 January
1967
The annual inspection of the Onchan Detachment of the St. John
Ambulance Brigade took place on 17th January 1967 by County President
Lady Stallard, wife of the Lieutenant Governor. She was accompanied
by her daughter Sarah on this occasion.
Behind Lady Stallard in
the picture is Miss Olwyn Christian the cadet superintendent.
Behind her is Mrs Green County Superintendent and Chief Constable
Christopher Beaty Pownall. Canon Duffield of St. Peter’s was Vice President. |
 January
1967
Elizabeth Callow of Birch Hill Farm (second from right on front
row) and Maureen Whittaker of School Road (second from left on the
front row) shared the title of “Cadet of the Year” at
the annual inspection and prize presentation.
|
 January
1967
A birthday party with a difference when 1st Onchan and 2nd Onchan
Wolf Cubs got together to celebrate fifty years of the
junior branch of the scout movement, which was started
during 1916.
The 1st Onchan cubs were formed in 1955 by
Mrs Kathleen Lloyd-Jones and they had yellow and maroon
scarves (sometimes referred to as blood and custard).
The 2nd Onchan
cubs came along in 1963 under the leadership of Mrs Davies
assisted by Mrs Christian. They had their own headquarters in School
Road whereas 1st Onchan met in the Village Hall, Royal Avenue. On
the left of the photograph is 1st Onchan cub Allan Teare who in
2001 became the Island Commissioner for Scouting.
On the right is a cub from 2nd Onchan who is yet to be enrolled
(hence he doesn't have a scarf). He is Malcolm
Hulme who on 3rd January 2007 became the Clerk to Onchan
District Commissioners. |
 April
1967
Each Easter the Manx Amateur Athletic Club held Road Races for
visiting athletes as part of the Manx Easter Athletic Festival.
One such race was held in the evening of Good Friday and started
in front of the Methodist Hall opposite the Commissioners’ offices
in Main Road. Here the 34 starters are ready for the “off”.
|
 April
1967
F. Davies of Darlington Harriers was the winner of the four mile
race with just a 3 second lead over the runner up. The course went
down Royal Avenue to Port Jack then followed King Edward Road all
the way out to the Liverpool Arms Hotel then back into Onchan via
the Whitebridge.
|
 July
1967
The annual St Peter’s Parish Fete was held as usual in the
grounds of Government House. This year’s fete was on Thursday
20th July and as usual children were in fancy dress which were judged
by Stella Hartley who was appearing in one of the summertime shows
in Douglas. The Queen of the Fairies was Janet Taylor who had the
highest attendance at Sunday School. She was crowned by Lady Stallard,
wife of the Lieutenant Governor.
|
 July
1967
Parents and grandparents watch with interest on the lawn of Government
House as the queen is crowned. The fete was opened by His Excellency
the Lieutenant Governor Sir Peter Stallard. In the background Government
House (see Tour of Onchan – Straight down the Middle) can
be seen with a painted cement rendered finish which was later replaced
by white spar dash.
|
 July
1967
The commissioners again promoted the Highland Games in Onchan Stadium
to an audience of approximately 4,000. This year the Clan MacRae
Society Pipe Band performed as did the City of Glasgow Scottish
Dancers who appear in this photograph.
|
 July
1967
In the cycle racing at the Highland Games, local competitors
took part in the 600 yard sprint and the 4,000 yard pursuit.
Ian McPherson a student at Falkirk Technical College broke the
Scottish National Record for throwing the 28lb hammer a distance
of 130 feet 1 inch |
 August
1967
Photographed at the weekly Wednesday athletics and cycling meeting
in Onchan Stadium are (left to right) John Reynolds, Stuart Comish
and Robert Lambie with their tutor Albert Johnson. The boys were
promising race walkers and had recently taken top places in the
school boy race walk at Bolton. In fact, Stuart Comish was the outright
winner.
|
 September
1967
In the mid 1960s there were two radio issues which divided the
Manx Government and Westminster. The Manx politicians were desperately
trying to obtain permission for a greater broadcasting area for
Manx Radio and at the same time the British Government were pressing
Tynwald to pass the Marine Broadcasting Offences (Isle of Man) Bill
in an effort to legally dispense with Radio Caroline.
The Manx Government had always boasted Home Rule and here they
were being told to do things and not to do things without any
choice. Radio Caroline North was the best advertisement the Isle
of Man had at the time thanks to the favourable comments of the
DJs. It was extremely popular with the younger generation and
many would come on holiday to take a boat trip out to see her.
When Lord Stoneham the Minister of State at the Home Office visited
the island to talk the politicians into toeing the line, the
local youth decided to make their views known by having a procession
from outside The Rendezvous Café near the Sefton Hotel
along the promenade and up Victoria Road to Government House. |
 September
1967
This photograph was taken outside the entrance gates to Government
House and shows the presence of Superintendent Kermeen,
Chief Inspector Kinrade and other officers including Bill Cook from
CID. On the extreme left and looking the opposite way is journalist
and reporter Terry Cringle.
|
 September
1967
Here Lord Stoneham confronts the protesters face to face before
visiting His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor Sir Peter Stallard.
One of the early meetings at Whitehall was with Miss Alice Bacon
who was second in command at the Home Office. The placard on the
right reads “First they sent us Bacon and now (Stone) Ham”.
|
 September
1967
As Radio Caroline came to an end, a charity football match was
held in Onchan Stadium between personnel from Radio Caroline and
staff from the GPO St Helens. The grandstands and terraces were
filled to capacity. The kick off was undertaken by James Dunn, Labour
MP for Kirkdale, Liverpool. Prior to the match some of the supporters
rolled out a banner calling on Sir Harold Wilson the Prime Minister
to walk the plank for the actions taken against the pirate radio
station.
|
 September
1967
Wearing a Ganex mac and smoking a pipe a pretend Harold Wilson
walks the plank in the centre of the football pitch. |
 September
1967
There may not have been a sea for the PM to fall into but he
didn’t avoid a soaking which brought shouts of joy from
the audience. |
 September
1967
The annual flower and produce show of the Onchan Horticultural
Society took place in the Methodist Hall in Main Road. This was
the nineteenth annual show the society had put on and they still
continue to this day.
The Golden Jubilee show was in 1998 and
several of the original cups were re-silvered. The society
when first formed was called the Onchan Horticultural and Garden
Society. |
 November
1967
In mid November His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor Sir Peter
Stallard commenced a tour of all police stations on the island.
He started with the nearest station – Onchan. The Onchan
police station was built just prior to the Second World War on
the bottom part of Elm Drive.
It comprised a block of two police
houses with a police station set between them. The facilities
also included cells at the rear of the building but in peaceful
Onchan they were rarely used. Pictured left to right Sergeant
Peter Moyer, Chief Constable Christopher Beatty-Pownall, Detective
Constable Eddie Prescott and His Excellency. |
 November
1967
His Excellency is photographed leaving the station and about
to enter his official car MAN 1. Here the station is seen set
between the two houses occupied by the Onchan Sergeant and an
Onchan constable together with their families. Now, and for sometime,
there is no longer a resident officer in the station complex. |
 December
1967
Miss Peggy Peddar, a teacher at Onchan School retired after
many years in the post. She was brought up in Onchan, living
next door to the Primitive Methodist Chapel on Summerhill Road
all her life (see Tour of Onchan – Around the Edges).
She
attended Onchan School and then won a scholarship to the Eastern
District Secondary School at Park Road in Douglas. After she
returned to the Island from Teacher Training College she taught
at Hanover Street School and Rushen Primary School to which
she travelled daily from Onchan by motorbike.
When teaching at
Onchan she travelled either on foot, bicycle or latterly on
rainy days by car. In this photograph she is seen receiving a
television from Director of Education H.C. Wilkinson. Members
of the school managers are seen on the front row including Miss
Katie Cowin. On the back row far left is Canon John Duffield,
Vicar of Onchan. |
 December
1967
Witnessing the presentation were the school children who are
sitting on the floor of the school hall which was created in
the mid 1950s out of three former classrooms from the original
1876 school building when five new classrooms were added to the
building. Later alterations in the late 1960s saw the creation
of a new assembly hall with six additional classrooms set around
it. The hall of the 1950s then became the dining room. |
