From the pages of the Down Recorder, August 14, 1973

14 August 2013

DOWNPATRICK — Angry residents of Bridge Street, Downpatrick, were threatening to take action this week against motorists because they claim their narrow cul-de-sac is being used as the town’s second car park. “Unless something is done immediately to stop the continual flow of cars, we will erect barricades at the street entrance,” one householder said.

The families of the small estate have been complaining bitterly for three years and matters came to a head last Friday when the coalman was unable to make his weekly delivery of coal and gas because of the lines of parked cars.

Mrs. Mary Young to the Recorder on Monday: “It’s a ridiculous situation. We were left without a fire all over the weekend, which meant that we had no hot water either. If this parking isn’t stopped it will soon be the baker and the milkman who will be staying away and then where will we be?”

On Monday a deputation of the from the street called at the local police station to complain and immediately a number of ‘no waiting’ signs were placed at the entrance to the street.

TANZANIA — A land-and-air search is going on in Tanzania for Newcastle-born Mr. Ivan Allen Blakely (39) and his sister-in-law, whose private plane disappeared in bush country at the weekend.

Mr. Blakely, who is a civil engineer employed by the Tanzanian Ministry of Eater Development and Power, set out in his own Cessna 150 aircraft for Shinyanga in the north-west, a flight he had made several times before. He has been working in the African country for 14 years.

He was returning to his job on the construction site of a dam and the alarm was raised after he and the woman failed to turn up.

CROSSGAR — A who-does-what argument has arisen over the provision of a playground for children in Crossgar’s 90-home Westlands estate. The local community development committee got in touch with the Housing Executive, who took over the former rural council estate, to ask them to make a move on the construction of a playground.

The Executive say it is not their responsibility, but the function of the new district council, to whom the plot of ground will have to be transferred. According to Councillor William Cochrane, the Executive did not know that the ground was theirs. The development committee, of which Mr. Cochrane is chairman, carried out a survey of the state and the playground comes out as priority No. 1.

Said Mr. Cochrane: “I’ll bring up at the rural council and hope that they sort something out before they are dissolved at the end of next month. The ground is lying there and nobody seems to be interested. I’m fed up with it being a shuttlecock.”

NEWCASTLE — Newcastle Urban Council are concerned for the future of entertainments in the town after local government reorganisation. A special meeting of the Entertainments Committee has been called for early September to discuss the matter.

DRUMANESS — Almost five years after the linen mill at Drumaness closed down, putting much of the adult labour force of the village out of work, the old premises are now slowly beginning to come to life again.

The mill’s new owners, Woodlawn Poultry Farm Ltd., have established a trout mill — the only one of its kind in the country — on the ground floor of the four-storey building, and two other companies have taken storage space on in the premises.

The owners are more small businesses and light industry to take over sections of the old mill, which still has 80,000 sq. ft. of indoor space and 20 acres of land around it to be utilised.

Says managing director, Mr. Robin Wylie: “We would like to see more firms bringing work for local people to the mill. There is enough space here for all sorts of different enterprises to be set up. But rather than have one big firm employing everyone and then, as happened before, closing down and putting everyone out of work, we would prefer to have numerous small businesses so that the labour force is never again dependent on one single employer.”

The trout mill, which began in February, now occupies 2,500 sq. ft. of space and will rear up to 100 tons of trout, about half a million fish, annually.

ILLITERACY — A shock report prepared three years ago on the numbers of illiterate children in County Down has been vindicated by the Ministry of Education. For a province-wide survey prompted by the initial report made for Down Education Committee shows that the situation is even worse in most other counties.

The report suggested that almost 25 per cent of all children in the county were reaching secondary school age without being able to read properly. It went on to say that home background was the real hard core of the problem.

FARMERS — East Down farmers, through their own co-operative organisation, last night described the prospects for this year’s harvest as most encouraging, but added that the weather for the next few weeks could be crucial.

It was the sixth annual meeting of the shareholders of East Down Farmers Ltd., the Downpatrick-based co-operative which sprang into being largely through combined grain drying six years ago. The report said that the world shortage of grain and its derivatives will probably ensure a profitable return to the home barley grower for the next few years.

Mr. Martin Gill was unanimously re-elected chairman and Mr. R. E. Dorndorf was re-appointed to the committee of management.

TERRORISM — There are hopeful signs that terrorism is waning. In July last year 95 people died and 641 were injured in civil disturbances. This year 16 died and 200 were injured. Shooting incidents ped from 2,778 to 283.

ARDGLASS — Mr. Alfred Lowe, grand old man of Irish golf and president of the Ardglass club, was host to 100 men and 60 lady members for the President’s Cup on Saturday last. The fact that so many braved the elements on a day of high winds and heavy rain was a tribute to a much respected figure. Many of them completed only a few holes before retiring, soaked to the skin.

The morning and early afternoon, however, was relatively pleasant — high winds only — and it was from this part of the day that the winners emerged. The overall winner was Noel Moorhead, who was the runner-up last year.

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