From the pages of the Down Recorder, October 18, 1977

From the pages of the Down Recorder, October 18, 1977

18 October 2017

DOWNPATRICK — A Downpatrick bakery owner’s big switch-over to a new factory is being held up because it can’t switch on. Workers at the well-known Savage’s bakery should have moved into their new factory on the Flying Horse industrial estate in July.

But today they are still baking in their old premises in the town centre because the Northern Ireland Electricity Service cannot provide a power supply to the factory. Engineers from NIES have told Mr Tom Savage that it will be January or February next year before they dan start work on getting the factory connected up.

The news left Mr Savage understandably annoyed. “I think it’s ridiculous I’ve got £50,000 tied up in this factory and I can’t even get electricity supplied to it,” he said.

What makes him even more angry is that he signed for an electricity supply back in February and yet he claims that he was only told about the delay a few months ago.

“I’ve been left hanging, I don’t know what is happening,” he said. At present there are six workers employed in the bakery, but I had hoped to double this and that is why I need the new factory.”

BALLYKINLAR — A Ballykinlar woman has been awarded damages of £20,000 in the High Court. Mrs Anne Richards had to have her left leg amputated below the knee after being knocked down by a soldier on a motorcycle.

The accident happened in May 1975 as Mrs Richards was waiting to use the public phone box near Ballykinlar camp. She was hit by the motorcycle and thrown through a shop window.

NEWCASTLE — The best way to solve unemployment in the Newcastle area is to encourage more involvement from the local community. 

That was the message hammered home to people at the special meeting 

held this week to consider ways of reducing the number of jobless in the resort and the neighbouring towns of Castlewellan and Dundrum.

More than 60 people, representing a wide range of interests, from local schoolteachers and businessmen to trade unionists and councillors, turned up for Tuesday’s public meeting.

They heard speakers from the Departments of Manpower and Commerce, and from LEDU, the Local Enterprise Development Unit. All had the same message — bring us your ideas and we provide the finance and the know-how.

Mr Tom Short, Southern Area manager of LEDU, put it simply: “What is needed is more confidence among the people of Newcastle to come forward with ideas. We will talk to people at any time.”

Mr Paddy O’Donoghue, the Newcastle councillor and schoolteacher who called the meeting, said he felt it had been a “useful first step” towards dealing with unemployment.

SHRIGLEY — There’s no-one to match Joan Irvine, of Shrigley, when it comes to making models. Joan, who lives on the Crossgar Road, is really struck on her new hobby — making models out of matchsticks.

Her biggest achievements so far have been two splendid churches, each of which took over six hours to build and needed thousands of matchsticks. She hopes to raffle one of these churches to raise funds for a children’s home in Belfast.

Joan, who is deaf, also enjoys making up jigsaws and playing draughts, so one thing she is not short of is patience. And Joan is going to need all her patience as she now hopes to make a much bigger model using matchsticks. You could almost call it a “burning desire.”

CASTLEWELLAN — Building work on a new registered office for Dromara and Drumgooland Credit Union at Castlewellan is now underway. This was announced by James McCleen, president, when he addressed members and their friends at the ninth annual dinner dance on Friday in the Rostrevor Hotel.

Mr McCleen praised the officials of the Credit Union for giving up so much of their time, without any thought of financial reward, and thanked the members for their efforts to make the Credit Union something of which they could all be truly proud.

Mr Thomas King, treasurer, said that at September 30, 1977, members’ savings amounted to £235,549.49. Membership was 1,821. On average just under one third of members used the Credit Union each week.

DRUMANESS — Down councillors are to calling professional help to sort out the bad surface at playing fields in Drumaness.

Councillors admitted this week that work carried out by their own technical outdoor staff was not up to scratch and things could only be put right be experts.

They were told that stones littered the surface of one field and on a particular corner of a pitch a large outcrop of rock was coming through and could only be shifted by explosives.

SAINTFIELD — Mrs Flanagan, of Saintfield, got more than she bargained for when she was out in her garden picking brussel sprouts for her family’s tea. She was astounded when she discovered several ‘super-sprouts’ — each being the size of a cricket ball.

Now the local greengrocer is convinced she just have a magic formula, but she assured us that she can’t give any secrets away, simply because she doesn’t know what caused the increase in size.

Mrs Flanagan, of 60 Main Street, said: “I took them down to the grocers and they couldn’t believe the size of them either.”

BALLYNAHINCH — Ballynahinch boys were given the chance to become scout superstars in a sponsored De-Scout-a-lon at St Colman’s Secondary School on Sunday. They took part in a number of physical tests, which, if they passed, could take them to the final heat and perhaps to the national CBSI finals in the summer of 1978.

The De-Scout-a-lon is run as a national autumn fund-raising event to provide badly needed cash for local and national scouting. The Scouts had only to reach a set standard in eight of the ten events to enable them to go forward to represent their unit, St Patrick’s, in the provincial finals.

DUNDRUM — A move to light up the roadway leading to Dundrum Castle has been initiated by a local resident. 

Down Council has been asked to carry out the work, but ownership of the road has not been determined and the matter could 

pass into the hands of the Department of Environment.

SPA — Residents of a housing estate at Spa, near Ballynahinch, could be getting the playground they have wanted for more than a year. A local councillor, Mrs Ethel Smyth, who was petitioned by the residents, has brought the matter before Down Council and an investigation has been ordered.

The council’s chief recreation officer, Mr Bryan Coburn, said that previous approaches had been made about the problem at Hillside estate and that the Housing Executive had indicated that they development plans which included a playground.

Mrs Smyth, however, told councillors that future building had now been shelved by the Executive and she wanted the council to take positive action. Mr Coburn was instructed to visit the estate and investigate possible sites.

BALLYGOWAN — The success of Ballygowan and District Association’s dinner dance on Thursday night was most encouraging for this newly-formed community association.

The association was originally formed in May to work towards the provision of a community centre for this fast growing village where normal entertainment opportunities are small.

To date several social events aimed at all sections of the community have taken place, but this dinner dance, held in La Mon House, must be a high spot.

BALLEE — A ton of barley valued at more than £70 was stolen from a Ballee farm over the past week. The thieves also made off with 80 bags valued at £12.