In my working days while researching my genealogy, I would have cherished this abundance of free time, but when encounters with ancestors start to outnumber the encounters with contemporaries it is time to do something about it.

To compensate for my hermitic life and mingle a bit more with the world outside, I recently signed on as a volunteer with Oxfam, to work in their bookshop in Troon two afternoons a week.
The Oxfam Troon branch had been kind enough to organize a book signing event for our genealogy mystery novel Bloodlines-Touch Not the Cat, so I felt like doing them a favour in return.
The task of sorting and selling second hand books, gave me much more than I expected. Especially when my genealogists and writers eye found something very interesting inside a book that had been donated to the shop.

At first it looked like an ordinary telegram. Apparently it had been used as bookmark.
It also seemed ‘dated’ and indeed a postage stamp on the back of the envelope indicated it was sent 1975.

My next find was even more of a surprise.

The telegram, though ordinary looking, turned out to be from The Queen, congratulating a couple in Kilmarnock, a town a few miles from Troon, on their diamond wedding anniversary.
“What a sad story when you think about it,” I said to my colleague.” I bet this telegram was not meant to end this way”.
“Well,” she answered, “Either they were so happy with it they used it as a bookmark, or maybe, since they must have been in their eighties, they simply forgot where they put it.”
In both cases it would be nice to inform someone it had been found. The “diamond” couple were unlikely to be around, however I volunteered to do some research on their children or grandchildren as they might be quite pleased with this genealogy find.
After only a few days, I discovered the “diamond” couples obituaries, their children and grand children. I managed to track down a grandson in Edinburgh who confirmed his mother was clearing her house in Kilmarnock and was delighted that we discovered this telegram.
So, all is well that ends well … one happy woman in Kilmarnock.

Tom McKerley

I decided to go into the shop and ask the shop Manager, as a local author would they display our book as a Christmas gift. Mind you, I did think the good news is that probably 9 out of 10 people going into the shop are looking for a book. The bad news is they are probably looking for a cheap book!

The shop Manager was very helpful, but we concluded it would be too complex to administer them selling a new book and taking some commission. However, they did say the proverbial, “Leave it with us and we’ll call you.”

About one week later I had a phone call from Oxfam if I could attend a meeting. In the meeting I met a couple of Oxfam Managers and they confirmed they were unable to sell our book. I was not surprised and about to leave when they said, “We are not finished yet, Tom.” They said they were willing to advertise a book reading and signing in the Troon shop, plus three Oxfam shops in Glasgow. They then started to discuss what actions need taking as if I was not in the office. “Get on to the media department and run radio ads in Glasgow and Ayrshire and advertise in the Glasgow and Ayr newspapers. Print posters and flyers as soon as possible. We must do this all before Christmas.”

I was stunned. Oxfam were paying for everything and they explained that as they rely on the local community, they have a budget to give something back and will help me.

In addition, they do not want one penny from any book sales at these readings. Their benefit is getting people inside the shop.

So, our goal is to have these appointments completed by 17^th December.

Tom McKerley