Townspeople at a boating party not long before war broke out in August, 1914. Behind them, the ferry is docked at the CPR wharf. Courtesy Admiral Digby Museum.
35 YEARS AGO: Ferry’s truck traffic prompts protest
Through the Pages
35 years ago
May 10, 1973 – Hugh Dickie of Conway appeared before municipal council with a petition signed by more than a hundred of his neighbours. There were protesting the routing of traffic from the new ferry terminal through Conway, which Dickie said was too narrow a road for the increased truck traffic.
The Conway petitioners wanted the province’s highways department to build the originally proposed bypass that would see a new road built from the Racquette through Abramson’s Pasture, along Oaks Road, and entering Hwy. 101 on the west side of the underpass.
Digby’s volunteer fire department reported rapid progress on the new fire hall on First Avenue. The new building was boarded in, and the roof as on and shingled.
Roger Tidd of Smith’s Cove, an accounting department student at Digby Regional High School, became ‘postmaster for a day’ at Digby’s post office.
At the Little Cinema was ‘What’s Up Doc?’, starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal.
50 years ago
May 8 1958 – Imaginary bombing, evacuations and other details were relayed from Halifax as Digby took part in a provincial civil defense exercise. It was a time of concern about atomic bombs.
The first message told of an enemy attack on Halifax and asked Digby to handle 8,000 evacuees, but that was rescinded when a bomb hit Saint John and the area from Yarmouth to Bridgetown was ordered evacuated because of likely fallout.
The federal public works department awarded a contract valued at $117,000 for construction of a breakwater-wharf at Whale Cove.
In an address to a combined meeting of the county’s boards of trade, John Fisher, executive director of the Canadian Tourist Association, issued a plea for a more sensible approach to the province’s liquor laws. But he said provision of liquor shouldn’t be viewed as a crutch by the tourism industry.
Flight Cadet K.F. (Woody) Woodman received his Aid Radio Officer wings at a graduation ceremony in Winnipeg.
Alan Ladd and Virginia Mayo starred in the western ‘The Big Land’, at the Capitol Theatre.
60 years ago
May 6, 1948 – Despite a petition from local residents, town council granted permission for Douglas Raymond to build a clam packing plant on his south end property. Along with concerns about their own property values, the area residents said operation of Lour Lodge would be seriously affected.
Victor Cardoza was elected president of the new Digby Tuberculosis Association, which was formed to carry on work of the Victorian Order of Nurses.
Citizens of Digby “were pleasantly surprised when the first helicopter to appear in this area flew over the town.” The RCAF helicopter dropped pamphlets in connection with the service’s recruiting campaign, and landed briefly on the ball field.
Some technical terms have changed over the past 60 years. A local car dealer then was offered a special auto service deal with a promise to “de-sludge” engines.
Well, “zip-a-dee doo dah,” the movie of the week at the Capitol was Walt Disney’s ‘Song of the South’.
