25 years ago

February 5, 1998

A mast to test windspeed at Week St Mary was approved by planners at a meeting on Monday night.

Members of North Cornwall District Council’s Planning Committee were told by officers that three standard letters of objection to the application and five individual letters of objection had been sent to the council on top of the 11 already received.

Government moves to ban unpasteurised milk have been challenged in Parliamentary questions this week by North Cornwall MP, Paul Tyler, who claims their “food fads are spreading like a bureaucratic fungus”.

Gilbert and Margaret Darke of Trelawne Farm, Chilla, near Halwill celebrated their Golden Wedding recently with a thanksgiving service at Halwill Baptist Church, a meal at the Eagle House, Launceston and an open house party with more than 100 guests.

A plan to create a new community hall and offices in Camelford was approved by planners on Monday night who were told the current facility could not cope with the amount of bookings.

40 years ago

February 5, 1983

Cornish folk singer, Brenda Wootton, visited young instrumentalists of Launceston Windmill Junior School, who accompanied her music workshop there on Monday. 

The ‘Bude Bus’ is again on its travels, operated by a consortium from the Bude Hoteliers Association. They hope to attract visitors to Bude from London and the Home Counties.

The first meeting of ‘The Classical Music Society’ was held at Trelaske Lewannick, the house of Mr and Mrs R B Ashford, on Monday. 

Floods — but no drinking water; The water workers’ dispute continued to add to winter misery this week with further homes affected and other properties getting only intermittent supplies. At Thornbury, near Holsworthy, where 30 residents and five farms lost their supplies, the weather added insult to injury when flooding occurred.

Doctors at Bude are to be invited to tell town councillors about the plan to move their surgery into a proposed purpose-built health centre alongside Stratton Hospital.

Local organisations collectively donated a dishwashing machine to the Eventide Home, Bude. Those in attendance at the presentation were: Mr Stan Orris, chairman of the Eventide Home Committee; Mrs Mary Lambert-Butler (Matron); Mr Bill Kneebone, president of Bude Rotary Club; Mr Edwin Stanbury, chairman of Rotary’s Community Committee; Mrs Desna Mould, President of Bude Ladies’ Circle; and Mr Alf Trewin, President of Bude Round Table. Bude Lions Club also donated.

Camelford Job Centre, which it was feared would be among the first casualties of a cost-cutting review of employment services, has been saved from the threat of the axe, albeit temporarily.

50 years ago

February 2, 1973

Annette Dennis starred as Dorothy in Holsworthy Amateur Theatrical Society’s production of ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Other leading roles were played by Malcolm Fraser (Scarecrow), Chris Medland (Tin Man) and bill Crumblehulme (Lion).

At a meeting of Camelford YFC, proficiency certificates were presented to Rex Ward (stockman’s task, cattle), Trevor Commins (tractor maintenance), and Jimmy Cleave (certificate and white badge, tractor maintenance).

Mr W Woolway, branch manager, of Mothers Pride, with other Launceston bakery employees together with their wives, were treated to a dance and turkey buffet supper by the firm at the Plymouth Guildhall.

A carcase estimated to be about 15 feet long, which washed ashore on Summerleaze Beach, Bude, was identified as a pilot whale bu Mr Rennie Bere, author and naturalist of West Park Cottage, Bude.

John Sleep, of South Petherwin, an apprentice carpenter employed by Messrs Hobbs and Knight, of Launceston, has passed with credit his IBICC and City Guilds advanced craft examinations.

60 years ago

February 2, 1963

Hartland Life Saving Apparatus crew are to be given a new portable searchlight by a local doctor and his wife, who were among eye witnesses of the rescue of the crew of the Admiralty tanker Green Ranger in November. The searchlight is to be given in recognition of the important part the Hartland crew played in the rescue after the tanker had been driven by the gale on to the coast at Long Peak, Hartland. The searchlight was a gift from Dr and Mrs K Somerton, Hartland.

Nicholas Bond, whose parents live at Meadow Farm, Rezare, near Launceston, left in September last to join the Service Civil International team in India.

Of particular interest to areas such as Callington, where hopes of a swimming pool have already been expressed, and Camelford, where such an amenity would be of great benefit, are recent recommendations by Cornwall Education Committee.

70 years ago

February 7, 1953

Mr S Roose, of Callington, is carrying on as master of Spooners Harriers, but he will be sharing his post with Lord Carnock, the chairman.

Hatherleigh Branch British Legion held its annual dinner at the London Hotel. Over 50 members attending including Capt A W M Budgett, JP, the president; Lt Col A J Godfrey, who was in the chair, and Mr S J Meardon, the honorary secretary.

80 years ago

February 6, 1943

Two Callington soldiers cannot be separated for long! Charlie Dimmick and Ronald George Mutton were schoolmates at Callington Senior School and then they served together in the DCLI in India. Then they met again in Iraq. Last year, both were reported missing on the same day, during operations in Libya, and two months later the news that they were prisoners of war was received by their respective, also on the same day Charlie was in a prison camp in Italy, and Ronald was confirmed in North Africa — but now both have been moved...and they are together again in the same camp in Northern Italy.

90 years ago

February 11, 1933

Mr Hoare, of Downs View, Bude, who has retired from the Southern Railway after 41 years service, was Bude’s first signalman.

Messrs J S Eyre and Co, Launceston, applied for a cider licence to Launceston magistrates on Monday. They intend to lay down machinery to bottle cider and to employ more men. The bench turned down the application.

Holsworthy Methodist ladies introduced a novel feature into their annual effort at Bodmin Street. A wheelbarrow parade, each with its contents representing a different day of the week.

100 years ago

February 10, 1923

Holsworthy has seen the loss of the ‘Iron Duke’, the 22-seater charabanc belonging to Mr F H Wellington. Bringing back the Ocean Waves football team from Stratton it caught fire at Tamarstone Bridge. The driver, Mr Piper, and the “Waves” were unable to prevent it being completely burnt out.

Writing to the Press on the subject of a new road for Camelford, Mr E S Rodd, JP, of Trebartha Hall, gives support to the proposals to improve the road from Bolventor to Camelford. He owns most of the land in the parish of Bolventor and pays tribute to the moorland farmers as the “pluckiest, most adaptable, hard-working, hard-living people anywhere.”