From the pages of the Down Recorder, May 31, 1977

From the pages of the Down Recorder, May 31, 1977

31 May 2017

DOWNPATRICK — Downpatrick is to get a brand new £2 million electronic telephone exchange by 1982. Other towns throughout the district will be getting smaller, more modern exchanges within the next ten years.

The good news for subscribers came this week when the Post Office took the wraps off a new £300m scheme which will completely modernise the whole telephone system in the province.

The new electronic system will not only mean better communications, but a huge increase in the capacity of the system. A Post Office spokesman said that by 1987 90% of homes in the province would have telephones.

Downpatrick’s exchange has been programmed to go electric by 1982. The new system will mean an end to noisy connections and crossed lines, problems which have brought bitter complaints from many subscribers in the Downpatrick area. The new exchange will also allow for the insulation of the new push button telephones.

Along with the new Downpatrick system, smaller electronic exchanges are to be installed in Castlewellan, Portaferry and Annalong. This will bring the exchange system in the area completely up to date, with electronic exchanges having already been installed in Newcastle, Ballynahinch, Crossgar and Carryduff.

KILLYLEAGH — A drowning tragedy was narrowly averted in Killyleagh harbour when a local man dived into the sea fully-clothed to rescue a five year-old boy. Colin O’Brien, of Braeside Gardens, had been playing at the side of the harbour when his younger brother pushed him over the edge.

Colin’s panic-stricken mother looked on in horror as her son struggled helplessly in the water. But local fireman, Mr Jay McAllister, who lives in High Street, spotted boy in distress and dived eight feet into the water below.

He managed to reach Colin and brought him back on to the harbour cold and frightened, but none the worse for his experience. Colin was back at his desk in school on Monday as usual, but his mother was still very distressed as she thought of how close her son was to death.

“I took the two kids down to the harbour for a walk and as they were playing the young one just pushed Colin over the edge,” she said. “He could have drowned if it hadn’t been for Mr McAllister. I can’t thank him enough.”

CASTLEWELLAN — A dramatic eleventh hour breakthrough has left the way clear for the South Eastern Education and Library Board to go ahead with its £86,000 plan to build a new library in Castlewellan Market House.

Agreement has been reached in the complicated legal dispute between the building’s former owners, the Annesley family, and Castlewellan estate agent Mr James Wilson. The long-running dispute had seemed likely to wreck the plans for the new library.

No details of the peace formula are available. A tight-lipped Mr Wilson would only say that the dispute has been resolved in a manner which he thought “fair to all sides.” An even tighter-lipped Mr Annesley refused to comment at all.

NEWCASTLE — Newcastle Sandpipers blitzed the British sand yachting championship scene with impact at Lytham and St Anne’s at the weekend. They seized the class four top award as well as sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth positions.

Hero of the half dozen was Kenny McCullough, who took top spot ahead of the designer and builder of the yachts. Alan Magowan came sixth, Patti Speedy seventh, John Magowan eighth and Irvine Campbell ninth. Also taking part was Robert Nixon.

The Sandpipers, who were newcomers to the sport only last October, were representing Northern Ireland and were sponsored by the Sports Council.

ARDGLASS — Ardglass will be getting its new residential home for the elderly after all — and it’s possible that work on the project could begin this year.

At a recent meeting of the Down District Health and Social Services Board members were told the scheme had now been included in the Department of Health and Social Service’s capital works programme for the period up to 1980.

The Ardglass home was ped from the programme last year due to financial cutbacks. However, even then the project was in the later stages of planning and members of the Down District HSS Committee are hopeful that plans will take off where they stopped and that the work will begin later this year.

BALLYNAHINCH — Some Ballynahinch residents could be buying their favourite weekly newspaper — the Down Recorder — from different newsagents soon.

But it’s not a case of new shops springing up in the town. Instead, the ownership of two of the newsagents will be changing.

In fact, one has already changed hands with Mr and Mrs W  Reilly, from Castle Street, Comber, taking over Carson’s, formerly Owens’ of High Street.

McMasters’, formerly R B Bailie’s, also of High Street, has also changed hands, but the new owners have not yet taken over.

BALLYKINLAR — St Joseph’s conference of the St Vincent de Paul Society, Ballykinlar, began their golden jubilee celebrations on Sunday.

Most conferences in the East Down area were present. Four foundation members also joined in the celebrations, namely Edward Magennis, William Hanna, John Henry Doherty and James Hanna.

The celebrations began with a band parade from the parish hall to the chapel, music for which was supplied by Killough Accordion Band. Fr M Dillon addressed the members of the conferences, asking them to reassess the work they were doing, to examine more closely the aims of the founder and apply them realistically to the needs of modern society.

After the church service guests returned to the parish hall where a meal had been prepared by the ladies of the parish. The celebrations closed with speeches. The guest speaker was Mr Patrick Mulligan, Central Council president, who congratulated the president, Mr Bernard Croskery, and the present members of the conference on organising such a celebration.

STRANGFORD — A former student at Down High School, Jonathan Joseph Lee, has been awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in biology at Tilane University of New Orleans in the United States.

Jonathan, formerly of Strangford, is the nephew of Mr and Mrs Richard Sullivan and Mr Stanley E Lucas, of Old Court, Strangford, He now plans to attend graduate school to continue his studies.

MOURNES — Record entries have been received for this year’s Mourne Wall Walk, which takes place on Sunday. Over 2,000 hikers, some from England and Scotland, will be taking part in the gruelling 22.5 mile walk through the mountains.

“It’s the biggest entry we have ever had,” said a spokesman for the Youth Hostel Association, who organise the walk. “We had to close the entries days before the final date when they exceeded 2,000.”

The spokesman reminded the entrants the event is not a race. “It started as a ramble and is still intended to be one,” he said.

An indication of just how much the event has grown can be seen in the entry lists from some of the earlier walks. In 1958, for example, there were 46 starters, 43 of whom finished inside the 12 hours. Last year 1,268 people took part and 834 got certificates.

COMBER — Fancy dress, sports and open air dancing are just some of the events which will take place in Comber on Tuesday to mark the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. Preparations are well underway to turn the Jubilee into a day-long carnival of fun and games in the town.

The Town Committee and various local community groups have been hard at work for the past few weeks organising the various events and now most of the plans have been finalised.