Gordon Agnew- Newcastle’s Newspaper Man
George “Gordon” Agnew was born in 1910 in Peterborough, Ontario, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick J.Agnew. When Gordon was six years old the family moved to Orono, Ontario and Gordon attended OronoPublic School there. About 1926, Gordon’s mother passed away suddenly and his father Frederick was in poor health so Gordon left school at age 16. He began working for the Peterborough Canoe Company but after about a year had to quit that job because of crippling arthritis. Later, he purchased a printing press and started printing tickets, business cards and other items….
In 1946, Gordon and Verna moved to Newcastle, Ontario. Here he purchased a property on King St. East, and opened Kingsway Lunch. It was successful, but after a year, long hours and overwork necessitated its sale. Noticing the need for a local paper, Gordon signed an agreement with a Toronto publisher to re-activate the “Newcastle News” and after a year setting up the production of the newspaper, began publishing it on September 1, 1948. “We have felt this village is becoming too large to depend on district newspapers to supply a complete news service to our citizens, thus leaving many worthwhile projects unknown to many of the people,” he wrote in an editorial.
Winding back time at the Newcastle Community Hall
The Newcastle Village Community Hall clock tower has marked time for over 90 years within our Village. It was built by E. Dent and Company of London, the same company responsible for the manufacture of “Big Ben” – the iconic clock at the British houses of Parliament in the Palace of Westminster. Imported by Wellington Foster, a long-time friend of Chester Massey and former Newcastle postmaster, the clock was donated to the Community Hall, which itself was a gift to the community from Chester Massey of Massey-Harris, and was opened in 1923.
The clock has to be hand wound each week. There are two weights that reach all the way down to the Community Hall basement, one for adjusting time and one for the bell. Many visitors to the clock tower over the years have signed their names on the walls of the tower. Is your name in the tower?