35 years ago: Town undergoing ‘building boom’

With seven building permits approved by council, Digby was having a minor building boom. Among approved projects, Murray Trask was given the okay to build another apartment on St. Mary’s Street opposite Evangeline Mall, and Douglas French, owner of Admiral Digby Inn, was given permission to construct an 18-unit apartment house across from the Digby Regional High School playing field.

Digby Bantam Flyers won the right to represent western Nova Scotia in the Bantam ‘C’ provincial championship by defeating Liverpool 7-2 in the second game of a total goal series. Robert Dugas scored a hat trick in the game as Digby took the series 12-3.

Anne Comeau, one of 17 DRHS students who visited Paris on an educational tour, wrote in a newspaper report that a tour of Versailles was the highlight of the trip. She said the group was less impressed by French cooking because the French “didn’t believe in cooking their meat very well.”

A petition was being circulated by Oakdene Home and School Association to rouse opposition to a proposal to bus students in grades 6 to 8 from Bear River to Annapolis Royal when school resumes in September.

Environment Minister Glen Bagnell assured Digby that a delay in completing the town’s sewage treatment plant would not lose it the promised grant of $111,000.

At the Little Cinema was the rock musical ‘Jesus Christ, Superstar’, directed by Canadian-born Norman Jewson. 50 years ago April 2, 1959 – Almost every community in the county was hard hit by a flu virus, and few homes in Digby were untouched. With many of the town firemen laid up with flu, an outbreak of grass fires was wearing out the remaining firefighters.

Awards of merit were presented during graduation at vocational evening classes at DRHS. Winners were Violet Roberge in shorthand and typing, Phyllis Howland in bookkeeping, and Clyde Roop in acetylene welding.

Vincent Snow of Digby was presented a life governorship in the British and Foreign Bible Society during the annual meeting in Halifax of the Nova Scotia division. Making the presentation was Henry Hicks.

Canada was holding the first national Library Week. A survey found of those contacted less than one in three was reading a book, a finding that placed Canada near the bottom of an international list.

Brigitte Bardot was the star of ‘La Parisians’, playing at the Capitol Theatre. Co-stars were Charles Boyer and Henri Vidal. 60 years ago March 31, 1949 – Town council approved an Irving Oil proposal to build a garage and service station at the corner of Montague Row and Warwick Street on property owned by the Myrtle Hotel. Roy Carpenter, who presented the proposal, said the Myrtle Hotel would be renovated and again operated as a hotel, but on a year-round basis, not just in summers.

Courier editor J.J. Wallis wrote about a 300-year-old watch that had been in his family for several generations. The silver timepiece was built by William Nash of Bridge, England, between 1570 and 1585, and had last been repaired in England in 1799. It still ran and kept good time, said Wallis.

One of the largest ratepayers’ meeting in Digby’s history approved the town guarantee of bonds worth $85,000 to pay for installation of an artificial ice plant in the town rink, and extension of the building for three curling lanes.

MacDonald Motor Co. announced it would soon display the newest type of gas for heating, lighting and cooking—propane.

At Fundy Motors, a new Ford Deluxe Tudor was listed at $2,105, while the Fodor version was $2,164. Both came with heater, air conditioning, Preston, licence, and a spare tire.

At the Capitol was the western ‘Four Faces West’, with stars Joel McCrae, Frances Dee and Charles Bickford.