Looking Back - 1986: Neepawa citizens purchase the Margaret Laurence Home
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- Published on Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Photo courtesy of Cecil Pittman archive: Thursday, Dec. 4, 1986, Margaret Laurence Home Committee purchased the Simpson Home.
The Neepawa Press
80 years ago. Tuesday, Dec. 1, 1936: The Dominion Unemployment Bureau has reported that there are now 79 unemployed men in Neepawa, as compared to 121 in 1931.
70 years ago. Thursday, Dec. 5, 1946: Reports of the big game season indicate that there are plenty of deer and most hunters have been successful on their first hunt. Other reports are to the effect that the shooting started well in advance of the season. Last week, a man of the district appeared before Magistrate Crawford, charged with having shot several deer and elk out of season. His gun, team of horses and wagon were confiscated and he was fined $82.50.
60 years ago. Thursday, Dec. 6, 1956: What might possibly be regarded as the most informative meeting concerning the Secondary and Larger school areas ever held in Neepawa, was staged last Friday night in West Park School Auditorium, where Scott Bateman, deputy minister of education, was guest speaker.
A crowd was on hand to receive the information and to participate in informal discussion following Mr. Bateman’s address. Speaking to the audience, Mr. Bateman outlined the points in common to both the Larger and Secondary school systems. To establish either area, the minister may require a petition to be signed by no less than 20 per cent of the resident electors of the area concerned. The present area, for the purpose of discussion only, includes the rural municipalities of Glenella, Lansdowne, Rosedale, Langford and the Town of Neepawa.
50 years ago. Tuesday, Dec. 6, 1966: Santa Claus will visit many needy families in Neepawa and district this year and his pack will be stuffed with toys and dolls, provided through the good offices of the Neepawa Lions Club. Santa’s chief helper in the Lions Club this year is Russ Woodard, who devoted hours of his own time in repairing used toys donated by citizens in Neepawa.
Mrs. Woodard, assisted by a number of ladies in the community, cleaned, repaired and dressed up scores of dolls, which will gladden the hearts of many little girls in the area. Community response to an appeal for used toys was “overwhelming,” according to Mr. Woodard. He now has all the toys he can handle, so anyone still intending to donate toys should perhaps save them until next year.
40 years ago. Thursday, Dec. 2, 1976: Thirty-nine horses were killed in a fire that completely destroyed a barn and its contents on the farm of Stanley Kalinowski, one mile south and one mile west of Riding Mountain, early Sunday morning, Nov. 28. Damage is estimated at more than $40,000. The building was only partly covered by insurance.
30 years ago. Thursday, Dec. 4, 1986: Margaret Laurence is “honoured and grateful.” A group of Neepawa citizens have rallied together to purchase her former home on 312 Second Ave. as a tribute to her and as a tourism and cultural site. “I was delighted to learn that the old Simpson house has been purchased,” she wrote in a letter to the group, dated Nov. 14. “It means a great deal to me that the old brick house will remain in the town and will survive.” Laurence lived in the house during her teenage years when it was owned by her grandfather.
20 years ago. Monday, Dec. 3, 1996: A major announcement regarding the Great Plains Interpretive Centre will be made within the next two weeks – proof taxpayers are getting value for their money, says NADCO coordinator Bill Stillwell. “Something like this probably wouldn’t have gotten off the ground without the backing of the Neepawa Area Development Corporation,” said Stillwell. “Our mandate is community development and we’re doing that.”
10 years ago. Monday, Dec. 4, 2006: A moratorium on hog expansion in the province may threaten construction of a proposed processing plant in Winnipeg. “You look at all the instability in the industry and now the moratorium in Manitoba and it’s fair to ask how many more challenges can a project handle?” Florian Possberg, president and CEO of Humbolt, Saskatchewan’s Big Sky Farms said last week. Big Sky Farms is part of the OlyWest consortium - proposing to build a hog processing plant in St. Boniface – along with Olymel and the La Broquerie hog producer Hytek.
