From the pages of the Down Recorder, January 30, 1973

From the pages of the Down Recorder, January 30, 1973

30 January 2013

DOWNPATRICK — Property in Downpatrick Lower Market Street area was much closer to being flooded than was apparent at the weekend.

The town’s four storm water pumps were beginning to lose control in the fight against rising water just after the deluge eased. While the Newcastle Road was cut off by the swollen marshes, water began coming out of the ground at the car park.

Mr. J. L. Campbell, town surveyor, said that the area was within a hair’s breadth of being flooded. It is ten years ago since the Market Street area was deeply flooded. At that time thawing snow was the cause and a failed electricity system made the pumps inoperative.

NEWCASTLE — A Newcastle man was held up an gunpoint and robbed of £14 while on his way home at the weekend. Mr. William Barbour, a 38 year-old bricklayer, of Ballaghbeg Park, was coming from Belfast and to avoid the flooded main road he drove via Waterask.

He was stopped by an armed man and asked for his driving documents. It was then that they snatched his wallet. He saw two men, but believed a third was present.

DUNDRUM — John Coates will never forget last Friday. It was the day he missed a watery death by seconds — the day he jumped from the cab as his dragline excavator fell into the Moneycarragh River, near Dundrum.

John, of Drumroe Road, Downpatrick, works for the Ministry of Agriculture, who are carrying out an extensive drainage scheme on the river. He was coming back after lunch when he noticed that the machine was leaning slightly towards the water. A glance told him that the floodwater, about six feet above its usual level, was undercutting the bank, so he hopped into the cab to move the machine to firmer ground.

Just then it began to roll over and he jumped for his life. He still wonders if he could have saved himself had he been seconds later.

KILLYLEAGH — Two Killyleagh people were slightly injured when fire broke out in their home on Monday night. Mr. T. Brown and his son, Darren, sustained slight burns and scorching of the hair when a small gas cylinder developed a leakage and caught fire. Downpatrick fire brigade was called to render assistance.

BALLYHORNAN — A decision has not yet been made on whether or not to salvage the 480-ton Dutch coaster which crashed into the coast between Ballyhornan and Ardglass on Sunday morning.

Taking water by the stern, it capsized and sank in about 50 feet within 18 hours.

The 21 year-old wife of the skipper was one of nine people snatched to safety by a Royal Navy minesweeper after an eight-hour drama at sea.

CROSSGAR — A public meeting in Crossgar next Wednesday night will be strongly encouraged to form a local town committee. Mr. Ted Malone, Down County Welfare Committees officer, who has had wide experience in this field all over the country, will explain how it will be very necessary for small communities to have such bodies when the pattern of local government is changed in October.

One man who couldn’t agree more is Mr. W. J. Cochrane, who currently represents the area on the rural council. He said: “Without contact with a body like a town committee the councillor will be very limited in what he can say or do.

“It will not be a question of running into Downpatrick, seeing the man and getting results,” he said. “It may well be that Crossgar will not be represented by a local man like myself. The new authority is bound to be remote and nothing will be gained without making a very strong case for it.”

ARDGLASS — With the forthcoming reorganisation of local government, there will be a need for greater liaison between the man on the street and the person who represents him. With this aim in mind, a citizen complaints centre is to be set up in Ardglass.

It will be the first of its kind in East Down and its main functions will be to deal with day-to-day complaints from all sections of the community. The man behind the venture, Mr. Dermot Curran, says: “For too long now there has been a vacuum between the public representatives and the people they represent. When the new district council is set up, there will be fewer representatives and less contact between the people.

KILLINCHY — The RUC are appealing for witnesses to an accident in which a young woman died on Friday night. The accident occurred on the Comber/Killinchy Road about two-and-a-half miles from Killinchy. Miss Isabella Ruth Haddick (25), of Maryville Park, Belfast, was fatally injured when her car, a white Mini with a black roof, struck a wall.

SEAFORDE — Captain Charles de Burgh (87), who died at his home in Seaforde, was one of the pioneers of the British submarine service.

The son of Lieut.-Col. T. J. de Burgh, whose family lived in Naas, Co. Kildare, for around 300 years, he joined the Royal Navy in 1902 and was one of the 200 officers who began the submarine service in 1908.

On the outbreak of World War 1 Captain de Burgh joined HMS Antrim and was given a submarine command a year later.

After admiralty service and command of HMS Valiant and Queen Elizabeth, he returned to the submarine service until his retirement in 1932. He returned to the Navy to become officer in control shipping and convoys between 1939-46.

He is survived by his brother, General Sir Eric de Burgh, Bargy Castle, Co. Wexford, and by two daughters, Miss Lydia de Burgh, the Ulster artist, and Coralie, wife of Sir Robin Kinahan, former Lord Mayor of Belfast.

SAINTFIELD — Despite difficulties, the last Saintfield Show was one of the best in the long series, and the promoting society, at its annual meeting last night, was able to report a profit of £300 on the year.

Plans were laid for the 1973 show, and it was reported by the secretary, Mr. John Beck, that special competitions with trophies and many prizes were being arranged by the Ayrshire Cattle Society and the Jersey Cattle Club in Northern Ireland. Entries in both these breeds may prove a record.

Mr. Beck said that at the last show they had paid out £250 in additional prize money.

Dr. J. S. McKelvey, president and chairman, was re-elected, and Beck was re-elected secretary.