From the pages of the Down Recorder, February 22, 1977

From the pages of the Down Recorder, February 22, 1977

22 February 2017

ANNACLOY — Locals at an Annacloy public house couldn’t agree on how far a bottle would travel if tossed into the nearby river — so they decided to find out.

They produced an empty whiskey bottle, enclosing a cigarette and a note giving the name of the pub and the promise of a £500 reward, and popped in into the River Bann, which was in full flow after the heavy October rain.

Now, four months later, the clientele at McMullan’s have received a letter from Germany where a poor Rhine farmer had found the message in the bottle.

Receiving the letter came as a shock to the locals, but they claim they got an even bigger one when they read its contents — for the farmer, in typical broken English, was claiming the £500 reward to enable him to educate his son.

It was a shock indeed for those who sent the note, for they never expected it to reach Strangford Lough, let alone Germany.

Most of the clientele claim to have seen the letter, complete with German stamp and German post mark. Most believe it is genuine.

Unfortunately, the letter disappeared within a week of its arrival — it is thought someone took it to show to friends — and now, as the story spreads through the locality there is added doubt of its authenticity as there seems to be no hope of tracing its whereabouts.

Naturally those who sent the bottle claim that all is above board. But they don’t quite know what to do now. They never really had any intention of giving £500 to the finder, and even if they did they would have to trace the letter to get the farmer’s address.

BALLYNAHINCH — Ballynahinch farmers are showing distress about the amount of flooding on roads and farmlands in their area.

At a meeting of the Ballynahinch branch of the Ulster Farmers’ Union they decided to con act the Department of the Environment to get them to clean troublesome drains so as to alleviate the problem.

Branch members also showed concern about the amount of dumping taking place in fields adjoining roads. Special mention was given to Moss Road, Ballylone, where individuals have been seen dumping rubbish.

DOWNPATRICK — A meeting is likely to be held within the next fortnight to discuss a Down Council proposal to establish a regional museum in Downpatrick.

Council officials will meet with representatives of the Ulster Museum and the Lecale Historical Society to list the requirements needed to go ahead with the plan.

The council has been carrying out negotiations with the Southwell Trust to lease a room for the museum at the Southwell Buildings in English Street and this week they heard that space is available.

The Trust has explained that a room presently occupied by the local library should become available by early summer when the new library complex is opened in Market Street.

The council will be asked to pay a yearly rent of £250, but they will be unable to commit themselves until the property has been inspected by the district’s valuer.

DUNDRUM — The courage of a disabled Dundrum man, Mr William Keown, has again been recognised with a top appointment to the Northern Ireland Council for Orthopaedic Development.

Mr Keown has been asked by the council to serve on the management committee of its Balmoral Centre, which is one several operated by NICOD to help severely handicapped people attain some degree of independence. The centre employs people over the age of 17 in light industrial work such as picture framing and printing.

NICOD is a totally voluntary body and Mr Keown has been closely connected with the council over the past number of years, organising fashion shows to help raise funds for it.

Mr Keown said he was delighted to serve on the management committee. “My own achievements in overcoming my lifelong handicap will be a useful asset to the council,” he said.

SAINTFIELD — Lifeboat Week begins in Saintfield and district on Monday when old and new subscribers to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution will be asked to show their generosity.

Appeal letters will be sent out to past subscribers and others by the Saintfield branch of the RNLI, but the chairman of the branch, Mr M C Perceval-Price, is hoping for some new subscribers.

Anyone who wishes to give some money to this cause should hand in a subion to the branch’s treasurer, Mr R J Nicholson, at the Northern Bank in Saintfield.

COMBER — Members of Comber Town Committee have expressed concern over recent planning decisions taken for the town. They say they are disturbed by the fact departures from the North Down Area Plan were being considered.

Members of the committee, who are to contact the planning authorities to obtain up to date information, are also critical of the delay being taken over the provision of car park sites in Comber.

Apparently sites are still progressing through the legal formalities, but some members wondered how these seem to have been much more quickly overcome in other towns and villages in the North Down area.

The committee also agreed to support the Youth Club management committee in their efforts to obtain the use of the Andrews Hall for discos, providing that adequate guarantees are received from the Community Relations Branch of the RUC regarding stewarding of future discos.

DRUMANESS — Drumaness Recreation Hall is to be renamed the Daniel Rice Memorial Hall in commemoration of a late councillor who served the area for more than 30 years in local government.

The proposal to change the hall’s name has come from Drumaness Recreation Committee who want to erect a memorial plaque and hold function to unveil the new name. The hall is owned by Down District Council who have unanimously agreed to support the idea.

KILLYLEAGH — Lady luck is certainly no stranger to Killyleagh man Sam Davidson after he won £750 in the Belfast  Telegraph’s Find the Ball competition last week. This is the third time that Mr Davidson has won the competition, though this win is his biggest yet.

And it’s not only Find the Ball that Sam is lucky with for her is always winning prizes in competitions and raffles. One of the biggest scoops was winning a free trip to London to see how Opportunity Knocks is made.

But Sam now has a rival in the luck stakes — for recently his wife won £100 in a crossword competition in a Sunday newspaper.

NEWCASTLE — A bomb attack on a Newcastle hotel on Thursday night failed when the device was carried to safety. An anonymous caller told that a bomb had been planted in the Avoca Hotel, Central Promenade, but when police arrived the bomb had been removed and thrown over the nearby promenade wall.

The bomb, a relatively small one, exploded later, causing minor damage to windows in the vicinity.

SEAFORDE — ‘Anchors Away,’ a musical show mounted by Seaforde Young Farmers’ Club, has gained a special merit award at the 1977 series of the YFCU arts festivals.

Seaforde YFC will be one of six clubs who will receive awards at a special gala evening in the Chichester Hall in Ballymena on April 6.

CROSSGAR — The Department of Environment is finalising a scheme to upgrade the standard of street lighting in Crossgar. The Department hopes to have details ready by the end of March.

PORTAFERRY — A new rector was instituted recently at Ballyphilip Parish Church in Portaferry. He is the Rev Maurice Harvey, formerly of Ballymacarrett Parish Church in Belfast and St Paul’s in Lisburn.