James Baglole Eugene Morell

Thiren Ellis Brenton Phillips Rankin MacKinnon Patrick King Clair Sweet lrrna Dumville Frances Dewar John Buchanan Leo MacDonald Gordan Adams Hilda E. Smallman Allan Gorrill

Eric Gavin Audrey Thomson Roy Smith Pauline Stewart

Ralph Cain recalls his mother Ella telling the following story: David Ramsay and his wife, Martha Currie Ramsay lived in Knutsford on the old homestead where Harold, Winnie and Keir lived for years. David often remarked to his wife, ”I wonder what happened to our good friend, the packpeddlar. We haven’t seen him for years. He always lodged with us and the neighbours would gather in the evening for some great entertainment as he had some wonderful sto- ries."

One well-remembered day he appeared at the door and received a royal welcome. After supper he asked for a pencil and some paper and wrote the words of "The O’Leary Road”.

The O’Leary Road

’Tis forty years I think or more

Since I have walked this road before.

How lonely then, how dark and still,

For silence reigned on vale and hill.

Tall birch and beech from either side Hung o’er the road their branches wide. No sign was there of man’s abode

On all that long O’Leary Road.

The prowling fox and vagrant bear

Long claimed a wild dominion there. Now woods and wilds have all been cleared; The fox and bear have disappeared

And passing years have changed the scene F rom forest wild to meadows green.

The reaper and the iron plough

Proclaim ’tis man's dominion now.

And o’er the large and level plains

Are spreading fields of ripening grains. The woods are gone and in their room