A Saanich author and grandmother has been reunited with a booklet from her childhood about 72 years after she wrote it.
Alison Leamy isnB次元官网网址檛 quite sure when exactly she typed The Story of Lassie B次元官网网址� an Irish Setter, but believes it was likely around 1945-46.
The 85-year-old was reunited with her book B次元官网网址� dedicated to her dog Lassie B次元官网网址� on Monday, about a week after contractor Myles Nagasaki discovered the artifact behind some old cabinets in a room of Jana and Seamus OB次元官网网址機onnorB次元官网网址檚 house on Tattersall Drive.
B次元官网网址淲e figure it fell from a drawer into the crevice where it was,B次元官网网址� Jana said. B次元官网网址淚t was obviously written by a child [Alison Snape] and we thought maybe sheB次元官网网址檚 still around.B次元官网网址�
Jana posted images of the notebook to Reddit (the Victoria section) and within 13 minutes there was a response from LeamyB次元官网网址檚 granddaughter, Robin Connelly.
B次元官网网址淸Turns out] IB次元官网网址檓 still around,B次元官网网址� Leamy joked. The grandmother visited the OB次元官网网址機onnors in their home on Monday and explained how sheB次元官网网址檚 been a Leamy most of her life, having married and raised a family. She brought her daughter Sheila Connelly and granddaughter Robin Connelly.
As a youngster, Leamy grew up in the historic 1912 Duke mansion which was later converted into apartments and neighbours the OB次元官网网址機onnorsB次元官网网址� house (which she also lived in, but later). ItB次元官网网址檚 at the Duke mansion B次元官网网址� built by Dr. Valentine Duke B次元官网网址� she helped raise Irish setters that had such a great reputation, the assistant of the King of Siam (Thailand) once called to purchase one (but none were available).
One of those setters was Lassie, her own dog and the subject of The Story of Lassie B次元官网网址� an Irish Setter. The book, typed on her grandfatherB次元官网网址檚 Corona typewriter, paints a detailed picture of LeamyB次元官网网址檚 and LassieB次元官网网址檚 life in the mid 1940s. Poor Lassie was very beautiful with her red hair but failed to win first prize in a dog show at Crystal Gardens, sometime in the mid 1940s.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 know if I wrote the book because I was upset that Lassie didnB次元官网网址檛 win first or if it was to make Lassie feel better,B次元官网网址� Leamy said. B次元官网网址淚 loved her very much. I recognize the book but I donB次元官网网址檛 recall writing it.B次元官网网址�
At one point there were 16 setter puppies in the Duke mansion, as Lassie and her mom (who was the familyB次元官网网址檚 original setter shipped in from England) had litters at the same time.
LeamyB次元官网网址檚 grandparents built a smaller house in 1929 that neighbours the Duke mansion. The smaller home was built for LeamyB次元官网网址檚 aunt and remained in the family until 1977. The OB次元官网网址機onnors, a family of five, purchased the home in 2015.
LeamyB次元官网网址檚 parents later moved into the OB次元官网网址機onnor home and stored belongings there, which explains how the book came to be in the OB次元官网网址機onnorsB次元官网网址� possession. ItB次元官网网址檚 now been returned to its rightful owner.
B次元官网网址淚t was great to have [Leamy] here,B次元官网网址� Jana said. B次元官网网址淲e toured the house and she showed us what things used to be different.B次元官网网址�
