From the pages of the Down Recorder, November 30, 1976

From the pages of the Down Recorder, November 30, 1976

30 November 2016

NEWCASTLE — Plans are underway for next year’s Newcastle summer festival. As a start, the Town Committee has again appointed Mr Dick McColgan as festival director for the third successive year.

Mr McColgan has worked hard to make the last two festivals a success and he said he hopes to make next year’s bigger and better than ever.

These views were echoed by the Town Committee and already an outline programme has been formulated, beginning with a festival parade on July 9. Other features which are being considered include displays of sand yachting and hang gliding, and an increased number of live events at the Bandstand.

Mr McColgan said he has been delighted by the success of the previous two festivals. “This has been reflected in the credit given to us by the people of Newcastle and by the large numbers of people coming into the town,” he said.

“The Town Committee are not only trying to attract people to the resort, but they are also trying to entertain them when they come. You can go to some resorts and there isn’t much for you to do, but not in Newcastle.”

TECONNAUGHT — A Teconnaught headmaster has received a glowing tribute for his work by being presented with a top teaching award.

Mr Denis Cahill, principal of Holy Family Primary School, Teconnaught, has been presented with the Carlisle and Blake Award for 1976 by the Department of Education.

It is given to principal teachers for services to education in their area and is especially deserved by the Cahill family who have been principals at the school for three generations.

Mr Cahill is a past pupil of St Patrick’s High School, Downpatrick. He taught for three years at Holy Rosary Primary School, Belfast, before moving to Teconnaught where his parents and grandfather were principal teachers.

DOWNPATRICK — The SDLP last night promised to renew a campaign to end a seven-year wait for an important redevelopment scheme in the centre of Downpatrick.

The party’s Downpatrick branch condemned the Department of the Environment for a “total lack of progress since 1969” and are determined to a get an urgent review of the delay.

The scheme embraces a facelift for the almost derelict parts of Saul Street and Scotch Street and was mooted by the former Downpatrick Urban Council. It was hoped that long before 1972 the area would be cleaned up by demolishing a number of old houses and initiating a modern house-building programme.

Mr Eddie McGrady, one of the leading lights behind the plan, said: “There does not appear to be any progress on this for almost seven years, yet it is known from the programmes of the Housing Executive that it is anxious and willing to carry out the redevelopment scheme. Quite simply, it is being frustrated by the Department of the Environment.”

Mr McGrady’s outburst met with unanimous backing by his party colleagues and a formal branch statement deploring the delay is to be drafted. They will insist that the Department makes a clear-cut decision immediately to enable work to begin in 1977.

CROSSGAR — A meeting will be held in Crossgar next week to discuss an extension of activities for young people in the village.

The organisers believe that there is a need to ext rend the scope and range of the youth club which presently operates in the War Memorial Hall. The meeting has been organised by youth helpers and leaders ion conjunction with the local community association.

Response to the idea has been good. Different clubs in the area are sending representatives and Mr Ray McConville, Youth Guidance Officer to the South Eastern Education and Library Board, will be there.

BALLYNAHINCH — The fight for indoor recreation facilities for Ballynahinch gets underway next week when the town’s Civic Week Committee meets members of Down District Council.

A committee deputation have been told that their request for a meeting has been accepted and they will put their case before councillors on Monday night. They will be stressing that Ballynahinch caters for a very large catchment area including Saintfield, Dromara and Drumaness.

Civic Week secretary Hugh Miskelly said: The importance of the need for the provision of a community hall within Ballynahinch cannot be too strongly emphasised and we will ask the council to give it earnest attention.

“Obviously we are not going there to tell them that they have not been doing their job because they have. We just want to talk, to demonstrate that we are interested and worried, and to offer our help.”

DRUMANESS — Joe Cullen, the popular Drumaness Mills footballer, has decided that his soccer career is over for good.

Joe, who broke his leg on Saturday for the second time in nine months, revealed to the Recorder that he would be too scared to consider another comeback when his leg mends.

Joe explained that the break was in the same place on the same leg — a fact that has had a bearing on his decision. The last break occurred in February against local rivals Killyleagh, while Saturday’s break happened against Islandmagee. The Drumaness players and officials wish Joe a speedy recovery.

KILLYLEAGH — Hugh Martin, from Killyleagh, is one of several young people from Northern Ireland who have been awarded the Gold Medal in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme.

Unfortunately, Hugh will not be at Buckingham Palace today to receive his award as he has to sit an exam at Jordanstown Polytechnic where he is studying.

Hugh, of 9 Coily Hill Road, first began working on the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme five years ago when he became a pupil at Down High School. Under the supervision of Mr Noel Orr, teacher in charge of the scheme at the school, he progressed through his bronze and silver awards, with only the coveted gold medal still to be won.

STRANGFORD — Strangford ferry had a first at the weekend with its annual service in the new £28,000 dry dock in Strangford.

In the past the ferry had to go to the Harland & Wolff yard in Belfast for repairs and annual service. The round trip plus the cost of repairs cost around £23,000 a time. But now it is expected to be able to do the annual service in the new grid at Strangford for about £12,000.

Work on the dock, which was built by the Department of the Environment, was started in October 1975 and is linked with an £18,000 car park and marshalling area which was planned to reduce traffic congestion in Strangford.

BALLYGOWAN — The office manager of a Ballygowan quarry ended his 25-year association with the firm when he resigned on Thursday. But Mr Ronald Burtney’s colleagues at Miskelly Bros Ltd did not let him away without presenting him with several gifts to mark his sterling service over that period.

Mr Burtney has bought the Mace store in Ballygowan, previously owned by Mr David Rowan, and all his colleagues at Miskelly’s wish him success in his new venture.

LISTOODER — One of the highlights of the Orange Ball held in Listooder Orange Hall on Friday night was the presentation of a collarette to one of the lodge members.

The collarette was presented to Bro Herbert Spratt for having attained 50 years as a member of Listooder LOL 1907. Music was by Bailliesmills Dance Band.

KILLINCHY — First Killinchy Branch of Down Battalion Boys’ Brigade netted enough baskets to win the Battalion’s annual basketball competition held in Dromara. They beat First Dromara in the final. Thanks are extended to Mr Earls, of 1st Ballynahinch company, who had the difficult ask of refereeing all the matches.