" 'Could the life of one child have been saved and the lives of five others been improved if the Children's Aid Society had acted sooner?' This is the question that Mrs. Carol Simone keeps asking herself after the drowning on Monday of her neighbor's child, Betty Lowder, aged 12..."

"Life ended suddenly on Monday afternoon for a 12-year-old Holland Marsh girl who went swimming in the Holland River. Betty Lowder, R.R.2, Newmarket, was swimming under the bridge at the intersection of No. 3 Concession and the Graham sideroad with her brothers and sisters, when she submerged in the middle of the murky river in about eight feet of water. There were no adults present..."

"Charges of neglect have been laid against the mother of the 12-year-old girl who drowned in the Holland River on Monday, August 5, according to the Executive Director of the York Region Children's Aid Society, Donald Van Camp.
Eleanor Lowder, mother of Betty Lowder, the girl who drowned, has been charged under Section 40 part (1) of the Child Welfare Act which makes it an offense for anyone to leave a child unattended for an unreasonable length of time without proper supervision. Under the provisions of the act the maximum fine the court is able to impose in such a case is $200 and a maximum one year prison term.
Hearings on the charge will take place in camera on September 3 in Newmarket family court.
The surviving five Lowder children are in the care and custody of the Children's Aid Society, according to Van Camp. After the accident one of the children was in the care of relatives, according to him, but now all are with the society.
Any inquest into the drowning will have to wait until the charges have been taken care of by the courts, according to Dr. Robert Seaver, who is acting as coroner in the case.
"Its all up in the air right now," said Doctor Seaver, "any charges will take precedent. Until some of these things are straightened out," he said referring to the charges, "we can't go ahead." He is also waiting on further details on the accident to become available from the police and the autopsy report.
The possibility of an inquest will still be up in the air, according to Dr. Seaver, until it is decided if some particular aspect of Betty Lowder's death has to be "...brought out."
The police will only be acting as witnesses and assisting the Children's Aid Society in this case according to Deputy Chief Robert Hood of the York Regional Police. Police could have laid the charge against Mrs. Lowder, but they deferred to the Children's Aid Society in the case.
The drowning was the first case in which Bradford firemen were called to the Marsh area which recently switched to Newmarket for its fire protection. The Bradford department's answering of the call raises the question of the $800 charge which King Township is supposed to pay when the Bradford department enters King.
When asked about the fee and whether it will be charged, Bradford mayor Joe Magani replied, "If someone is drowning and we coulz be of some assistance, I don't think its a matter of dollars and cents."

"Excessive Speed is Cause of Fatal Accident on Highway 11
William J. Lees, 28, of 612 Harvie Ave., Toronto, was instantly killed late Saturday afternoon when the car he was driving swerved off the highway south of Mr. Clarence Wood's gateway, snapped off a Hydro pole in the ditch, and threw the driver partly out of the right window..."

"Gilford - a Gilford woman was killed and two persons were sent to hospital in a traffic accident Wednesday (Jan. 14).
Jean Taylor, 69, was fatally injured when the car she was driving southbound on Highway 11 struck another head on, Bradford OPP report.
The accident happened at about 12:30 p.m., near the 11th Concession. Mrs. Taylor's car was on the wrong side of the road, police report.
Raoul Tremblay, 76, of Churchill, was driving the northbound car. He and his daughter Violet were taken to York County Hospital.
Approximately $14,000 damage was done to the two car.
Bradford OPP are investigating the accident. No charges have been laid."

"Occurrences investigated by the officers of the Bradford OPP during the week included 11 traffic accidents in which one person was killed and six persons were injured.
On the morning of Nov. 1, Nancy Thedoru of Toronto was killed when the car driven by her husband George was involved in a collision with a pick up truck driven by Frank Anzil of Klienburg. Mr. Anzil's wife Tina was a passenger in the truck. Mr. Theodoru remains at Sunnybrook Medical Centre.
Mr. Anzil is in intensive care in stable condition at York County Hospital. His wife has been transferred to St. Michael's Hospital.
OPP are still investigating the accident, which occurred at Highways 11 and 89, near Gilford. No charges have been laid as yet.
Bradford OPP investigated 42 occurrences during the week, including two drivers charged with excess alcohol. Also, five liquor related charges were laid."

"The branch of the Boyne River which crosses the road into Beeton, west of No. 27 Highway, was, like all other streams of the district, swollen to danger proportions last Friday night and at this point a terrific toll in lives was taken. Five bodies have been recovered and some neighbours fear that there may be more. ..."

Newspaper write up about the accident that killed Dr. Cummings, a Bond Head doctor.