Looking back - 1996: Local investors purchase Neepawa Natives hockey team
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- Published on Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Photo courtesy of Cecil Pittman Archives. Looking southeast from the hill where East View Lodge was later constructed shows the major flooding in the spring of 1923.
By Cecil Pittman
The Neepawa Press
80 years ago Tuesday, June 12, 1936
A good crowd was in attendance at the Orange Lodge box social Tuesday night and all enjoyed the excellent program that was provided. The boxes were ably auctioned off by F. Clarke. On the program, tap dancing by the pupils of Miss Arleigh Sewell, vocal quartets by the Murray Brothers, a piano accordion social by Albert Newell and a cornet solo by Clarence Murray.
70 years ago Thursday, June 20, 1946
Pedlars enlarge Bowladrome: C. T. Pedlar has started excavation for an addition to the Bowladrome to house a store building and enlarge the poolroom. Work on construction will begin as soon as possible.
The store will have a full sized basement and measure 38 by 50 feet, while the poolroom addition will be 24 by 80 feet. The building will be of brick and stucco and completely modern throughout. At present, it is not known who will take over the store.
60 years ago Thursday, June 21, 1956
Clarksville district, northwest of Neepawa, had a little excitement last week when M. J. Kolesar noticed a black bear on the prowl near his home. He immediately notified his neighbours and Henry Kolesar fired the shot which put a stop to bruin’s wandering. Unofficially, the bear was reported to have weighed from 180 to 200 pounds.
50 years ago Friday, June 17, 1966
Officials said this week they were “really pleased” with the results from recent tuberculosis and diabetes clinics held in Neepawa.
Public response was considered very good, with 1,251 people being tested for diabetes, 2,294 for tuberculosis (skin tests) and another 644 x-rayed for TB.
Sanatorium board officials, commenting on the fine turnout, stressed that the public must be constantly aware of the dangers from TB. Although the disease is considered to be well under control, there were still 214 new active cases discovered in the province last year.
40 years ago Thursday, June 17, 1976
McCreary man killed in crash: Coquitlam, BC– Victor Buchanan, 80, of McCreary, MB, was killed Monday when the car in which he was passenger collided with a police car involved in a high-speed chase in this Vancouver suburb.
The driver of the vehicle in which Mr. Buchanan was a passenger and a second passenger were taken to a hospital in nearby New Westminster with unknown injuries. The police officer was treated and released.
Police withheld other names.
30 years ago Thursday, June 19, 1986
Quite an honour – it was a memorable day June 15 for Gordon H. Hall, who was presented a certificate by Manitoba Lieutenant Governor Pearl McGonigal for 75 donations of blood. The 75th donation certificate was presented at a luncheon at Knox Presbyterian Church following anniversary Sunday services.
20 years ago Monday, June 18, 1996
The Neepawa Natives closed one chapter and quickly opened another last Wednesday when the Manitoba Junior Hockey League team was sold to a group of three local investors led by Brian Kerkowich.
Kerkowich, the team’s director of hockey operations for the past three years and an assistant coach for four seasons before that, presented an offer to purchase the franchise at the Natives annual general meeting last Wednesday.
The offer was quickly accepted by the 13 (of 18) holding shares represented at the meeting.
The sale, which becomes effective July 1, short-circuited the team’s overbearing financial crisis.
A $66,000 loss on operations in the 1995-96 season had put the immediate future of the club in jeopardy.
10 years ago Monday, June 19, 2006
Recentralization may become an issue in the next election, Ste. Rose MLA Glen Cummings predicted last week.
Cummings said the issue could easily galvanize rural voters – already fighting to retain a presence in Manitoba – if the NDP carries through with plans to recentralize 19 government jobs from Neepawa and Minnedosa to Portage la Prairie.
“It could certainly be an election issue if they don’t make a decision,” Cummings said. “And if they do, it could still be an issue. This strikes at the core of the decentralization program.”
To date, protests and petitions appear to have done little to sway the government’s decision to transfer lands branch jobs from the two communities to Portage.
