Heritage Winnipeg would like to thank Wayne Johnson for his donation in honour of his late uncle George Townsend, former Chief Controller of the Winnipeg Tribune. These unique matchbooks and coasters were printed in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Tribune newspaper, which started in 1890, and were little souvenirs meant to be shared with everyone.

George Townsend, n.d.

George Townsend’s career starting in 1948, and he witnessed many changes over the years in the newspaper industry, including the need to keep pace with how the news was distributed to the public. Sadly, in 1980 The Winnipeg Tribune printed its last newspaper edition. Townsend was then sent to manage The Sun and The Province newpapers based in Vancouver until his retirement in 1985.

Gargoyle that was formerly on the exteriors of the Tribune Building, n.d.

The Tribune building, home of the Winnipeg Tribune, was formerly located at 257 Smith Street at the corner of Smith and Graham, and demolition of the building commenced in October 1983. It was 6 storeys high and featured oak and terrazzo flooring along with marble wainscoting in the interior space. Wayne Johnson remembers accompanying his Uncle to work and remembers the offices fondly, and specifically the gargoyles that decorated the buildings’ exterior.

Various newspaper features on the commemorative matchbooks, n.d.