45 YEARS AGO:

A 33-year-old man, Wally Girardi, was missing and presumed drowned following a boating accident on the Clearwater River. His boat had been found at Whitehorse Bluffs. A similar accident two years earlier had resulted in the deaths of three well-known local men.

A total of 118 turned out for the largest ever Central North Thompson Chamber of Commerce banquet. Good Citizen of the Year was Doug McTaggart, who came from his new home in Edson, Alberta, to be present.

40 YEARS AGO:

Winsome Pye was Good Citizen of the Year. Born in England, she and her family arrived in Vavenby in 1952. She was best know for the weekly shows she put on at the community hall.

Retiring chamber of commerce president Bill Mattenley

presented a list of items completed.

A first class tug-of-war was underway between Kamloops and Prince George over possession of the Yellowhead Highway name.

35 YEARS AGO:

RCMP reported

several instances of

firearms being stolen from trucks in the hotel’s parking lot. Police requested that people not leave

firearms on display on gun racks in the rear windows of trucks.

School District 26 superintendent John Denley asked resource center head Fred Braun to explain progress in buying educational TV equipment. The school board set a budget of $15,000.

A feature article told the story of the Fairbrothers, residents of East Blackpool since 1949. Ina Fairbrother ran the post office there until it was moved to Clearwater. Henry Fairbrother ran the ferry from 1950 until it closed in 1970.

30 YEARS AGO:

The new Bear Creek Correctional Center was close to completion. Designed to house up to 64 inmates, the facility had six buildings.

Hans Krauseneck and Jack Phillips were confronting each other to represent Area A in the TNRD. Herb George was unopposed in his bid for re-election in Area B.

In elections for School District 26, incumbent Ronaye Havisto was being challenged by Clearwater resident Jean Nelson to represent Area B.

Construction of toilet facilities at Dutch Lake Park was proceeding rapidly.

25 YEARS AGO:

B.C. Forest Service was downgrading the field station in Blue River to a summer station. The three employees would be re-located to Clearwater. The facility had been in operation for about 30 years.

An Avola eight-year-old, Justin Dallas Bowker, died in an early morning mobile home fire. The boy’s parents and one child escaped through a bedroom window. His father and a neighbor made repeated attempts to enter the structure to locate the child, but were forced out by dense smoke.

20 YEARS AGO:

George Marcyniuk was chosen Citizen of the Year. The business that he co-owned, Wells Gray Inn, was Business of the Year.

About 43 members of the Rocky Mountain Rangers militia from Kamloops spent a night in the Raft River valley without fires or tents. Armed with FN rifles, M-72 anti-armor weapons, and one machine gun, they set up a mock ambush.

15 YEARS AGO:

Citizen of the Year for 1994 was Garry Ruston, chief of the Blackpool Fire Department as well as Clearwater and District Highway Rescue, local assistant for the Fire Commissioner’s Office, and Chaplain of Elks Lodge #499.

School District 26 secretary-treasurer Donna Fitzsimmons resigned after 15 years of employment with the district.

Randy Esau, former sergeant in charge of the Clearwater RCMP, was sentenced to nine months to be served at home. He had pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy.

North Thompson Indian Band, Grizzly Anglers, Clearwater Improvement District and possibly School District 26 were to work together to develop a proposal for the future of the Clearwater hatchery.

10 YEARS AGO:

About 80 people attended the banquet and awards ceremony to see Jeanette Moreau honored as Citizen of the Year. The chair of Christmas Amalgamated was described as: “For those who cannot help themselves, she is there to give them a hand.”

Summit Lodge, an historic building located near the top of the switchbacks on Dunn Lake Road, burned to the ground. The house was believed to have been over 70 years old. Although no one was home at the time, a family was in the process of moving in at the time, and lost everything.

5 YEARS AGO:

Clearwater and District Chamber of Commerce picked Rich Willan to be Citizen of the Year. Willan had taken a leadership role in the beautification project that was a big success.

Connor Borsa, formerly of Clearwater and at the time a Simon Fraser University student, was the top woman competitor at the B.C. Karate Championships.

1 Year Ago:

An accident involving a dump truck and logging truck occurred on Highway 5 at the Park Drive junction. Damage to both vehicles was substantial and traffic was rerouted for several hours.

An all candidates’ forum was held in the CSS pit. Seven candidates were running and there were only six seats on District of Clearwater council.