MAGHERALONE — With the late harvest, farmers have been busier than usual this year. Anyone would expect that with modernisation a lot of the toil of days gone by has been removed.
However, not all of the agricultural community have forsaken the old methods, as a Recorder team found out on a recent visit to the farm of James Orr at Magheralone, Drumaness.
When we arrived 80 year-old James had his four helpers — Hugh Tweedie, Bob Tweedie, Sam Reid and Jimmy Rice — gathering the oats which they had stooked. Not for James and his companions the new combine. Instead they performed the performed the whole operation by manual labour. When they had gathered the crop they brought it back to the farmyard to feed it into the old style threshing mill.
James had hired the mill from Bob Hamilton, of Annacloy, for the harvest. Not surprisingly, it is thought to be one of the few mills of its kind operating at present in the country.
Not only are the methods and the machinery an anomaly in the time of the harvester, but even the crop which they were harvesting is something from the past.
Very few records are kept about oats now, perhaps surprisingly as it was Northern Ireland’s main crop less than 15 years ago. Since then it has been superceded by barley and, to a lesser degree, wheat.
DOWNPATRICK — Although Down District Council have agreed to appoint a quantity surveyor to inspect the interior of Downpatrick’s assembly hall, they will not contribute anything towards the cost of the exterior restoration.
Council members decided to enlist the advice of a consultant to see what can be done with the hall which the Dunleath family have offered them for free. However, not all the councillors wholeheartedly approved of the step. Mr. John Ritchie said that the council had appointed many consultants on various matters in the past, but all they received in return was a “lot of paper on a lot of subjects.”
He added that in this way things could be put back for months, yet meanwhile there was no provision of facilities for the younger people of the town. There was a definite need for a hall of this kind and this offer needed a lot of thought.
Mr. Ritchie added that he would be in favour of the hall being modernised if the cost was not prohibitive. It would be used only as a place where Downpatrick people could meet, especially now that there was no major hall in the area.
BALLYNAHINCH — Traffic was disrupted in the centre of Ballynahinch for an hour when members of the town’s tenants’ association protested — with the help of a dummy fatality — at the lack of a suitable crossing at the Square.
The chairman of the association, Mr. Ian Jess, explained that the protest was called to draw attention to the need for such a crossing at a spot where five children have been killed in road accidents in the last six years.
So fed up are the group with the inactivity of the authorities that they first considered blocking the road with concrete ramps and tarmac. On seconds thoughts they decided to form a less permanent barrier which could not damage cars.
Their action follows three years of waiting. Mr. Jess said that the first move in the campaign was made about three years ago when, together with Mr. Vincent Fullam, secretary of the tenants’ association, and Mr. Ted Moore, he went to Stormont to hand in a petition with 5,000 signatures calling for a crossing.
“The situation is disgraceful,” Mr. Jess said. When mothers want to cross the High Street they have to push the prams on to the roadside to indicate what they want. This only endangers the children.”
SAINTFIELD — An unlucky cow owned by Mr. James Kirk, Main Street, Saintfield, had to be destroyed after being involved in two serious accidents.
The first happened at Yates Cross on the Carryduff/Saintfield Road at 10.40pm involving a Triumph 1300. After being hit the cow made off in the direction of Carryduff, but was then struck by a motor-cycle.
The USPCA and a veterinary surgeon were notified and almost three hours later the cow, which had made off again, was finally trapped in a field. It was destroyed shortly afterwards.
DRUMANESS — The president, Mrs. H. Wallace, presided at the monthly meeting of Drumaness Women’s Institute, which took the form of a talk on the Avon range of cosmetics by Mrs. Hall, one of the Institute members. Everyone enjoyed sampling and smelling the large selection of view.
Mrs. Wallace welcomed Mrs. Fitz, a visitor from Ontario, and congratulated the members on their magnificent efforts regarding cakes and groceries for the fete at Rademon.
KILLOUGH — Twenty year-old Kathleen Hawthorne, of Killough, became a state enrolled nurse and completed a happy family double. For Kathleen’s elder sister, Isobel, has been an SEN for two years and the family have always been hopeful that Kathleen would follow in her footsteps. Both girls completed their training at Purdysburn Fever Hospital and Isobel is at present on the staff of the Downe Hospital.
CROSSGAR — Crossgar Cricket Club held their annual dinner dance in the Dunmore Hotel, Killyleagh, where members and friends enjoyed an entertaining evening. The chairman, Mr. I. Patterson, welcomed everyone and congratulated the teams on a fine season, despite the fact that the future of the club was in doubt at the beginning of the year.
The first eleven batting cup went again to Hugo Tate, while the firsts bowling was tied between G. Whyte and H. Horner. The seconds batting and bowling cups were both won by D. McNerlin. G. Niblock, captain of the team which won the NCU Colts Cup, was asked to hand over the cup to the president, Mr. R. Lennon, for his safe keeping in the year ahead.
DOWNPATRICK — The death of Mr. James W. Clements at the age of 69 has robbed Downpatrick of one of its most respected and most able citizens. For more than two centuries his family have been closely involved with local life, so it came naturally to him to be conscientiously involved in the widest sense with the welfare of the community of which he felt so much a part.
He succeeded his father in managing the family firm, Downpatrick Timber, Slate and Coal Company, but not before he had dug coal from boats at the Quoile quay, cut timber in their own sawmill and undertook many other tasks.
CASTLEWELLAN — The body of a 63 year-old man was found by fishermen at Loughislandreavy Lake, near Castlewellan. He was Mr. James Dougherty, of Ballymoney, Kilcoo, and he was apparently killed when his motor-cycle went out of control at a bend on the Castlewellan/Rathfriland Road, which runs along the lake shore. His motor-cycle was lying nearby.
DUNDRUM — A Mercedes car driven by the Newcastle golf professional, Ian Murdock, was damaged when it collided with a UDR scout car at the Twelve Arches, Dundrum, just after midnight on Monday.
BALLYNAHINCH — The Church of Ireland Primate, the Most Rev. G. O. Simms, will be visiting Ballynahinch on Sunday when he preaches at the morning service at Magheradroll Parish Church.
KILLINCHY — Fifty members of Killinchy Young Farmers’ Club travelled to Bangor picture house where they had a highly entertaining evening watching Steptoe and Son and Swallows and Amazons. Afterwards a meal was enjoyed by everyone at the Scandia.
KILKEEL — A reward of £1,000 offered to any person who can eliminate the odour which emanates from a fish factory in Kilkeel is still unclaimed. This was stated at Newry and Mourne council by Mr. Arthur Doran when he introduced a deputation which called on the council to take immediate action about the smell.