HomeMy WebLinkAboutHomecoming '87, 1987-07-01, Page 11THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 1987. PAGE A ll.
_Homecoming '87 _______
First Brussels newspaper born in 1873
The newspaper business in the
village of Brussels has followed
many of the trends that have
effected small town newspapers all
across North America, but with a
certain twist in recent history.
Brussels was one of the earliest
localcommunitiestogetits own
newspaper. The 1879 Belden & Co.
Historical Atlas records that the
Brussels Post made its appearance
on July 10,1873. “As in many other
similar cases, the enterprise was
established under serious difficul
ties, which caused it to languish for
a time; but the energy persever-
ence and ability of the McGilli
cuddy Brothers, the original as
well as the present proprietors,
gradually worked the paper into
good running shape, and esta
blished it upon a solid business
basis.’’
On July 1, 1877 the McGilli
cuddy Brothers moved the Post to a
new office specially built for them.
The Belden Atlas describes the
Postas “a live(ly) local paper,
spicily edited, well printed, ably
More than 1000 people
registered in 1972
Well over 1,000 names were
recorded in the Register of Cen
tennial visitors to Brussels during
the five-day 1972 event commem-
morating the 100th anniversary of
the village’s incorporation in 1872.
Visitors and former residents
came from as far away as Holland,
Japan, Germany, California and
Florida, as well as from every
province in Canada and from cities,
towns and villages all over Ontario.
Hazel Matheson and Sarah
Stephenson were in charge of
registration, while Mrs. Stephen
son and Vera Hastings handled the
brisk Centennial souvenir sales at
managed and Reform in politics.’’
Three years later in 1880 The
Post was sold to W.H. Kerr. Born
in Flesherton, son of a minister, he
was keenly interested in municipal
politics and was reeve of Brussels
for seven years and served as
Huron County Warden in 1903.
His son J.L. Kerr took over the
paper and continued to publish it
until his death on April 21, 1932.
Then began an era most fondly
remembered by people who grew
up in the Brussels area: nearly 40
years of publishing by the Kenne
dy family.
Roy Kennedy, eldest son of A.R.
Kennedy, the former well-known
editor of the Stratford Beacon and
the Peterborough Examiner,
bought the Post in 1933. After
graduating from the Beal Techni
cal School of Printing, he worked
with the Stratford Beacon-Herald
for a time before purchasing the
Post. His brother Hugh worked
with him for a time.
When he married, his wife
Evelyn became an integral part of
after the sale of tickets on the quilt
they had donated, which was later
won by Bonnie McCall of Leth
bridge, Alberta, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Bruce McCall of Brus
sels.
The week following the Centen
nial, The Brussels Post published
the names of every person who
officially registered at the Centen
nial , a list which fills up three pages
of the paper. However, at press
time, the original registration book
had not been located, and the
Homecoming Committee for 1987
would be very pleased to re-locate
it.
the organization and she continued
towrite about Brussels happen
ings for years, even after the
Brussels Post ceased to exist as a
separate newspaper.
Both the Kennedys were involv
ed in the community with Roy
serving many years on village
council andonthepublic school
board.
Originally the Post was a
broadsheet (large daily-newspap
er sized page) paper of eight pages,
the kind that came with several
pages filled with prepackaged
news from outside the community,
but in 1963 the paper switched to a
tabloid size (the handy format used
by The Citizen) and from then on all
news was of a more local nature.
In January 1972, in the 100th
year of operation, The Post was
sold to A.Y. (Andy) McLean of
McLean Bros. Publishers Ltd.,
publishers of the Huron Expositor
in Seaforth. Mrs. Kennedy contin
ued to edit the paper which made
use of the new process of “offset
printing’’ to feature more photo
graphs and illustrations.
The paper continued to be
operatedby McLean Bros, until
1982 when The Huron Expositor,
The Brussels Post and the Blyth
Standard (which had been pur
chased by McLeans in 1977) were
sold to Signal-Star Publishing Ltd.
of Goderich. The Post was amal
gamated with the Expositor with
one page devoted to Brussels
news. The Blyth Standard was
amalgamated with The Clinton
News-Record and given one page
in the larger paper.
In 1985, led by the redoubtable
Brussels resident Sheila Richards,
people in Brussels and Blyth
decided three years was long
enough to be without a paper. They
banded together to raise money,
formed a company and on October
23, 1985 The Citizen was born,
serving both communities. There
are business offices in both
Brussels and Blyth with the
typesetting facilities set up in
Blyth.
Because of the unusual circum
stances of its fou nding, and the fact
that it has gone against the trend
Murray’s
Barber Shop
Happy to have been
serving you for
25 years
Turnberry S. Brussels 887-6223
Best Wishes on
your 115th
Celebrations
from
Clip 'n Curl
Hairdressing
Debbie Prior Brussels 887-6343
that has seen many communities
thissize lose their newspapers,
The Citizen has received national
media coverage and was recently
subject of a thesis by a University of
Western Ontario Journalism stu
dent and a feature article in London
Magazine.
The paper operates with a
five-person board of directors with
representatives of both Blyth and
Brussels. The board meets month
ly to review the operation of the
company.
the Centennial Headquarters at
the Brussels Legion. The ladies of
the Brussels Majestic Women’s
Institute served tea and coffee to all
who registered, as well as looking
Anyone having any knowledge
of its whereabouts should notify
Committee Secretary Mary Lowe
at 887-6923, or call The Citizen
office at 887-9114.VILLAGE OF BRUSSELS
on your
115th BIRTHDAY
"WE TREASURE GOODNEIGHBOURS
LIKE YOU!"
Pictured above back row left to right: Lloyd Michie, Bert Elliott, Bob
Grasby, Howie Morton.
Front row, left to right: Nancy Michie, Doug Fraser and Clem
McLellan.
REEVE: Doug Fraser
DEPUTY REEVE: Clem McLellan
COUNCILLORS: Bert Elliott, Bob Grasby, Howie Morton
CLERK: Nancy Michie
ROAD SUPERINTENDENT: Lloyd Michie
ROAD CREW: Jim Casem'ore and John Smith