“The fathom, along with pounds and inches and bushels, will fall from use and be replaced by S.I. units (for Systeme Internationale d’Unites), which is the modern term for metric units. Along with most of the world, Canada will be using the metre, centimetre, kilogram, tonne, the litre and Celsius degrees (centigrade).” (Not everyone has made the change yet—Ed.)
Digby Peewee Redwings, coached by Reg Hazelton and Stan Locke, placed third in the Christmas hockey tournament in St. Andrews, N.B. It was the Digby team’s second time in the tournament.
At the Little Cinema was ‘The Mechanic’, starring Charles Bronson.
50 years ago
Jan. 1, 1959 – A Boxing Day fire forced 82-year-old retired harbour master Capt. Roland Wormell and his wife from their Lighthouse Road home, but despite extensive damage to the rear of the building, the couple returned home the next day.
Digby senior Alma Melanson found a way to ease her loneliness at Christmas and help others. She offered a Christmas Day meal and party to 12 needy youngsters. The afternoon included making candied apples and popcorn, and after a group photo with the five girls and seven boys, she gave each a pair of mittens and a bag of goodies.
“I did not have any time to be lonely for my own that day,” she said in a letter to the Courier.
Digby Forum officially opened for the season. Along with the presentation of trophies to last season’s winning Little League hockey teams, Forum staff planned to burn the rink commission note, which had recently been redeemed.
Pat Boone and Shirley Jones were the stars of ‘April Love’, showing at the Capitol Theatre.
60 years ago
Dec. 30, 1948 – It was a darker Christmas than usual because of a breakdown in a turbine at the Weymouth Falls generating plant. County residents were asked to conserve power, especially during peak periods, and to minimize use of lights in homes, businesses and offices. Outdoor Christmas lights were among the areas people were asked to conserve.
Funeral services were held for former Digby mayor William Wallace Hayden, 86, who had also been public works superintendent for many years.
More than 1,000 area children attended the Christmas party sponsored by town businesses, merchants and residents. The Capitol Theatre offered a free Christmas Day matinee.
In Halifax, two morning dailies—the Chronicle and Herald—merged, as did the afternoon dailies, the Mail and the Star. The Chronicle was the senior paper, having been in publication for 125 years.
At Lour Lodge, the Kiwanis New Year’s Ball was featuring “the footloose rhythms” of Roy Francis and his Rhythm Kings from Halifax. Admission was $2.50 per person.
Rita Hayworth and Orson Welles were stars of ‘The Lady from Shanghai’, playing at the Capitol.
60 Years Ago: Powerplant problem darkens Christmas
60 Years Ago: Powerplant problem darkens Christmas
Through the Pages
35 years ago Jan. 3, 1974 – “The fisherman’s long-time standard unit of measure, the fathom, will become a thing of the past by the time 1980 rolls around,” noted an editorial in the Courier. “That is the target date for Canada’s conversion of weights and measures to the metric system.
- Rate
- Top of the page
