The Year 1955 In Review From Files Of The Witness July 6 - Mrs. (Dr.) Stevenson passed away in Peterborough on July 3. An appeal was made to Bradford water users to conserve water owing to the extremely hot, dry weather. Bradford Rotary Club carnival was a huge success. July 13 - W. Neville Keefe was appointed general manager of the new Georgian Bay Development Association, with headquarters at Midland. The mammoth buffet at $25.00 per admission, sponsored by Bradford Lions Club and held at Riverview Inn, was most successful. Proceeds were such that they would enable the club to pay one-third of its pledge of $10,000 to the Community Centre Fund. July 20 - Residents in the vicinity of Highway 88 were disturbed by the cutting of fine trees along the highway in preparation for widening prior to paving. Attendance at Bradford Fire Brigade's annual carnival was announced as disappointing in view of the excellent service rendered by that organization in both town and district. July 27 - A Bradford trio, Reeve Arthur Evans, Keith Noble and Dr. D.G. McMichael, saved a 31/2-year-old girl from drowning at Lake Simcoe when they found her floating in shallow water and provided artificial respiration. Larry Olender, 12 years old Bradford, dived from a boat into the Nottawasaga River, near Collingwood, to save a young friend who was unable to swim. The Par-Ad Construction Company purchased the entire project of building 22 houses on the "Thornton Heights" sub-division from Mr. W.H. Thornton, as a National Housing project. Aug. 10 - In an attempted robbery at the temporary office of the Bradford branch of the Royal Bank of Canada, thieves were frustrated in their efforts to break into the safe. Tenders were called for the purchase and removal of the old rink. Red Cross swimming tests were passed by 135 children. Alexander Trisevych, 13 months old, of Bathurst St., Toronto, was dead on arrival at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, after being crushed under the wheels of his grandfather's truck on the Holland Marsh. Seven men from the Toronto area, while swimming near the mouth of the Nottawasaga River were drowned when swept out into the lake by an undertow. Aug. 17 - Plans were being arranged for the Council, the Rotary Club, the Lions Club, the Canadian Legion and the new Planning Board to participate in the erection of appropriate sign boards, advertising Bradford, at the three highway entrances to the town. Murray Faris of "Maple Farm," Scotch Settlement, took top honours in the Clinton Oats Field Competition held among farmers of South Simcoe. Aug. 24 - The Lions Club annual carnival was reported to be the biggest and best in its history. The first sod was turned for the building of the new Anglican rectory in Bradford. George Bailey, 25, of Maple, Vaughan Township's fire chief and special constable, and William G. Hamilton, 30, of Rexdale, were killed when their car smashed into the back of a stalled truck on Highway 400, near the Cookstown cloverleaf. Aug. 31 - Bradford police court handled 265 cases, mostly traffic offences on Highway 400. To provide a plan for present and future recreational developments, Engineer Bardawill had been engaged to draw up a plan for the orderly arrangement of the town park, it was announced by Reeve Evans. The plan was to include location of the new community centre building, the ball diamond, tennis court and swimming pool, the later in the hazy future. Streets and drainage problems were big issues which were receiving attention by Bradford Council. Sept. 7 - Enrollment at schools in Bradford at the opening of the fall term showed the following figures: Bradford District High School, 250; St. Mary's School, 226. The Marsh gardens were flourishing again and vegetable packers were busy in their first summer season since Hurricane Hazel and the disastrous floods. Practically the entire personnel of Simcoe County Council and a number of county officials, over fifty in all, visited Bradford and the Marsh while on a tour of South Simcoe. Sept. 14 - A Bradford Businessman's Association was formed with C.M. Ritchie as president and an initial membership of about 30, at a luncheon meeting in Food Haven Inn. The overall agricultural picture in this area showed that badly needed rainfall had more than compensated for damage by frost and hail. Sept. 21 - Bradford Public Library was officially opened by Mr. Angus Mount, Provincial Director of Public Services for Ontario. The re-opening of Trinity Church, Bond Head, after interior re-decoration, recalled early history. Sept. 28 - The directors and canvassers of the Bradford District Memorial Community Centre were considering plans to complete the canvass for funds in the various areas. Fifty-nine municipalities int he Georgian Bay region had joined the recently established Development Association serving the counties of Bruce, Dufferin, Grey and Simcoe, and the Districts of Muskoka and Parry Sound. (To be continued next week)
