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In 1981 the 100 Mile Walrus Club plunged into Horse Lake

From the 100 Mile Free Press archives
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Walrus Club members plunged into and out of the frigid waters of Horse Lake in 1981 with reckless abandon. (100 Mile Free Press Historical photo)

40 YEARS AGO (1981): With 70 supporters watching, 10 brave souls took the plunge into the icy waters of Horse Lake as part of the third annual Walrus Club swim. For the first time, the air temperature, at a balmy 7C, was warmer than the lake water. The participants huddled together across from the 10-foot-by-10-foot hole chopped into the ice, sipping from a communal flask before Mike Searls, the swim’s originator, cannonballed into the water. Free Press reporter Rob Munro joined in on the fun and found the swim a perfect tribute to winter.

30 YEARS AGO (1991): A surprise announcement that Ainsworth Lumber’s 100 Mile Division would not be reopening after the Christmas holiday left 150 loggers without work. Ainsworth officials said the operation had been “crippled” by skyrocketing stumpage rates, which for the company had been as much as 237 per cent, or a monthly cost of $800,000. Until this “anomaly” could be addressed Ainsworth Chief Forester Kelly McCloskey said they couldn’t afford to log at those rates.

20 YEARS AGO (2001): Modern community mailboxes were slated to replace the clusters of green rural mailboxes on 100 Mile House street corners. Bob Taylor, corporate communications manager for Canada Post, said the corporation was in the midst of a decade-long project to replace rural mail routes nationwide and it was now 100 Mile House’s turn to receive the upgrade. The installation of each mailbox was expected to cost between $300 to $400 and wouldn’t cause the loss of any postal jobs, Taylor promised.

10 YEARS AGO (2011): Despite stakeholder objections, ICBC’s insurance rate increase of 11.2 percent was approved by the British Columbia Utilities Commission. ICBC stated in a release that in the first nine months of 2011 their net income was $52-million down from $331-million the previous year while costs had risen to $2.47 billion. Drivers in the Cariboo were already paying the highest insurance rates seen outside of Vancouver while B.C. drivers as a whole paid the second-highest rates in the country.



Patrick Davies

About the Author: Patrick Davies

An avid lover of theatre, media, and the arts in all its forms, I've enjoyed building my professional reputation in 100 Mile House.
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