We look at the stories that were making the headlines in the Andersonstown News this week in 1985...
Editorial
IT seems that the generosity of the good people of West Belfast knows no bounds. Despite all reports of the breakdown in the fabric of society, violence and deprivation, the people of Lenadoon last Sunday celebrated the reconstruction of St Oliver Plunkett Church.
In an ever increasing materialistic world, the people of this deprived area have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds renovating the church and building a brand new presbytery to accommodate the priests of the parish. This is highly commendable and the people of the parish should feel justly proud of their achievement.
It was with a great sense of satisfaction therefore, that we listened to Bishop Cahal Daly's call for action on unemployment in the West Belfast area. This was as good a way as any of saying thank you to the people who had contributed so generously to the new church buildings. It is also a theme that has not been given enough prominence in the past.
Over the past 20 years the people of this area have renovated or built from scratch, twelve churches at a cost of millions of pounds, as well as contributing 15 per cent of all school building funds. This is nothing less than amazing given the circumstances, and says a lot for their dedication to the church and their marvellous generosity.
Too often in the past the people of this area have been castigated as something akin to morons by the scum press from England, and it is about time that we started to fight back (to stop buying their newspapers would be as good a start as any) and let everyone know that West Belfast is populated "by no mean people".
Park Centre opens for business
THE opening of Park Centre on 25th April 1985 will add a further boost to modern, one-stop shopping for the Belfast housewife and her family.
Conveniently situated at the bottom of the M1/DonegalI Road/West Link Junction, Park Centre should prove a great benefit to many busy housewives looking for convenient one-stop shopping combined with quick and easy access routes and extensive car parking facilities. The centre consists of a single-storeyed enclosed mall boasting many well-known stores, including two separate Dunnes grocery and clothing departments to provide a well-balanced shopping paradise offering everything from groceries, clothing, footwear, beer, wine and spirits.
In addition to this wide variety of shops, Park Centre will also incorporate a purpose designed 'restaurant square' offering many different types of food, and a pleasant-seated area where the busy shopper can relax for a quick snack or take the day off cooking and bring the family in for lunch.
The Centre opened this morning (April 25th) with a big splash offering great electrical gifts to the first 25 lucky shoppers, and for the first three days Park Centre bunny girls will be distributing gifts to shoppers throughout the centre including badges, pens, shopping lists and sweets and lollypops for the kids. Shoppers will also have the chance of winning up to £1,000 by entering the Park Centre cash 'bunny' competition.
STILL GOT IT: Bishop Anthony Farquhar couldn’t resist a kick-about when visiting La Salle Secondary School
United campaign at plastic bullet meeting
RELATIVES of plastic bullet victims and Mrs Emma Groves, who was blinded by a rubber bullet in 1971, joined with political representatives at the weekend to call for a vigorous, unified campaign against the lethal weapon.
Speaking at Sunday's public meeting in the Mill Conway Street, meeting chairperson and schoolteacher Larry Burns said it was essential for the campaign to continue after the May local government elections.
Jim McCabe, the husband of Nora, shot dead by a plastic bullet in 1981; Archie Livingstone, father of Julie, also shot dead by a plastic bullet in 1981, and Brenda Downes, wife of Seán who was killed after being shot in the chest with a plastic bullet at the 1984 internment demonstration, all addressed the large crowd in the Mill. They spoke of their experiences and voiced strenuous support for the campaign being waged by the Campaign for United Action Against Plastic Bullets.
Leading political representatives present included Seamus Mallon (SDLP), Pascal O'Hare (SDLP), Gerry Adams (Sinn Féin) and Alex Maskey (Sinn Féin).
Mr Mallon told the meeting that he hoped to arrange a meeting with the 26 County Justice Minister Michael Noonan to discuss the issue of plastic bullets. Gerry Adams stressed the need for the SDLP to become "really involved" in the campaign against the lethal weapon and said public protests and marches organised by the United Campaign should receive SDLP backing. He felt that "the methods of daily repression, particularly the use of plastic bullets, should provide the basis for pan-nationalist unity."
PD Councillor John McAnulty described united action as “the key to the campaign's success”. Communist Party spokesperson Desi Murray also spoke briefly to pledge his party's support for any steps which would lead to the withdrawal of plastic bullets. Proinsias de Barra of the IRSP was the last representative of the political parties to speak.
Fr Dennis Faul and Fr Raymond Murray both made submissions from the floor. Fr Murray called for the legal profession to be closely identified with the campaign. A spokesperson for the United Campaign said they had been heartened by the large turn-out of relatives, political parties and civil rights groups at the meeting. He added: "The Workers' Party and the Alliance Party were both invited but unfortunately neither attended the meeting."
