Remember When? (Week of September 16th)

A look back at the valley's most interesting happenings this week over the past 55 years

55 years ago (1959):

An intensive educational program to instruct the public on the safe use of plastic film was the logical solution to the urgent problem of infant smotherings attributed to thin plastics. Dr. Fred W. Jeffrey, prominent Ottawa pediatrician informed the British Columbia Safety council.

 

5 years ago (1964):

Improper use of game tags by some hunters was causing concern for top game management officials. Dr. James Hatter, director of the Fish and Game Branch, said hunters had to cancel the appropriate tags by cutting out the day and month as soon as the animal was taken.

 

45 years ago (1969):

Night School classes, under the Adult Education program, started at the David Thompson Secondary School. Classes ran from the first part of October until Easter. H. Leonard was appointed Night School Director and he was excited for the role.

 

40 years ago (1974):

A display of modern art and ceramics presented by two young students of the School of Fine Arts at Nelson, was enjoyed by some 40 valley people. Debra Ede of Invermere and Kurt Reichel of Sechelt had a small exhibition of their work at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Dale Zieroth. The exhibit was a financial success.

 

30 years ago (1984):

Invermere’s Downtown Revitalization Project was given a new lease on life with the announcement that the Ministry of Highways would resurface the arterial highway in the downtown area in conjunction with the Revitilization Project.

 

20 years ago (1994):

A Cranbrook mental health counsellor was hoping a new teen crisis line would address the high rate of suicides in the East Kootenay. Per capita, the East Kooteny had among the top three suicide rates in B.C. — four times higher than that of New York City and three times higher than Vancouver. “There’s a real problem here and we need to do something about it. Emotionally there is a lot to be desired,” said Dr. Peter Williams, a mental health counsellor based out of Cranbrook.

 

15 years ago (1999):

Four bridges in the Skookumchuck/Buhl Creek area were slated to be replaced by the Invermere Forest District (IFD), with three more scheduled to be replaced the following year. Extra funding of up to $15 million was approved for the project to replace up to 150 aging bridges and major culverts in B.C.

 

10 years ago (2004):

Volunteers make the world go round. With an army of about 60 volunteers supporting the Columbia House,  the quality of living for the senior residents had been vastly improved according to the facility’s activity co-ordinator Laurie Lesmeister.