From the pages of the Down Recorder, September 13, 1977

From the pages of the Down Recorder, September 13, 1977

13 September 2017

NEWCASTLE — With one of Newcastle’s best ever summer seasons drawing to a close, local tourist chiefs are now working on ambitious new plans to tempt even more foreign visitors to the resort next year.

Officials of Down Council’s tourist and recreation department have already made tentative approaches to tour operators from Switzerland and Holland.

Although a full report of this season will not given to the council until later this month, officials are known to be delighted with the number of holidaymakers who came to Newcastle. They feel the resort is now one of the province’s top holiday attractions and is capable of attracting continental tourists.

One big advantage which Newcastle had this year was the recently formed Heart of Down Accommodation Association which ensured that beds in most of the guest houses and hotels were filled during the summer.

Newcastle hoteliers reported an increase of 11 per cent inn the number of occupied bedrooms 

and this was helped by a good number of foreign visitors.

A spokesman for the Slieve Donard Hotel said: “Our figures are definitely up. We have had visitors from America, Canada, France and Germany.”

Another attraction for tourists was the annual festival organised by Newcastle Town Committee, whose chairman, Commander Bill Martin, said: “I am very satisfied with the part played by the Town Committee during the summer season.

DOWNPATRICK — Thirty-four years of service at the Downe Hospital came to an end when Mr Tom Doyle retired. To mark his retirement a special function was held in the dining room of the hospital attended by a representative gathering of the staff.

Mr Doyle was first employed by the hospital as a gardener and later worked as a porter, mainly in the pharmacy department.

He received a cheque, the proceeds of subions from the hospital staff, from the district pharmaceutical officer, Mr J Anderson, who paid Mr Doyle a glowing tribute.

Now Mr Doyle can look forward to a happy retirement and a well deserved one after so many years in the service of others.

CROSSGAR — A bid to restore Crossgar’s War Memorial Hall as the community’s only independent public centre is about to move into top gear with an appeal for at least £2,000.

Most of the money is needed to carry out repairs to the 27 year-old hall and to pay off a £700 debt. The debt has arisen through lack of use of the building. Breakages of fittings by successive raids by vandals make lettings an unattractive proposition to customers.

The restoration bid is very much a community project. While the hall belongs to the community and is run by a committee appointed at annual public meetings, the nature of the trust deed under which it is held means that it cannot be taken offer or run by the district council.

The management committee has had its problems in recent years, largely because of the changing pattern of night life as old style social functions were replaced by nights out at licensed restaurants and by public house entertainments.

Now, however, the hall committee feel assured that those dim days are past. From soundings they have taken in the community they are certain that the public agree.

One has only to talk to the committee chairman, Mr W J Cochrane, or his vice-chairman, Mr Dennis Cahill, to sense the enthusiasm over the project of seeing the war memorial hall restored as the centre of community life.

Their willingness to get things organised is shared by the secretary, Miss Dorothy Friar, and the treasurer, Mrs Katie Williams, whose late father, Mr John Duff, will be remembered for his part in the old Saturday night dances.

DUNDRUM — Three hundred more home knitters are needed to meet the orders flooding into Keown’s Knitwear, the Dundrum-based cottage industry.

The present workforce of 180 knitters is not big enough to cope with the increasing international demand for Aran garments, said Mr William Keown. “The reason behind this step is that of rapid orders from existing outlines and new customers’ inquiries, both at export and home market levels,” he told the Recorder.

Mr Keown added that he hoped his company would soon be employing between 500-600 home knitters.

KILLYLEAGH — A founder member of Killyleagh Town Committee, who was an active citizen in the town, passed away this week. Mr John Hamilton died at his Irish Street home at the age of 79.

He was a greatly respected man who was always willing to undertake posts and tasks which would help to benefit the people of Killyleagh. He spent most of his working life as a foreman fitter at Killyleagh Flax Spinning Company and during this time he took a devout interest in the welfare of the workers.

He was a keen sports enthusiast with a passion for cricket and he travelled weekly to the Downpatrick matches. He attended summer league football matches before his death and he was also a member of Killyleagh Bowling Club.

Mr Hamilton is survived by his wife, Eileen, sons Jack and Fred and daughter Joan.

BALLYGOWAN — The Rev James Harper, formerly minister of First Killyleagh Presbyterian Church, has been installed as minister in Ballygowan. A popular and outgoing man, Rev Harper hopes that he will make as many friends in Ballygowan as he has in Killyleagh.

Mr Harper was minister of First Killyleagh for almost ten years before taking up the Ballygowan ministry. He will be moving to the manse at Ballygowan at the end of this month with his family — his wife is a nursing officer and they have two sons, aged 11 and 14, who attend Down High School.

CASTLEWELLAN — A Castlewellan man was taken to Downe Hospital in the early hours of Monday morning after a car struck a telegraph pole at Central Promenade. 

The injured man was Aidan Poland, who was a passenger in the car. The accident happened at 2am just outside Newcastle Post Office.

ANNAHILT — A factory in Annahilt has been taken over the Grmsby Cordage Company, a subsidiary of Cosalt Ltd, the fishing nets and ships’ chandlery manufacturers based at Kilkeel.

Welcoming the news, the Minister of State, Mr Don Concannon, said: “Cosalt have had a small unit operating at Kilkeel for some time. I understand that not only will this acquisition protect the existing jobs at Annahilt, but it may, in the longer term, lead to increased unemployment.”

COMBER — A young voluntary worker will be leaving for India on Saturday to do two years of service among the poor — and it’s partly thanks to the generosity of the pupils of Comber Secondary School.

Earlier this year over 200 of the schoolchildren undertook a sponsored walk to raise money for the Indian project. Between them they raised more than £400 and much of this will go to volunteer worker Sue Steiner to help pay for her expenses in getting to India.

Sue’s work will centred in a severely impoverished village some 50 miles from Madras. The villagers live in appalling conditions and are beset with killer diseases like TB and leprosy. 

Even measles or diarrhoea can kill the children who are weak and undernourished.

KILMORE — A memorial service for the Rev W A Corry, who died recently, was held in Kilmore Presbyterian Church. It was conducted by the present minister, the Rev Dr W D Bailie and the lessons were read by the Rev J C Pedlow, of Downpatrick.

Mr Corry, who died aged 81, was a native of Greyabbey. He was ordained in Kilmore on July 24, 1923. He retired on September 40, 1961, owing to ill health.