From the pages of the Down Recorder, January 31, 1978

From the pages of the Down Recorder, January 31, 1978

31 January 2018

BALLYNAHINCH — South Down MP Mr Enoch Powell has turend down a plea for help from members of a Ballynahinch tenants’ association who are on a partial rent strike.

Mr Powell told the tenants of Croob Park that he could not assist them until they began repaying their rent. The tenants have been refusing to pay an increase in their Housing Executive rents since last May.

They claim that recent increases have made the rents for their homes excessively high and say that the houses have been “shamefully neglected” over the past 27 years.

In December last year the tenants turned to Mr Powell. He visited Croob Park just before Christmas and spoke to several residents, but made it dear that he would not take up the case with the Housing Executive while they were withholding the rent.

In a letter to Mr Powell the secretary of the tenants’ association, Mr James Milne, reaffirmed their determination to remain on strike.

“We have been withholding this last increase demand since May 1977 and intend to continue regardless,” he said. “The fact remains that these were the first and worst of the post-war houses built around Ballynahinch at the cheapest possible outlay.

“The whole exercise of withholding the rent increase is to make the Housing Executive realise that they have in 27 years been reimbursed for the original cost of the houses, which they have since shamefully neglected.”

In a statement Mr Powell said that while was already ready to help his constituents, he could not, as a member of Parliament, help people who are withholding their rent.

NEWCASTLE — A further meeting of the Newcastle and District Unemployment Committee, which was set up in an effort to bring more jobs to the area, will be held next week.

Over the past month members of the committee have been exploring several avenues which could create employment in the district.

The committee was set up last November after a meeting called by Newcastle councillor Mr Paddy O’Donoghue to discuss ways of reducing unemployment in the Newcastle, Castlewellan and Dundrum areas.

ARDGLASS — An ambitious plan which would have given a much-needed boost to holiday facilities in Ardglass has been sunk by a decision of the Planning Appeals Commission. And the verdict has left the would-be developer, Mr Sean Treacy, angry and confused.

Mr Treacy lives in King’s Castle in Ardglass and had hoped to open a new caravan site and recreation area on the Crew Road. He had also hoped to open a roadhouse on the site and open King’s Castle as a hotel.

This week his appeal against a planning refusal for the caravan site and recreation area was dismissed by the Commission. Mr Treacy expressed his disappointment to the Recorder:

“I thought it would be easy enough to get planning permission because it had already been given on two occasions to develop caravan sites and holiday homes.

“It would seem that the Planning Appeals Commission has completely ignored all the points of view put forward.

“There are sites in the area that do nothing for the natural beauty and the image of caravan sites, but we did everything that was humanly possible to plan a good site and still permission was refused.”

He added: “This area has been terribly neglected for holiday accommodation and this is something I wanted to provide.”

BALLYCULTER — To fly from Australia to Northern Ireland and back again is a long journey, especially if you are only nine-and-a-half years old. But little Rachel Lowe flew all that distance just to see her grandparents, Mr and Mrs Martin Lowe, of Drumroe Road, Ballyculter, near Strangford.

A surprise awaited Rachel when she flew into Northern Ireland. Her grandparents had written to BBC Radio Ulster’s Gloria Hunniford to tell her of their young visitor and had asked whether she would like to do a radio link-up between Northern Ireland and Australia.

Gloria agreed and young Rachel was soon speaking over the airwaves to her brother, Greer, who was born in Downpatrick but now lives in Australia.

Rachel stayed for three weeks with her grandparents.

DOWNPATRICK — The five members of Downpatrick pop group Rosetta Stone have just been awarded coveted gold discs for massive record sales in Japan.

The group, formed less than a year ago, have rapidly scaled the ladder to success with sell-out tours of Germany and Japan already under their belts. This week it was announced that they have been voted most promising new band in Germany.

The band members are the McKee brothers — Damien, Terry and Colin — Ian Mitchell and Andy Le Gear. On Thursday they returned from their dynamic tour of Japan with their gold discs.

The award was presented to the group at the end of their three-week tour for the huge sales of their LP record, Rock Pictures, and their single, Sunshine of Your Love.

Over 250,000 copies of a record must be sold to receive a gold award, so the Japanese must rate the band highly — over 90,000 copies of the album were sold within two days of release.

Now Brazil, Canada and America have shown great interest in the band and tours and television recordings are already in the pipeline.

KILLYLEAGH — Killyleagh Parish Scouts held a special evening in the Dunmore Hotel to celebrate the tenth year with the troop of the scout leader, Mr Clive Scoular. About 90 scouts, leaders, old boys, friends, past chairmen and parents attended the anniversary celebrations.

Silver platters were presented to Mr Scoular, assistant scout leader Trevor Rea and Helen Tweedie, who accepted the platter on behalf of her aunt, Christabel Tweedie, who has led the brownie pack in Killyleagh for the past ten years. Entertainment was provided by the pop group, Flair.

LISBANE — Two people are still in hospital seriously injured after a Renault van was involved in a crash at Lisbane, The accident happened on the main Comber to Killyleagh Road when the van and a Ford Transit van were in collision.

No one in the Transit van was injured, but three people were injured in the Renault, two of them seriously. All three are from Raffrey.

SAINTFIELD — This year’s Saintfield and District Agricultural Show will beheld on June 17 at Ballycloughan. Members of last year’s show committee set the date at their annual meeting recently when they heard reports of a highly successful year during 1977.

Reports of last year’s 33rd show were given by the treasurer, Mr R J Nicholson, and the secretary, Mr John Beck. The Society chairman, Dr J M McKelvey, congratulated everyone who had been involved in the effort.

DUNDRUM — East Down Foxhounds held a raffle for a Datsun 100A car ion the Bay View Hotel, Dundrum. BBC personality Sean Rafferty made the draw and the lucky winner was Mr Charles Pritchard, of Castlewellan.

CASTLEWELLAN — The doors of St Malachy’s High School, Castlewellan, were thrown open last Thursday to allow prospective pupils and their parents to have a look around.

Although open days have been held at the school before, this was the first time that one had been held in connection with the transfer procedure. The headmaster, Mr P McAleenan, said he was very pleased with the response.

ANNALONG — A 26 year-old Customs and Excise official from Moira died in a drowning accident in Annalong. Mr Peter Gordon Usher was walking with a friend near the harbour when he lost his footing and fell into the water.