45 YEARS AGO:

William Gabry of Vavenby received a $4,000 grant from the provincial government to further develop a new humane trap.

Police reported no new leads in the disappearance of Gail Weys, missing from the Clearwater area since late in October.

40 YEARS AGO:

A referendum on the North Thompson Sportsplex was in doubt. The vote, which had ended in a deadlock, had been sent for a judicial count and the judge’s verdict had been 234 “yes” votes and 225 “no.” The judge allowed nine ballots marked with a tick rather than a cross.

Leila Oldfield was the new supervisor of the North Thompson Homemakers Service. Service area was from Roundtop to Vavenby.

35 YEARS AGO:

The House of Commons in Ottawa debated a motion put forward by M.P. Nelson Riis that called for the government to respond to the emergency in the forest industry by creating a federal Ministry of Forests.

The House of Commons in Ottawa debated a motion put forward by M.P. Nelson Riis that called for the government to respond to the emergency in the forest industry by creating a federal Ministry of Forests.

About 200 children said hi to Santa Claus at the Clearwater Library. Santa’s visit was part of a program worked out in conjunction with National Crime Prevention Week.

30 YEARS AGO:

Clearwater pioneer Reg Small passed away in a North Vancouver hospital.

Weyerhaeuser’s Vavenby plant would continue to operate despite difficult times forecast for the next few years, said George Edgson, Weyerhaeuser Canada president.

B.C. Telephone directories for 1989 would feature a picture of Helmcken Falls on the cover, MLA Bud Smith announced.

Recent UBC forestry graduate John Foster was promoting girdling as a low-cost and environmentally friendly alternative to herbicides to control deciduous trees and brush.

25 YEARS AGO:

Raft River Mini Mart again was open for business with customers using B.C. government charge cards. The store’s owners had been told, when Imperial Oil had pulled their branded status the previous September, that they could no longer accept government cards.

The newly elected School District 26 (North Thompson) board of trustees held its first meeting. Present were chair Hazel Wadlegger, Area B trustee Cathryn Tucker, and Area A trustees Ed Shook, Charlene Holtby and Pearl Broswick.

20 YEARS AGO:

About 65 workers were harvesting timber from the site of the Elevator Fire, north of Avola. “We would like to have the wood off the hill by April,” said Weyerhaeuser log purchasing supervisor Rich Willan.

A steady stream of visitors came to an open house to view Clearwater Forest District’s Small Business Forest Enterprise Program’s five-year plans. “It’s been my best turnout yet,” said MOF’s Abbey Bates. Most wanted to know what blocks would be for sale the next year, she said.

15 YEARS AGO:

School District 73 trustees picked Clearwater’s John Harwood to be their chair.

Randy DeBock cheered proposed changes to the province’s salvage logging policies. “It will be good for communities in the valley … salvage logging creates a lot of employment,” he said.

About 150 valley residents — seniors, retirees, displaced millworkers, and members of North Thompson Indian Band — held a protest on Highway 5 near Barriere against provincial resource management policies. They collected 176 signatures on a petition circulated to passing motorists

After about 14 years on the Clearwater Improvement District board, Lawrence Giesbrecht announced that he was stepping down as a trustee. He had recently moved to Kamloops.

10 YEARS AGO:

About 70 members of the public attended District of Clearwater’s inaugural meeting.

The Canadian Forest Products and Canfor Truckers Fund approved 22 funding applications from area societies and agencies during 2008, handing out a total of $23,101.60. The fund came from money collected by Canadian Forest Products whenever a trucker brought in an overweight load of logs. The truckers were not paid for the extra weight.

5 YEARS AGO:

Clearwater RCMP and Central Interior Traffic Services continued their month long traffic enforcement initiative focusing on the rules regarding the new roundabout on Highway 5.

The Vavenby Bridge re-opened to full traffic after nearly a month. The 65-year-old structure was closed for repairs most days since Nov. 6.

1 YEAR AGO:

TNRD had more than doubled its target to reduce trash going into landfills but will produced more trash on a per capita basis than the provincial average. “We’re looking for your input,” said Cassandra Enns, an environmental service technologist with the TNRD during a workshop held in Clearwater.

Clearwater’s new Catholic priest was Fr. Boniface Ogbenna from Nigeria. He split his time between here and Valemount.