SNJ reporter Saul Cooke-Black looks back at news from across the decades.

1966

A BRAVE passer-by saved a young girl from drowning after she fell into a canal in Stroud.

Christine Baldini was fishing on the banks of the canal at the Ship Inn, Ryeford, with her four-year-old sister, Juli, when she tumbled into the canal.

A passer-by heard Juli screaming and dived into the canal to rescue Christine, who could not swim.

After making sure she was all right, the unknown rescuer lifted Christine into her parent’s garden and then disappeared.

NEW street lights were set to be rolled out across the Stroud district after plans were approved by the highways committee.

Street lighting would be brought up to a first class standard under the plans with sodium lamps set to be adopted.

The plans would mean more road lighting, with lamps to be introduced on the whole of the A46 and A419 roads.

1976

A SOLDIER from Stroud shot his way to success at an army rifle competition in Bulford, Wiltshire.

Corporal Vere Morley, 29, from Paganhill, was one of three individual winners in the South West District Reserve Army Competition.

Mr Morley, a part-time soldier who worked at McEvoy Oilfields Equipment, was presented with a trophy by Major General Robert Lyon GOC, South West District.

BUCKINGHAM Palace announced that the Queen had purchased Gatcombe Park in Minchinhampton for Princess Anne and her husband, Captain Mark Phillips.

The house and 730 acre estate had been owned by Lord Butler since November 1947.

A TREE was planted in the Mortimer Gardens in Nailsworth to mark the Diamond Jubilee of the Nailsworth Girl Guide Company.

The Nailsworth Guides and Brownies attended a family service at St George’s Church and then paraded to the Mortimer Gardens.

The tree, a winter flowering cherry, was planted by Sue Bufton, guide leader, Angela Porter, representative of the Guide Company, and Kim Matthews, a Brownie as a representative of the future Guide Company.

Among those attending the ceremony were the chairman of Stroud District Council, deputy mayor of Nailsworth and parents and friends of the Guides.

1986

A FIRE wrecked Lloyds Bank in Stroud, causing £250,000 worth of damage.

Staff had to relocate to counters at other banks around the town so that banking matters could continue.

The main hall was gutted by the fire, and refurbishment was expected to take at least several weeks.

Two women were charged with causing damage by fire in connection with the incident and were due to appear in court.

A COUPLE from Stroud in Australia came to visit the village’s namesake in Gloucestershire.

Chris and Vall Hall came on a six-week holiday to the Cotswolds, making the trip from the village on the east coast of Australia, 350 kilometres north of Sydney.

It is thought Stroud Australia was named after Stroud England by Robert Dawson, the first Superintendent of the Australian Agricultural Company.

He is said to have chosen the name because the countryside bears such a striking resemblance to the Cotswolds.

1996

THREE years after the building was bought, the first young homeless people moved into the former Painswick Inn in Stroud.

Organisers of the £250,000 refurbishment project were hoping the homeless hostel would provide a safe place for young people to live.

The Painswick Inn Project, funded by grants and lottery cash, aimed to provide an arts and community centre for the people of Stroud, as well as a drop-in café and variety of art workshops.

A MULTI-MILLION pound plan to restore the Stroudwater Canal received the backing of district planners, despite fears about the impact of tourism on residents along the route.

The £14million scheme would see the canal restored from Saul Junction to Stroud, creating an estimated 190 jobs and bringing in £5million a year to the area.

Controversial plans to include a marina between Saul and Whitminster were included in the plans but left out after objections at the meeting.

2006

HUNDREDS of England fans were spared the heartache of another penalty shoot-out defeat in the World Cup when a power cut struck in Stroud.

Around 200 customers in the British Oak in London Road, Stroud, poured from the pub into the car park to listen to the drama unfold.

Viewers in Bowbridge and Stroud dashed into the street in search of the nearest car radio or TV screen for the climax of the match against Portugal.

Around 1,800 customers were affected by the cut, caused by a high-voltage underground cable fault.

A NEW post office was opened by Stroud MP David Drew in Paganhill The Paganhill Partnership Group was set up 18 months previously to save the Post Office branch at the former One Stop shop.

It was moved to Maypole Hall, which was refurbished by the group in a project funded by a £54,000 grant from Gloucestershire Rural Renaissance.