Those who knew the late Vera (Hanson) Dermody will remember her as a bit of a character. Fun-loving and quick with the wit, she was a natural-born entertainer.

Vera was one of several who once boarded at 503 Main Street in Kipling, the house which due to recent events has come to be known worldwide as “The Red Paper Clip House”. In the late 1930’s and early 40’s, it was a boarding-house operated by a Mrs. Hallin and Vera counted a daughter, Mae Hallin among her circle of friends.

In the years of The Great Depression and the war years that followed, moreso than today, people made their own entertainment. Skits and singalongs were common as no money was required to enjoy them. At these, Vera was in her element. Never one to be shy, she felt no aversion to dressing up in costume and performing, whether in a play or a song-and-dance routine.

Vera Hanson was born in Lajord, Sask and was a graduate of Lajord School and Central Collegiate, Regina. After graduation Vera assumed the position of bookkeeper for Canada Life in Regina. In 1942 she became the Secretary-Treasurer of R.M. of Hazelwood No. 94 at Kipling. It was then that she took up residence for a time at 503 Main St.

In 1945 Vera married John upon his return from overseas duty. She was Secretary and assisted in the establishment of Kipling Hospital District and continued in that capacity until Kipling Memorial Union Hospital was built, equipped and in operation.

In 1952 the family moved to Smiley and in 1959 to Milestone. At John’s retirement in 1977 he and Vera took up residence at their cottage at Kenosee and later in Regina. Throughout the years, John and Vera and their daughter Cathy maintained a love for Kenosee Lake.

Vera Dermody passed away in March of 2005. John and Cathy continue to pay frequent visits to their cabin at Kenosee, often stopping at Kipling on their way through. They have been following the story of the Red Paper Clip House with interest, for obvious reasons.

Recently, Cathy was going through some of her Mom’s personal effects. Among these is a “Swedish-style” bathing suit which was given to Vera by Mrs. Hallin those many years ago, and which John remembers Vera once wearing for a song-and-dance routine. Another item, too, would date back to those days of entertaining. It is an item of costume jewellery; a necklace made of red paper clips! Cathy, of course, could scarcely believe her eyes!

Since John does not recall ever having seen the necklace before, Vera would have worn it, presumably in a skit, sometime prior to 1945 - in all likelihood during the time when she boarded at 503 Main St., more than 60 years ago!

Of course, these are not red paper clips like the ones we see now. They are the old-style dull-silvery type that preceded plastic coatings. But each of the 44 paper clips has a strip of paper carefully wrapped around it; paper brightly coloured in two shades of red!