BY ROBERT KIRWIN
Fern Legault is a life-long resident of Valley East. She was raised in the Radar Road area as Fern Blais, whose family operated Blais Body Shop. She and her husband, Paul, were married in 1965 and raised a family of three children - Suzanne, Paul Jr. and Nicole ? in their current home in Val Therese.
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Fern Legault created this quilt, which is on display in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Mall, to capture the 100-year history of Valley East. |
When Valley East celebrated its Centennial in 2004, Fern decided that she wanted to create a lasting memory that would capture a part of this community?s legacy. The result is the beautiful quilt which is on permanent display at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre.
The project took 2,500 hours and over five months to complete. It contains images of 48 sites in Valley East ? all but two are still in existence ? drawn from photos and done in a patchwork mosaic out of material obtained in Cambridge to match the original colours. The pieces were then sewn or glued in place. The masterpiece has attracted the attention of both local residents and out-of-town visitors to the mall. Many people spend a long time going through the photos to see how many places they recognize.
It makes a great conversation piece and is definitely a wonderful addition to the mall. The next time you are in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre, make sure you spend a few minutes at the Centennial Quilt. On behalf of all of the residents of Valley East, we congratulate and thank Fern Legault for her gift to the community.
