Showing 1309 results

In 1926, Himmelman Shipping Limited purchased a 100-ton auxiliary schooner and named her "O.K. Service." This was the first of 12 ships that were operated by Himmelman Supply Company as the O.K. Service fleet. The vessel was used to transport lobster, fish, and other cargo between ports in Atlantic Canada and Boston. Little is known about the original "O.K. Service."

In 1975, a ship that was originally called "Aina", was bought by Himmelman Shipping Limited and renamed "O.K. Service". It was an 1100 ton dwt. ship that specialized in carrying high explosives from Nova Scotia to ports in the Caribbean and Central and South America. The vessel was retired in 1983 because of the company's poor economic situation.

The M/V "O.K. Service V" was a 144-ton wooden auxiliary vessel built in 1940 by W.C. MacKay and Sons in Shelburne, Nova Scotia. It was rebuilt in 1945. The vessel was operated by Himmelman Supply Company and O.K. Service Shipping Limited, and it was owned by various members of the Himmelman family and other shareholders.

The M/V "O.K. Service V" was used extensively as a general cargo vessel on the East coast of Canada. In later years, the vessel began carrying explosives from La Have, Nova Scotia to the Caribbean and Central and South America. The vessel was primarily Captained by Moyle Randall. Arthur D. Himmelman also acted as ship's master for some voyages.

In 1967 and 1968, the vessel was converted to a fishing longliner and used for fishing on the East coast of Canada. Poor catches and low prices in the fishing industry led the company to remove the fishing gear and overhaul the engines to try to sell the vessel. The vessel was sold to Andre H. Listhaeghe on August 19, 1970.

The M/V "O.K. Service VIII" was a wooden auxillary schooner built in 1944 by S.B. Company Limited in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. The hull was 75% sheathed with 1.25" greenheart. She was 124" long; 23-8"wide, and 149 deep gross tonnage. She had a 320 horse-powered lister generator with a 32 volt system.

The vessel was registered in Saint John, New Brunswick and owned by Himmelman Supply Company. The ship transported Rum and explosives, such as; dynamite, forcite, thermalite, capsules, and fuses. She travelled throughout Eastern Canadian waters, to Newfoundland, Labrador, the St. Lawrence River, Nova Scotia,and New England. In addition, it made over thirty voyages to the West Indies, Central and South America. The vessel was put up for sale in 1958, with the asking price of $80,000.00.

The "O.K. Service X" was a motor vessel built by DeHaan and Oerlemans-Heusden in 1948. It was originally owned by Damers and VanDerHeide Shipping and Trading Company of Rotterdam and named "Elisa." The vessel was purchased by O.K. Service Shipping Limited in 1955 and renamed "O.K. Service X" in 1956. It was registered in Nassau, Bahamas under the British Flag and operated by Himmelman Supply Company. Captain Cecil Parsons and Captain C. Williams Gillet were the primary captains for the vessel. During its operation, the vessel sailed from Nova Scotia to the Caribbean carrying explosives and returning with alcoholic spirits for the liquor commissions in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Edward and Nova Scotia.

The O.K. Service X was sold to Galleon Shipping Company of Tampa, Florida in January, 1975 and renamed the "Barma". It left La Have, Nova Scotia on January 5, 1975 on route to Kings Bay, George. On January 6, 1975 it was abandoned at sea and sank.

The M/V "O.K. Service XI" was a motor vessel built by Canadian Vickers Limited of Montreal, Quebec in 1949. The vessel was originally owned by C.A. Venezolana de Navegacion of Caracas, Venezuela who named her the "Carabobo." The vessel was fitted with refrigerated cargo installation and had a sheltered deck..

La Have Shipping Limited bought the M/V "Carabobo" from the Venezuelan government in 1962 and renamed her "O.K. Service XI". She was managed by Himmelman's Supply Company and the vessel's primary captain was C. William Gillet. Canadian National Railways chartered the vessel until 1969 when they terminated their contract due to slow business and new ferry servies being added between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. From April 1, 1969, the vessel was charted by Newfoundland-Canada Limited Steamship Company, who operated a federal government subsidized run between Halifax, Nova Scotia and St. John's, Newfoundland. Due to an increase in competition and high charter rates, they ended their charter of the "O.K. Service XI" on March 31, 1972. The vessel was sold to a buyer in Costa Rica in 1972.

Oland and Son Brewery was founded in 1867 by Francis deWinton and John James Dunn Oland. George Culverwell Oland and Sidney Oland purchased the Halifax brewery, Highland Spring Brewery. By 1914, the company was incorporated and officially named Oland and Son Limited. It had a capital stock of $100,000 divided into 1,000 shares of $100 each.

In 1917, The Halifax Explosion destroyed the Oland and Son Limited brewery and their associated plant in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Following the explosion, George W. C. Oland went to Saint John, NB and purchased the Simeon Jones Brewery, and carried on the business there under the name of Olands Brewery Limited. The Halifax plant was partially rebuilt in 1920 and used as a storage unit until financial matters were secured with help from the Saint John, NB; Oland's Brewery Limited. The Dartmouth brewery was never rebuilt.

By 1925, after several years of trying different business options, Sidney and his father, George Culverwell Oland, decided that Sidney's best bet for a successful business venture was to return to Halifax and rebuild the brewery. The building was completed in 1931 and was known as the most modern brewery in the Maritime Provinces. Sidney became the managing director of the company after his father's death in 1933.

In 1927, Sidney purchased A. Keith and Son Brewery and became the managing director. A. Keith and Son eventually became a wholly owned subsidiary of Oland and Son Limited. See the A. Keith and Son Limited Series for more information.

By 1945, as a result of heavy wartime demand for beer to supply the troops and limited resources to maintain the breweries, the Oland and Son plant and the A. Keith and Son plant were run down. An expansion and renovation program of several million dollars was carried out and the breweries were re-equipped with the most modern equipment, including stainless Steel fermenting tanks and glass lined storage tanks, as well as, the latest in mashing and brew house equipment. In 1946, the company made its first public offering of shares.

The company continued to expand and purchased the Red Ball Brewery in Saint John, New Brunswick. The brewery was renamed Oland's Brewery and the factory underwent a major renovation project in the 1960s. Rising costs and competition from breweries from Western Canada made the operation of the company increasingly difficult. On June 1, 1971, Oland and Son Limited sold its brewing assets to John Labatt Limited. Oland's Breweries (1971) Limited was established by John Labatt Limited to continue operating the breweries in Halifax and Saint John and Oland and Son changed its name to Lindwood Holdings Limited.

Oland and Son has a long history of philanthropic contributions to the province of Nova Scotia. The company sponsored numerous sports teams and leagues, fairs and exhibitions, and other activities, made charitable contributions to organizations all over the province, and was a strong support of Royal Canadian Legion halls, mess halls, and military bases. The company constructed the Bluenose II to help market its Schooner beer and represent the province internationally. In 1965, Sidney Oland and Oland and Son Ltd. contributed to Sidney's Alma matter, St. Frances Xavier University. The generous contribution allowed the university to build an auditorium-gymnasium-stadium complex that was named Oland Centre.

Oland and Son (Que) Limited was a subsidiary of Oland and Son Limited. The company was incorporated in 1948 and licensed to sell beer throughout the Province of Quebec. At the time of incorporation, Sidney C. Oland was President and Director, Victor Oland was Vice-President and Director, H. Norman Stanbury was Secretary-Treasurer and Director, Bruce S. Oland and Don J. Oland were Directors, Phillippe Langlois was Sales Manager, and Joseph Diano was the Montreal distributor. The company was a wholesale office and warehouse, with headquarters at 2345 Viau Street in Montreal. Pierre Quenneville was appointed provincial manager and regional sales agents operated under the Sales Manager.

Acceptance was slow and the company never obtained the market share it enjoyed in the Maritimes, but the company eventually became recognized by the Quebec Brewers' Institute. Management and operations of the company was overseen by Oland and Son Limited. See the Oland and Son Limited Series for more information.

Oland Investments Limited was an investment trust company established by Sidney C. Oland in 1935. The company was created to consolidate Sidney Oland's personal holdings and his shares in A. Keith and Son Limited and Oland and Son Limited.

The company built a diverse investment portfolio by purchasing shares of a variety of Canadian and international companies, including Abitibi Power and Paper Company, Bank of Montreal, British American Oil Company, International Paper Company, Moosehead Breweries, and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. The company also had a significant stake in Ben's Holdings Limited, a food manufacturing company based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Members of the Oland Family served on the Board of Directors of Ben's Holdings Limited.

In 1962, the company opened offices in Vancouver, British Columbia under the corporate name Oland Investments (Vancouver) Limited. Oland Investments Limited was controlled by Culverwell Holdings Limited, which owned 88% of the company's shares.

The company became inactive in 1993. After this occurred, Seahorse Investments Limited changed its name to Oland Investments Limited. That company is still an active investment and trading company.

Oland's Breweries (1971) Limited was a brewing company established in Nova Scotia in 1971. The company was established as a subsidiary of John Labatt Limited after Oland and Son Limited sold its brewing assets to the John Labatt Group. Bruce Oland remained President of the company and Don remained a Director. Victor Oland's sons Sidney and Peter became general managers. The company operated the breweries in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Saint John, New Brunswick and continued to brew Oland's Export Ale, Schooner Beer, A. Keith and Son India Pale Ale, and other products brewed by Oland and Son Limited and its affiliated companies. Many of the executives of Oland and Son continued to work for Oland's Breweries (1971), including Norman Stanbury, Robert Merchant, and R.D. Mussett, and many of the plant employees remained with the company as well.

In 1977, the company dropped the (1971) indicator and changed its name to Oland Brewery Limited. It remains a subsidiary of the John Labatt Group. After the sale, Oland and Son Limited became Lindwood Holdings Limited, an investment and holding company. See the Oland and Son Limited and Lindwood Holdings Limited Series for more information.

Oland's Brewers Grain and Yeast was incorporated in Nova Scotia on May 23, 1961 to sell by-products from the brewing process to farms and grain dealers and brokers. Through an agreement with Industrial Estates Limited, a crown corporation of the Government of Nova Scotia, a grain drying plant was built on Young Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia and was officially opened on January 17, 1963. The company dried wet, or "spent" grains used to brew beer and packaged and sold them to farmers for bulk cattle feed. It also handled brewer's yeast. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Oland and Son Limited and was managed out of the head offices of Oland and Son Limited at Keith Hall on Lower Water Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

On December 29, 1961, Oland's Brewers Grain and Yeast purchased Lindwood Farms and Northfield Farms from Sidney C. Oland for $257,127.49. Prior to this purchase, Sidney Oland had been acquiring land to increase the size and capacity of the farms. At the time of the sale, the farms occupied over 4500 acres of land in Hants County and Halifax County. Alex Lamond was General Manager of Lindwood Farms and he continued to live on and manage the farm under Oland's Brewers Grain and Yeast.

Oland and Son Limited, the parent company to Oland's Brewers Grain and Yeast, sold its brewing assets to John Labatt Limited on June 1, 1971. After the sale, Oland's Brewers Grain and Yeast became Culverwell Holdings. See the Culverwell Holdings series for more information.

Olands Brewery Limited was a brewery based in Saint John, New Brunswick. It was a subsidiary of Oland and Son Limited. Robert Keltie founded a brewery in Saint John in 1833. In 1848 Keltie partnered with Simeon Jones to operate the brewery and it was named the Simeon Jones Brewery. Jones' sons bought the brewery in 1892 and renamed it the Red Ball Brewery. In 1918, George Bauld Oland bought the brewery from the Jones family for $31,000 and became President of the company, while John Culverwell Oland became the head brewer. Geoffrey Oland eventually took control of the company from George Bauld Oland. Sidney C. Oland was a member of the Board of Directors. In 1958, the company ran into financial difficulties and Oland and Son Limited agreed to assume the liabilities of the company. It became a subsidiary of Oland and Son Limited and was renamed Olands Brewery Limited. The brewery primarily brewed Olands Export Ale for sales and distribution in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

In 1964, a state of the art brewery was built in Lancaster, New Brunswick to replace the aging Red Ball Brewery in Saint John. The $4-million brewery significantly increased the brewing capacity of Oland and Son. The company existed until June 1, 1971 when Oland and Son Limited sold its brewing assets to John Labatt Limited. John Labatt Limited merged the brewing assets of Oland and Son Limited and its affiliated companies into Oland's Breweries (1971) Limited and continued to operate the Halifax and Saint John breweries. See the Oland's Breweries (1971) Limited series for more information. After the sale, Olands Brewery Limited became Lindwood Holdings (N.B.) Limited, a subsidiary of the investment and holding company Lindwood Holdings Limited. See the Lindwood Holdings series for more information.