A teddy bear that was given to a little girl before
she moved to England, was brought back to its home town of Saskatoon, Canada
after 92 years and has found a new home at a Saskatoon museum.
The stuffed bear was
given to Sybil Farris Spinks, on the day her family left the city in 1920. "He
is very well worn," said the Western Development Museum's collections
curator Ruth Bitner. "There are the marks of long life of play." The
bear's green fur has mostly worn off and its button eyes have been replaced,
but the sentimental value is still alive in the century-old bear.
In August, Sybil Spinks’s daughter, Angela Wicks came to visit
Saskatoon to see the birthplace of her mother and the town that her
grandparents had been attracted to in early 20th century. With the
blessing of her 95-year-old mother, Wicks brought the bear with her and donated
it to the museum. "We often hear the story of people who came and stayed,
but there were people who didn't. This was one family who gave it a shot and
decided to go back to England," Bitner said.
The
bear was given to Sybil on her third birthday by a family friend the day her
family boarded the train for England. "She had kept the teddy bear that
she had been given at the railway station in Saskatoon in April 1920 when the
family returned to England," Bitner said. "It's a heartwarming story.
I think everybody loves a teddy bear. To think that this bear came home after
so many years, that really resonates with people," Bitner said.
I still have a teddy bear, i had since i was like four. I think we all have something special that we really care for.
ReplyDeleteRuby Aguilar