Have you seen this wagon?

By Gordon Lambie

You might have missed it if you’re the sort of person who skims or skips the ads, but there was an unusual notice in The Record’s classifieds last Wednesday. Under the heading “lost/looking for” the ad shows a photo of a young man seated on a motorized wagon along with the request that anyone who knows more about the wagon to contact Art Lessard.
Lessard, 85, introduces himself as the oldest person in Lennoxville who never moved away and was once the President of Lessard Bus Lines. He explained to The Record that he is the boy in the photo and that the wagon was built for him by his father.
“I used to drive it all over,” Lessard said, explaining that the lost wagon, and one other like it, was designed and built at the garage his family used to own near the corner of College and Queen Streets, where the Golden Lion Pub is now located. The box was made with wood from a local sawmill and the metalwork was all by his dad, but Lessard said the wheels were recovered from airplanes returning from the Second World War. The whole affair was then powered by a Briggs and Stratton motor.
To be clear about the timelines involved in his search, Lessard explained that he has not seen the wagon at all in close to 70 years. Having recently come across the photo that ran with last week’s ad, however he was driven to reach out and see if anyone knows what happened to the unique creation.
“Boy, if I could find it that would really be something,” he said. “I wonder where it ended up.”
Anyone with information about the wagon itself is invited to call Lessard at 819-345-8848, but anyone looking to share a memory is welcome to email newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com as well.

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