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www.insidehalton.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, May 1 9, 2 0 1 7 | 1 2 Family's long-lost luggage found in local thrift shop by Nathan Howes Oakville Beaver Staff Call it ironic or a happy accident, but a piece of history, packed in a suitcase, mysteriously found its way into an Oakville thrift store. Recently, an old suitcase was dropped off at Found Again Resale on Speers Road. Shortly after its arrival, it caught the attention of Will DeMelo, whose wife, Lisa, owns the store. DeMelo noticed a Canadian Pacific steamship sticker on the suitcase and upon closer inspection, spotted a leather tag attached bearing the name -- W H. Robinson, McNay Street, London, Ont., Canada. When the Oakville man peered inside the suitcase, he discovered vintage military and family photos, some with writing on the back, dating to the early 1900s. "I'm thinking, `Wow, this is really cool and it's old,'" he said. "I knew it was going to be hard (to find the family) because the name Robinson is so common." DeMelo said he turned to an archivist for help and was subsequently able to trace the family's lineage. It's believed the suitcase and photos belonged to William Henry Robinson, who resided in London and was a First World War soldier. The research indicates Robinson had a son, A steam ship sticker, left, adorned an aged suitcase full of photos, right, when the case was given to a local th rift shop. It bore the name of W.H. Robinson, McNay St., London, Ont., Canada and opened a mystery fo r the shop's owners. | Facebook photos Charles Herald Sr., and grandson, Charles Henry Robinson Jr., whose daughter resides in Florida. DeMelo said the research turned up military records and steamship boarding passes. The Oakville man took photos of the luggage and its contents and shared them on his personal Facebook account, to attempt to find family members, which generated a huge buzz. He then posted the photos on the store's Facebook page, eliciting a significant response shared almost 30,000 times and reached nearly two million people. "Within a day or two, there was already like 50,000 people reached (on his own page). 1 transferred it over to the Found Again Resale page and it was crazy Within four or five days, it was going up, reaching, f 00,000 people a day" said Will. Because the photos garnered such a large reaction online, Will was "overwhelmed." "1 had a lot of people offering to buy the photos, but 1just wanted to get them back to the family" "1 got kind of overwhelmed. Everybody was just so amazed at the photos and how old they were," said Will. "1 just couldn't believe how many people it reached. It was just insane." News of the luggage spiraled from Will's original post and it caught the attention of national media outlets. The Oakville wife and husband said they'd ship the photos to their rightful owner in Florida. Your new Local Source for Plastic "Keep Your Community Strong Shop Local" When you need Plastics come to the Pro's We carry all types of Plastic for your home or Business *Full sheets * Cut to size while you wait * Fabrication our specialty Foryou rhom e; For Your Business; Services Include; · R ep lace m en t B o a t/ M otorcycle W indscreens or W indow s Custom Model Car covers «· Garage w in do w replacem ents · Custom Food cutting boards « Custom Size chair mats · M achine Guards « - Restaurant Sneeze guards Brochure Holders «· Custom Display » Point of Purchase displays « Conveyor Wear Stripping « ·· · <· Cutting CN C Routering Drilling Fabrication Buying? Selling? Re-financing? Call us for a quote at Jameson Glas D. Kevin Haxell 905-845-0767 ext. 222/223 TehS m al% o ^ eS 5lo m IS e W lc eat C m jaetitiye( $ a te S 1276 Cornwall Road, Unit C, Oakville Ontario, L6J 7W5 T :905-845-0767 ·F:905-845-5552 · w w w .h a x e llla w .c o m ·la w y e rs @ h a x e llla w .c o m We have been featured in Feb. 2009 "Canadian Living Magazine" and our Products have been featured on HGTVs "love it or list" and "Our Parents House" We were also on The Discovery Channels "Ultimate Niagara Falls" to name but a few. O A K V ILLE iR O W $ 1 5 o ff an d fre e fa s t w a x w ith th is ad. O ffe r e xp ire s M a y 3 1 ,2 0 1 7 MAY SPECIAL Protect your Investment! <& !!> For 90 5 .8 2 7 .7 8 7 8 coupons and specials visit... Com plete C a rs from $119 9 5 w it h th e o p tim u m in v e h ic le ru s t c o n tro l a n d m u c h m o re N E W C A R S , U S E D C A R S , R U S T Y C A R S ... W E D O IT A LL 20 Wilkinson Rd. Units 16,17,18 Brampton, ON L6T 5B2 www.acrylicsbydesign.com Acrylicsbydesign@bellnet.ca Phone 905-453-0314/0310 Fax 905-453-0317 \Y*Y*Y/f!Ti?tWITFffif«TTTl fc 1490 UNIT # 5 SPEERS ROAD, OAKVILLE