HERE’S a selection of stories as they were reported in the Chronicle back in October 1969.

IF YOU have a heart, you must support an urgent appeal being made in Barnsley and district for the Coronary Care Service Ambulance. The service is due to start next month, but £2,000 has still to be found.

A ‘Save a Life a Day’ appeal has been launched to pay for the £2,500 ambulance, which will be the most up-to-date of its type in the world. Only one other such service is operating—in Belfast.

Nearly £2,000 for special mobile medical equipment for the ambulance has already been provided. Of this, £1,400 has been donated by the Sheffield and District Hospital Services Council. But £2,000 is still needed for the vehicle.

WHEN labourer Philip Smith, 21, moved a pile of timber on a building site he heard a squeaking noise.

At first he thought it was a mouse but on investigation found it was a giant ‘squeaking’ moth.

Philip, of Orchard Street, Wombwell, said: “It was enough to frighten anyone.”

The ‘musical’ insect was captured and put into a box.

Later a local naturalist visited the site at Monk Bretton and identified the insect as a ‘Death’s Head Moth’. The reason for the unusual name becomes quite apparent when one looks at the back of its head — where a skull is clearly visible.

The moth which measures three inches in length is not seen often in this country and is much more prevalent in parts of France.

According to the naturalist it is quite possible that it flew over.

A DARTON Liberal councillor this week accused the council of discriminating against the Gawber district in not providing recreation facilities there.

Coun Harry Owen, who represents Gawber on the council, was objecting to a proposal by the Emergency Committee to purchase swings for a proposed recreation ground at Kexborough.

He said: “I think there is discrimination against certain of our districts.”

He said £8,000 was provided for recreation facilities in Mapplewell, Darton, Staincross and Kexborough, but nothing at Gawber. “We have suffered for years at Gawber. We have nothing at all.”

He said that, as a member of the Road Safety Committee, he felt like a hypocrite because there was nowhere for the children of Gawber to play away from the roads. He moved that the minute be referred back for further discussion but the motion was defeated.

Immediately afterwards, however, Coun George Stott successfully moved that the question of providing recreational facilities for Gawber be put on the agenda of a future meeting.

THE Barnsley British Co-operative Society is planning a major redevelopment scheme in the Market Street and Wellington Street areas.

The Society has been granted outline planning permission by Barnsley Corporation, and George Morrey, society secretary, said plans were already in hand, but it was too early to say what changes would take place.

The society is planning to modernise some of its properties, demolish others and build new ones, and it is hoped a start will be made on work in about 18 months’ time.

On Wednesday, the Yorkshire Traction Company Ltd, of Barnsley, took over the responsibility for the services of the Mexborough and Swinton Traction Company Ltd.

Mr P C Hunt, general manager of Yorkshire Traction, said services will continue as before, but it is hoped that economies in management and maintenance expenses will be further extended to the benefit of staff and public.

There will be no redundancies and all the staff have agreed to carry on in the same capacities under Yorkshire Traction.