WEYBURN - A scrapbook commemorating Queen Elizabeth’s coronation connected two women from different communities, in the same year that the Queen is marking the Platinum Jubilee.
“I got married in 1953, and I did this scrapbook during the Queen’s coronation. It was the one thing I didn’t take with me when I moved from Kipling to Weyburn,” said Leona Budding.
She was quite surprised to receive a phone call from Marg Charles, from Moose Jaw, who had found the scrapbook and contacted Leona earlier this year.
“I started going to auctions in Moose Jaw 10 or 12 years ago. I bought a box of stuff at one of those auctions, because I wanted what was on top. When I got back home, I went through the box, and this scrapbook was in it,” said Marg.
“The picture that was on the front of the scrapbook was still the full page. Later I started downsizing, and going through boxes, and I went through the book again. Part of the front picture had fallen off, revealing Leona’s name underneath.”
Marg noted that she used a Google search to try to track down Leona Daku (her married name) in Kipling, and found some resources to follow the trail in obituaries. “I found her husband’s name listed in one of the obituaries, with her name in brackets afterwards. So then I used a Google search on his name, and found his obituary and the community name of Weyburn.”
After another Google search, and a 411 phone number search, Marg was able to locate Leona’s phone number.
Both ladies chuckled, as neither of them will answer a phone call if they do not recognize the number. So the first contact was on a voice messenger system.
“I thought about the voice message for a few days, before deciding it was legit and phoning her back,” laughed Leona.
“I was flabbergasted, to think it has been so many years, and it is the Queen’s Jubilee. It was too amazing to me,” added Leona.
The ladies also had a good laugh over the fact that Marg’s last name is Charles, the same name as Prince Charles, heir to the throne.
