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Rain at Comox airport broke 23-year-old record

Every Friday, we feature Comox Valley history taken from back issues of the Comox Valley Record.
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A POST CARD from a bygone era shows downtown Courtenay

Five years ago this week in the Comox Valley Record:

Storm-caused disruption and damage hit the south coast as the amount of rain at the Comox airport broke a 23-year-old record. The storm unloaded 64 millimetres of rain in a 24-hour period, shattering the 1983 record of 48 mm. It caused ferry cancellations, power outages, property damage and flooding.

Ten years ago this week in the Comox Valley Record:

There were to be no more icing penalties called at Glacier Gardens due to a lack of ice, causing the 19 Wing arena to close. The problem was a breakdown of the ice plant.

"The ice plant is old," Capt. Aziz Bhaiwala said. "It's from the '60s and it's never been replaced. Basically it's beyond repair and we have to shut it down."

Which left the Valley with two ice surfaces, both at the Sports Centre.

Fifteen years ago this week in the Comox Valley Record:

Former Lieut.-Gov. David Lam and Vancouver Foundation president Richard Mulcaster helped launch the Comox Valley Community Foundation at a gala dinner.

"A community foundation, to me, is a step toward the building of a good community," Lam said. "People can relate to it because it will be for the enrichment of life in their own community."

Funds raised at the dinner were among the first dollars invested by the foundation for charities and community projects, president Stan Hagen said.

Twenty years ago this week in the Comox Valley Record:

A daring rescue from a burning car earned a local hero a medal from Lieut.-Gov. David Lam.

Around 2 a.m. July 15, 1990, a car roared down the highway outside an apartment where RCMP constable James Ogden and teacher Chris Taylor were visiting friends in North Vancouver. An explosion shook the building and the glow of flames could be seen. Ogden told people to phone 911 then raced down the stairs.

"He was pulling people out of the blazing car by the time we got there," Taylor said. "He risked his life to save those kids."

Lam was to present Ogden with the Police Honour Award at Government House.

Twenty-five years ago this week in the Comox Valley Record:

There may be nothing wrong with Union Bay's drinking water, but some area residents weren't convinced. The water is brown and a source of stomach troubles, according to Tom Hennessey, who said it's been a problem since he moved to the area five years earlier.

Area A director Phil Frost felt the water was safe, and in fact better than it was in the past.

"There have been times in the tub and I couldn't see my toes," he said.

The North Island Health Unit said the water is safe to drink.