Fred and Evelyn Champion

Barbara and Iames.

News Item, June 13, 1949 - designed to serve the residents of O’Leary and surrounding districts, the recently constructed 13 1/2 mile long twelve thousand volt power line from Mount Pleasant to O’Leary Corner was officially taken over by Hon. George H. Barbour, Minister of Public Works and Highways, on behalf of the provincial government in a brief ceremony at O’Leary on Tuesday.

Fl RE DEPARTMENT

The earliest fire fighting technique used in O'Leary was the buck- ‘ et brigade. Buckets filled at a nearby stream or central pumps were passed from hand to hand to the fire. Although men, women and even children worked very hard and sometimes at great risk to sub- due a blaze, this method was very difficult and not always effective. It is not certain how or when the O’Leary Fire Department was start- ed, but it is generally believed that in the late 30’s, after a number of very bad fires in the village, a group of concerned citizens organized a fire department in an attempt to cut down on the terrible loss of

property.

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