100 Years Ago - December 11, 1909
DESPITE a number of suspected cases, swine fever was ruled out on the Island.
Dr Arthur Angell, an agricultural analyst from Southampton, was appointed by the executive committee to test a number of samples, following three suspected outbreaks.
But after ruling out swine fever he praised Island farmers for preventing pigs from scavenging, which had been a cause of the disease in previous years.
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A proposal was put forward to operate Island railways with electricity.
The Parliamentary and Railway Committee submitted the scheme, which was set to be discussed by town and district councils across the Island.
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Children in hospitals were set to receive gifts for Christmas following a dolls’ pageant in Shanklin.
A display of dolls and other toys was held at the Shanklin Institute, all donated by school children and residents.
The items would be distributed to children in hospitals and workhouses in time for Christmas.
75 Years Ago - December 15, 1934
A six-year-old girl from Cowes who had been missing for several hours was found in Southampton.
Audrey Armstrong was found wandering around the Western Esplanade by a policeman, after she was believed to have boarded a ferry at the Fountain Pier, where she had been playing on her own.
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A woman who had been on holiday in Ventnor died after she fell overboard a steamer on its way to Southsea.
Charlotte Clapham, 65, was picked up by a lifeboat just minutes after falling overboard in the rough sea, not long after the vessel had left Ryde.
She was confirmed dead at Clarence Pier, despite attempts to resuscitate her.
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A dispute about team selection resulted in West Wight Football Club having to leave its ground at Camp Road.
Mr Osman, who had loaned the ground to the club for two years, was unhappy his son had not been selected for a cup-tie.
He ordered the club to leave, forcing the players to relocate to another ground at Station Road.
50 Years Ago - December 12, 1959
Two prisoners at Parkhurst were on the loose for nearly three hours after they escaped over a wall.
James Bucknell and Thomas Greenwood, who were both serving ten-year sentences, broke out over a wall opposite the governor’s house.
They were picked up by police after a man spotted them in the Dodnor area.
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Around 650 workers faced redundancy at an Island firm if it was refused planning permission for a new factory in Cowes.
Readers Fancicrafts Ltd, thought to be the largest manufacturers of lampshades in the world, was waiting to hear from planners about its scheme to modernise an old factory, formerly used by Somerton Aerodrome.
If the plan was not successful, the company would have to re-locate to the mainland in order to meet demand.
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Waves were breaking over the top of the Needles Lighthouse as Force 11 winds battered the Island.
Only minor damage was done to the lighthouse, but heavy rain caused flooding, particularly across the east of the Island.
25 Years Ago - December 14, 1984
A £3 million order to build a 123ft luxury yacht would create about 50 jobs at Souter’s shipyard, Cowes.
Work on the vessel, the largest to be built on the Island for many years, was set to start straight away, following the order by an overseas customer.
It coincided with other orders worth a total of £12 million.
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A pair of alsatians attacked a family of wallabies at the IW Zoo after they burrowed under a wire fence.
The dogs killed the mother wallaby and her baby she was carrying in her pouch.
They also attacked a pair of cranes, breaking the leg of one of the birds.
The dogs were put down.
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Thieves who broke into an ambulance and stole first-aid equipment were accused of putting people’s life in danger.
Equipment used to treat asthmatics was stolen from an ambulance in Languard Manor Road, Shanklin, and a spokesperson for the service said it was potentially very dangerous.
"If we had been called out to an asthmatic we would not have been able to treat them."
10 Years Ago - December 10, 1999
A Nettlestone barmaid had a narrow escape after a gas boiler exploded seconds before she was about to walk past it.
Pat Ball had just got out of the bath and was heading towards the gas multi-point water heater when it blew off the wall.
She fled the house as it filled up with steam, fumes and gas, but firefighters shortly arrived to confine the damage to a small area.
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An outraged councillor described the decision to offer a new housing boss a salary of £70,000 as obscene.
Cllr Brenda Lawson, who was a lone voice against the hiked-up salary, said it would mean paying an extra £13,440 — the equivalent to total earnings of the average person.
However, other members of the personnel and sourcing committee agreed the salary was the going rate for the job.
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A partially sighted woman was praised by Island magistrates after she foiled a man attempting to snatch £1,100 from a Ventnor post office.
Carol Bourdon, 33, was in the queue waiting to cash her money when she grabbed the man, kicked him in the back of the leg and threw him to the floor, as he tried to make off.