Dear Valerie, Thank you – you’ve made my day – my year in fact! I’ve been researching the family since 1983 and you are the first person I’ ve ever come across who’s had any knowledge of my COOPER family! Yes, my parents, Fred & Beryl Cooper, lived at Coombe Lodge in Bonchurch. The family migrated from the IOW in 1955, on February 1, 1956 to island #2, Tasmania Australia. Big brother David (by 2 yrs) moved again after Uni to island #3, Kodiak Alaska. Yes, my Dad was a plumber by trade and worked for the Ventnor Council, also helped Tom, (Desmond Thomas W.), HARDING with his building too. Tom HARDING also migrated to Tasmania and sponsored my family. My Dad, Fred, and his older brother Reg in Canada, felt great loss (of the IOW) in later years and along with their elder brother, Harold, they contributed to a newsletter called the MAPLE Society Newsletter, edited by a man called Peter H. GOODBODY, from Southend-on-Sea, Essex back in the late 1980’s. This was filled with snippets of memories of daily IOW life and times. Do you know if it still exists – changed its name or is being run by anyone else? Yes, Ken Knight was the son of William John KNIGHT who owned the library. William John KNIGHT died after 1951 m. 1924 at Newport, Lillian E. O. ATTRILL died bef 1951. After his father’s death, he took over the library and married his wife, Gladys COOPER in 1951. Out of curiosity, what made you remember Fred Cooper and his baby David after all these years? Was it just that he was a dashing young man full of beans about his first bairn – or did something else bring him to mind? Regards, Ron -----Original Message----- From: VALERIEAVRIL@aol.com [mailto:VALERIEAVRIL@aol.com] Sent: Saturday, September 11, 2004 2:36 AM To: racmcoop@bigpond.net.au Subject: Re: [IoW] Accommodation on Isle of Wight & COOPER - FACER - DYER Hello Ron Thank you for your reply,your family names make interesting reading.Did your parents ever live in Bonchurch near the side entrance to the new church.I can remember a Fred Cooper who lived there with a baby son called David,Fred also worked sometimes with my father Fred Beavis who was a builder,we lived in Undermount Lodge opposite. Also was Ken Knight a son of the man who owned Knight's Library the newsagents and book shop? Valerie