From the pages of the Down Recorder, March 9, 1994

From the pages of the Down Recorder, March 9, 1994

6 March 2024

KILLYLEAGH – Pupils at a local primary school will be the losers following an unprovoked vandalism attack last weekend which caused damage estimated at £2,000.

Killyleagh’s St Mary’s Primary School was targeted by a group of vandals wielding what is believed to have been a heavy pipe which they used to smash 22 panes of reinforced glass.

The attack has been described as an “isolated incident” by the school principal, Mrs Angela Fitzpatrick, who has also revealed that the incident will put a “tremendous strain” on school resources.

“Vandalism carried out at schools is not covered by insurance and the school will have to foot the repair bill. The money we are going to have to allocate to do this could be spent better elsewhere and it is the pupils who are going to suffer at the end of the day.

At the moment, it is impossible to say which area will be affected by diverting money to pay for the damage, but it is certainly something which the school could do without,” she added.

Several years ago a number of schools in the Killyleagh area formed an initiative to combat vandalism and the project was proving successful until last week’s attack.

NEWCASTLE – Mysterious white crystals, washed up on Newcastle beach last Friday, could turn out to be wet cheese, according to unconfirmed reports.

Labelled a hazard by police, the foul-smelling crystals had a white surface, a mustard-coloured interior and crumbled when touched.

Found by walkers on the beach, pollution control officers from the Department of the Environment were called in by police, who said “a large amount” of the unidentified material had been washed up.

Yesterday, the substance had still to be positively identified, but Newcastle police spokesman said he had heard a rumour that it may be nothing more harmful than cheese.

A spokeswoman for the DoE said on Friday that their pollution officers had visited the beach and taken samples away for analysis and reports, the results of which are due this week.

BALLYNAHINCH – Sixteen tenants in Ballynahinch have handed in a petition to the Housing Executive, demanding to know why upgrading work at their flats has been put on hold for four months.

Told last year that their priority-status block of flats and maisonettes at Hillfoot Crescent was to get a £250,000 modernisation in January, the residents claimed this has been postponed without explanation.

Handing in the document at the Executive’s Downpatrick offices on Monday, they protested at poor living conditions, growing vandalism and a lack of information about when the urgent work will start.

One resident, Mr Paul King, said he organised the petition, signed by all 16 householders, when he became tired of waiting for a reason for the delay, and to reverse Hillfoot Crescent’s poor image with Ballynahinch people.

BALLYKINLAR – Jesse James’ second most prized possession after a gun, his saddle, has blazed a trail to pride of place at a Ballykinlar saddlery.

On display as an antique alongside much more modern versions, this most essential of cowboy equipment can be seen by customers calling at the Holmestead Saddlery.

Owner Bill Holmes travelled to an auction at Wellington House, Nenagh, Tipperary, to bid for the saddle when it went up for sale with the rest of the house contents.

He returned to his Clanmaghery Road premises at the weekend with the unique saddle, which may now form the basis of a tourist-attracting collection of similar famous items.

Holmestead’s Sharon Murdoch said they had no doubts the saddle was the real thing. “It has actually got a deion on the side of it,” she said on Monday, “and it is quite old, you would know just by looking at it.”

SAINTFIELD – Car parking in Saintfield is facing a radical shake-up with proposals that may bring traffic wardens back to police the town’s Main Street.

With growing numbers of people said to be deserting the town because they can’t get parked close to shops, the Department of the Environment has begun a review of local parking facilities.

Options of a one-hour maximum waiting period, improving Saintfield’s existing car-park and an idea to change around parking areas at different times of the day, are all under consideration.

Earlier last week, a 700-signature petition, organised by a Main Street trader, calling for the maximum waiting period, was handed over to Down Council, but the Town Committee warned it may bring traffic wardens back to Saintfield.

DOWNPATRICK – Downpatrick’s proposed £1.7m link road has this week received the public backing of the town’s Chamber of Commerce.

It believes that the Church Street / Scotch Street link has a vital role to play in the town’s future economy and will be welcomed by potential investors and people thinking of setting up home in the area.

Chamber members say that Downpatrick is “trapped in a time warp” and suggest that the link road will provide a vital outlet to help stimulate economic regeneration.

Chamber secretary, Mr Michael Smith, believes something positive needs to be done to help the town offer modern day services to local businessmen and industrialists.

“Commercially, Downpatrick needs to improve its image if it is to survive,” he declared.

CASTLEWELLAN – Two girls from St Malachy’s High School, Castlewellan, are making a name for themselves on the international netball scene.

Patricia Keating and Cara McGreevy have been on international duty for Northern Ireland at various levels in recent weeks. And the chances are they’ll be wearing the green uniform for quite some time.

Patricia marked her international debut by captaining the U-18 team which competed in an invitational tournament at Maysfield Leisure Centre in Belfast at the weekend.

Patricia had a superb tournament and helped Northern Ireland to a highly creditable third place behind England and Wales.

The previous weekend, Cara travelled to Wales with the U-16 team, just five months after breaking her leg while playing basketball. She is also in the team to take on the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on March 20.

DOWNPATRICK – The proposed £5m St Patrick’s Visitors Centre can be sensitively developed to be complementary to Down County Museum, South Down MP, Eddie McGrady, claimed this week.

In his first major statement since the current debate into the planned Downpatrick-based project began, Mr McGrady said the propoosal is the most exciting venture for the town for the past decade and he gave it his full support.

The MP’s unequivocal support will come as a boost for the project’s backers who will shortly be seeking funding from the International Fund for Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund.

In his statement the MP cited the commercial regeneration and job creation aspects of the St Patrick’s Visitors Centre, but it was the impact of such a centre on the museum on which he concentrated.

KILLYLEAGH – Residents in the Killyleagh area have made an impassioned plea to senior Department of Environment chiefs to ban the pumping of harmless substances into Strangford Lough.

They have pointed an accusing finger at the town’s sewage pumping station and have demanded that its emissions are monitored and controlled more closely.