From the pages of the Down Recorder, December 4, 1979

From the pages of the Down Recorder, December 4, 1979

4 December 2019

STRIKE — The bin strike in Down District has ended and normal bin collections have resumed. The four-day strike, which is believed to have been caused by overtime demands, was settled by a meeting of union officials and council administrators.

After the meeting the council works manager, Mr Jim Mitchell, issued a short statement which said: “The strike is over, we will start back in the morning.”

Council officials refused to discuss what began the strike and they did not say whether overtime demands were met.

The strike began on the day when manual workers in all of Northern Ireland’s 26 district councils were offered a 13 per cent pay rise, which could mean a hefty increase in local rates.

A senior official of the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union travelled from Belfast to the council offices in Downpatrick and agreement was reached within a matter of hours.

The unions have agreed to negotiate on the offer without committing themselves to accepting that 13 per cent is the final offer.

KILLYLEAGH — The battle to remove parking control zones from Killyleagh town centre is hotting up. The Secretary of State, Mr Humphrey Atkins, at the request of the South Down MP, Mr Enoch Powell, is looking into the question of relaxing regulations, it was revealed at the local Town Committee’s monthly meeting.

The Town Committee drew up a petition last month calling for the removal of the controls because they felt they were unnecessary and crippling businesses. Every trader in the town signed the petition.

At their last meeting committee members agreed to ask Mr Powell to take up the fright. He did, saying he would be “strongly supporting” their request.

The Committee’s decision to go above the heads of local polio and take up the issue with the Northern Ireland Office seems to have worked as well.

It is believed the Secretary of State has already been in contact with local police, but everyone is keeping tight-lipped about the request.

The latest developments in Killyleagh are being closely watched by traders in other towns and villages in the area, especially Saintfield where traders were told by police 18 months ago that the ban on unattended parking could not be lifted.

CASTLEWELLAN —  A local councillor has condemned a weekend bomb attack in Castlewellan and claimed it is part of a concerted attempt to drive true minority Protestant community from the town.

The claim was made by Mrs Ethel Smyth at a meeting of Down Council and she said she was concerned that attempts are still being made against the Protestant community in Castlewellan.

“It has a more sinister motive than just the destruction of property,” she said. “It is an all-out effort to intimidate and terrorise these people to make them leave the area.

Mrs Smyth said councillors should join together and give encouragement to minority groups to stand fast. She felt Roman Catholics and Protestants wished nothing more than to live their lives in peace and harmony and she called on the RUC and British Army to apprehend “these evil men.”

But Mrs Smyth did not receive full backing from fellow Castlewellan councillor, Mr Eamonn O’Neill.

Mr O’Neill said he wanted to be partly associated with her remarks and he agreed it was heartbreaking when someone who is bombed is subjected to more bombing.

He pointed out that in the Castlewellan area it was not Protestants alone who had suffered and that Roman Catholics had been targets for the bombers. Mr O’Neill concluded by urging councillors to address the problem in a non-sectarian way.

But Mrs Smyth persisted and said the facts would bear out that it was the Protestant section of the community which had suffered.

BALLYNAHINCH — Ballynahinch’s new £5,000 Christmas illuminations will be officially switched on by Downtown Radio DJ Hendi at a special ceremony in the Square on Friday evening.

Hendi will switch on the Christmas tree lights at 7.30pm, while the 46 new Christmas lanterns, situated all over the town’s shopping areas, will be going on earlier, along with the street lighting.

The switch-on promises to be quite an occasion, with Ballynahinch Silver Band in attendance, while a choir from Assumption Grammar, Ballynahinch High and St Colman’s High Schools will provide a programme of Christmas carols.

The night’s activities will being to a climax all true plans drawn up by the forward-thinking Chamber of Commerce, whose idea to provide the town with Christmas illuminations looked a far-off dream at one stage.

However, thanks to the generosity of the majority of the traders, a grant from Down Council and a share of the Swimming Pool Project Fund, the idea is now a reality. The £5,000 illuminations were erected by Mr Sean Murnin and his son, Paul. 

ARDGLASS — One woman’s battle to collect enough money for two kidney machines took a giant step forward in Ardglass this week.

She is Mrs Winnie Cully, of Portavogie, and she was in Ardglass to collect two cheques totalling almost £600 from fishermen, fish salesmen and friends in the port.

The first cheque for £550 came from the skippers of 11 Ardglass fishing boats and was handed over by Mr James Smyth, while the second cheque for £45 was from six fish salesmen and three friends. It was handed over by Mr Willie Williams.

Already the gold-hearted Winnie has raised £6,400, but she still needs another £600 before she can present two kidney machines to Belfast City Hospital.

She started fund-raising two years ago when her son was on a kidney machine at the City Hospital. “Since then he has had a kidney transplant, but I have my heart set on raising this money for the machines to help someone else,” she said.

LISTOODER — Listooder and District Ploughing Society held their 90th annual competition on Saturday and were fortunate to have excellent weather, good ploughing conditions and a record turnout.

These all helped to create a big interest for both spectators and competitors, making it one of the best the society has held. For the first time in the history of the society one judge travelled from England to adjudicate.

SHRIGLEY — A quantity of leather coats valued at £1,800 were stolen when the offices of the Ulster Leather Company at Shrigley were broken into. The thieves gained entry by smashing a window and made off with 40 coats.

CROSSGAR — Crossgar War Memorial Hall was packed to capacity for a concert organised by Wellington Memorial Silver Band. The compere was Mr J Henry, who introduced a first class programme from the band, under their conductor, Mr Ken Brown, and their junior members, conducted by Mr Norman Hamilton.

KILKEEL — The skippers of ten Kilkeel boats have been threatened with prosecution for illegal fishing — but they are all hotly denying the accusations.

A spokesman for the skippers said that the boats had sheltered off the coast around Annalong when a storm brewed up and returned to Kilkeel when the weather failed to improve.

However, two Ministry officials threatened to confiscate their catch and nets after having apparently watched the trawlers through field glasses.

SAINTFIELD — Saintfield ploughman Bertie Hanna won first prize and the MPS Cup for best turnout at the recent annual match held by Magherafelt Ploughing Society. He also won another first for the best gelding and was placed fourth in the whole work section.

TECONNAUGHT — There was a full house at Teconnaught on Friday night for the finals of the East Down Scor na nOg competition.

The standard was very high, while the competition was even keener with only a few marks separating the various competitors. The hard work put into the organisation by the East Down Scor Committee was evidenced by the smooth running evening.