Stories From Our Past — Week of Feb. 15, 2018

Each week, the Gazette looks back on stories from the past. Here is what happened this week, by year…

1928

– Horace S. Colliver received a warm welcome back to the legislature at Queen’s Park. The Conservative MPP from 1923 to 1926 was re-elected to his seat by acclamation following the resignation of William Raney, who became a judge.

– Rev. J.J. Mellor was taken to the Guelph Reformatory where he was to spend 13 months upon his conviction of seducing a girl under 16 in his church congregation. There was a delay in Mellor being transferred to the provincial jail due ot overcrowding in Guelph.

– The Picton library had a record year in 1927 with an increase in circulation to 32,123 volumes, up 1,051 from 1926. The library also placed 426 new books on its shelves.

1948

-Toronto Maple Leafs Wally Stanowski and Jim Thompson received a warm welcome as guest referees at a benefit hockey game for Picton’s community centre played before 1,600 fans. The players also offered motivational speeches at a banquet for local youth hockey players.

– The Picton Collegiate board decided to create a student band at the school under the direction of A.A. Benvie. Their meeting also saw Dr. W. B. Lane re-elected as chairman and W.H. Hunt selected as secretary-treasurer for the balance of 1948.

– A 52-year-old Wellington resident was fined $25 and ordered to pay court costs after being found guilty of impersonating a police officer in Sophiasburgh.

1978

– Following the completion of a 30-per-cent expansion to its Wellington mushroom plant in June, the Campbell Soup Company planned to hire an additional 20 full-time and 20 part-time workers.

– The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Forgers and Helpers Union picketed outside Lake Ontario Cement as a contract to make repairs at the plant following a precipitator explosion went to the lowest bidder, providing work for Toronto-area men, not locals.

– The Picton Golf and Country Club announced Thomas Miller as is new professional and greens superintendent. The well- regarded 29-year-old was successfully recruited from the Shelburne Golf Club.

1998

– County councillors were critical of the recommendations made by consultant James Cousens in an operational review the municipality paid $8,500 for. Among the unpopular ideas were creating a separate clerk position in addition to the chief administrative officer and limiting hours at a pair of satellite municipal offices.

– The Prince Edward County Winterfest raised over $20,000 for Garratt’s Island upgrades and new rescue equipment for the fire department. Once again, the Polar Plunge at Picton Harbour was a big hit.

– St. Gregory’s Separate School principal Shelley Harttbond had her head shaved after students raised more than $5,000 to purchase new computer equipment.