The 1980s were an eventful decade, filled with big changes and seismic world events – and 1982 fit that bill well.
The year saw the release of the popular film, ‘E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial’, Michael Jackson’s album ‘Thriller’ and the invasion of the Falkland Islands by Argentina.
While these events might seem like an age ago to those of us who didn’t experience them (and like yesterday to those who did) – the pages of local newspapers in Armagh weren’t all that different to what you’d read today.
In the Portadown News and Craigavon Times on May 14, 1982, the lead story was as follows: “Beds crisis at hospital,” written by Victor Gordon. A sign that not much has changed in the 41 years since…
The conversation at play was the issue of the size of Craigavon Area Hospital, with the article stating that “Craigavon Area Hospital is too small – and there is little prospect of extending the building for at least ten years”.
It also predicted that the growing waiting lists for acute beds would “get worse” before the government built a promised phase two of the hospital – a plan that would provide 144 more beds.
The story continued: “But with the Government purse strings tightened to breaking point, the chances of seeing the expansion within the next decade are zero.”
If you didn’t know any better, you’d think the story was penned in 2024!
Another health issue reported on by the paper was the issue of a stretched ambulance service, something we still struggle with to this day.
At the time, the health services committee stated that local ambulance services were being abused by people who had no need for ambulances, leading to the service becoming “thin on the ground”.
In May 1982, the cost of a permanent ambulance crew was estimated at £40,000 a year, with the paper adding, “under the present financial cuts, the board is unwilling to provide additional crews”.
The week also saw hospital services grind to a halt with a 24-hour strike over pay.
The strikers argued that the pay increase for nurses on offer at the time bore “no resemblance to the rises in the cost of living”.
The next week’s edition (May 21) reported that the strike lasted from 7am on the Wednesday until early on the Thursday morning.
Another familiar issue of the day was that of delays to roads maintenance and improvements, as it was reported on May 21 that residents of Clonavon Avenue and Jervis Street in Portadown were fed up of heavy traffic past their doors.
Much like today, officials back then claimed that Government cutbacks meant there was uncertainty around the beginning of works to divert traffic from the streets.
