Sadly at the age of 62
former Queen Helen Ward Birkby (Donaldson 1958)
passed away on the 21st February, 2009 at St John's
Hospital leaving behind a lifetime of love and
devotion to the Bo'ness Fair.
Helen will be fondly
remembered for her work with the Fair after her
return back to Bo’ness after living in Leeds,
Rothesay and Strathpeffer.
She was an organiser and
was always ready for her school, St Mary’s which she
attended as a child and then worked before taking
early retirement
Many of the presentees
and Retinue whom she worked with will have had that
little piece of extra Fair Magic that she would
bring each year at the school.
Helen was probably the
most decorated family character whoever took part in
the Bo’ness Fair, although being chosen three times
her family roll makes up for many more. She was a
Fairy in 1953, a Flower Girl in 1957 before being
crowned Queen in 1958 from St Mary’s School. History
was to be unveiled only years later when her sister,
Margaret followed her to the honour of being crowned
Queen in 1963.
In 1982 she watched the
start of a new family beginning as she witnessed her
niece Paula Young (Margaret’s Daughter) becoming
Chief Lady in Waiting to Lesley Anne Culbert.
The following year
Helen’s eldest daughter Annaliese became Queen of
the Fairies in 1983.
1988 was probably at the
time, the highlight of her Fair life as she was
asked to crown Queen Dawn Tooey by chairman David
Brown, a friendship with Dawn that has been strong
between them ever since.
Ten years later in 1998,
her younger daughter Hannah was chosen to be Queen
and follow her mother and aunt to be crowned as
Bo’ness Children’s Fair Queen.
Last year (2008) she
made her final appearance in the Fair when she
proudly took her place (top picture) with all the
former Queen's to mark the 100th Bo'ness Children's
Fair Festival.
50 years after being crowned.
Only two weeks before
Helen's passing, her grand-daughter was chosen to be
a fairy and being Helen, she had already designed
her outfit for her big day.
Come Sun, Come Rain,
Come Sleet or Snow, you can always guarantee that
when the town hall clock strikes Eleven every Fair
Day Helen will be watching down fluttering her
magic.
You can turn your
back on tomorrow and live yesterday
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of
yesterday
You can remember
her and only that she is gone
Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on
You can shed tears
that she is gone
Or you can smile because she has lived
