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36 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday December 5, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com New book on Oakville bound to sell out Continued from page 35 Burnell worked with the most intriguing of Ashe's notes (with his permission, of course) and then added her own research on Oakville landmarks. There are obvious places like Erchless and Gairloch Gardens, and less obvious places, like the Village of Merton and Cedar Croft Motor Court (now an athletic field for Appleby College). The author said she tried to find a cross-section of topics. The result is an eclectic mix, tidily organized, and easy to read. The graphic images in the book are a balance of old historic prints and newer-colour photographs, many supplied by Creighton. But the collaboration does not end there. Local retired journalist and teacher, Jo Kleimeyer, also assisted in editing the book. There seems little doubt that it was Burnell who sourced out Ashe's original material and drove the book project forward. She is a vital and opinionated woman with a deep background in the Oakville Historical Society (OHS). Although born and educated in Ireland, she came to Oakville in the 1950s and lived in an apartment over a shop on Lakeshore Road (then Colborne Street), with two other single teachers. "It's true," she laughed in recollection, "two is company, three's a crowd," but leaves it discreetly at that. In 1957 she and her husband bought a small house on Watson Avenue for $3,000 down, and a total sale price of $15,000. "I'm still in my starter house," she said of her leafy enclave in the central part of town. Coincidentally, she was a witness to history back in 1952 when she happened to be in the MICHAEL IVANIN / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER COLLABORATION: David Ashe and Joyce Burnell, front, authors of Oakville Street Names & Landmarks, Oakville's Mayor Rob Burton and book publisher and photographer Sheila Creighton pose for a picture during the book's launch at Oakville Town Hall. old Oakville Library for the very first meeting of the OHS. Hazel Chisholm Mathews, author of Oakville and the Sixteen, The History of an Ontario Port (1953), chaired that meeting. "I was a young teacher, missing the old country," Burnell recalled, "I was sitting at a table in the library when the meeting broke out." It would be 33 years before she actually joined the society, however. Burnell retired from teaching in the late 1980s and has been volunteering with the Oakville Historical Society since 1985. Thoroughly saturated in local lore and culture, she has worked in the Museum at Erchless and the Thomas House, and organized other volunteers like herself. She has also written two small volumes as fundraisers for the society, Ghosts of Oakville and Boo Too, Ghosts of Oakville and Haunted Halton. Burnell's collaborator, Creighton, is no stranger to Oakville books either. Though she lives in London, Ontario, Creighton studied at Sheridan College, and was responsible for the 1993 The Oakville Book: Oakville Then and Now. "Oakville loves its history," she pointed out, adding that she is confident the new book -- with a print run of 3,000 -- will sell out. The publishers had some help: sponsors assisted the book project, namely, the Town of Oakville, the Oakville Historical Society, real estate agents Diana Gillard and Christopher Invidiata, Megan Mclellan and Catered Fare. "Whatever profits we may turn will go back partly to the OHS (15 per cent) and partly to create a bursary (10 per cent) in the environmental studies area," Creighton said. The book is available at Bookers for $39.95. BUSINESS WEBSITE VIDEO TALKING CHARACTER $69/00 . MONTH* Showcase Your Business. Reach New Customers. Links to Local Sales & Specials Local Video Guide Complete Local Business Directory Shopping Mall Guide Local Web Guide For more information call 310-GOLD or email sales@goldbook.ca *with the purchase of any Gold Book product.