home in Downpatrick for Mr Maynard.

Now the family has a new home. An Executive spokesman said yesterday: “It is not because of political pressure that they got it. The family’s needs were too great.”

The spokesman said the Executive was losing about £30,000 a year on the 170,000 public homes in the province. It was estimated the housing authority was losing £28 a week on each recently built home.

CARRYDUFF — A matching pair of Charles Boswell shotguns, valued at £5,000, were stolen from a private house in the Carryduff area. More than £1,000 worth of jewellery and £1,000 of hi-fi equipment were stolen in the same raid.

One of the shotguns, which was restocked recently, has marble-effect wood, while the other has a grain effect. Detectives at Carryduff are anxious to hear from anyone who can help them with their inquiries.

DOWNPATRICK — Downpatrick man Pat McKinney, who is leaving the area soon to start a new life in Canada, was given a unique send-off at a farewell celebration at the weekend.

Representatives of a number of youth and community organisations in the town held an informal evening during which a number of presentations were made to Mr McKinney.

Pat McKinney is perhaps one of Downpatrick’s most well-known personalities, a man who was heavily involved in many aspects of community life, but who is noted for his tremendous work for the youth of the area.

A former primary school teacher, he joined the South Eastern Education and Library Board Youth and as a youth field officer in East Down he helped build the strength of many youth clubs in the area.

One of his most marked achievements in youth work was the organisation of a summer activities scheme which provided leisure pursuits such as mountaineering, camping and swimming for local schoolchildren during their summer holidays. The programme of activities which he compiled became recognised as one of the finest in Northern Ireland.

The esteem of a man who was worked so hard for his community was captured in a farewell message which included: “It is the heartfelt hope of the Downpatrick community that Pat McKinney finds a good life where his travels take him. We thank him for what he has done here and ask that he takes with him our best wishes for the future.”

BALLEE — Chess enthusiast Brian Nellis had something to smile about at the weekend when he was defeated an ex-Irish champ.

Brian, who lives at Ballee, just outside Downpatrick, was the only member of the Downe Chess Club to score a victory when Irish champion John Moles paid a visit to the club. The champ played 18 boards at the same time, but found Brian too hot to handle.

Brian, who has only been playing chess for about two years, has been a member of the Downe club since its formation last year. There’s no doubt that his checkmate last Thursday was his most important yet.

BALLYHORNAN — The Donard Group of the Ulster Farmers’ Union has disclosed several cases of sheep worrying recently. The most serious incident occurred at Ballyhornan when four ewes belonging to Mr Patrick Cultra, of Ballywooden, were killed by two Alsatian dogs.

Ewes are presently worth about £25 each, which is a considerable loss in itself, but more serious losses may still occur doe to the upsetting of pregnant ewes. As well as the financial loss, it is most distressing for farmers to see animals they have nurtured put to death in such a savage manner.

SHRIGLEY — Mrs Olive Johnston, of Crossgar Road, Shrigley, has been awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in History by the Open University. Mrs Johnston teaches business studies and is head of the Religious Studies Department at Movilla Secondary School, Newtownards.

“This degree will be very useful in my work,” she said. “I have enjoyed the three-year course very much.” Mrs Johnston intends to carry on with her Open University studies and gain an honours degree.

BALLYNAHINCH — Two people were taken to Downe Hospital last Wednesday night when a Vauxhall Viva and a Ford Zephyr collided at Dromore Street, Ballynahinch. The driver of the Viva sustained facial injuries. The driver of the Zephyr was uninjured.

ARDGLASS — The 1975 collection in Ardglass and district for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal totalled £667.57. The organising committee wishes to acknowledge the help and enthusiasm of the volunteers and also to thank the local population for their magnificent support.

ANGOLA — The man said to be mysterious Colonel Callan, leader of the mercenary forces in northern Angola, has strong links with Co Down, it was revealed this week.

Callan — otherwise known as Costas Georgiou — trained UDR soldiers at Ballykinlar at one stage. It was while serving with the army in Co Down that the dark side of his nature came out. In August 1972 he was jailed for five years in Downpatrick for holding up a post office at Clandeboye, Bangor. He served part of his sentence, but was released on parole.

Georgiou, the youngest of a Greek-Cypriot family of four, came to live with his parents in Highbury, North London, in 1962.