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The Mayor of Pudding Hill
William Delia, author
Albie Albertson’s life has touched on nearly every significant event in Nova Scotia’s last 100 years. Journalist Caleb Mackenzie writes a series of stories about Albie’s life beginning with his years as a fisherman and a crew member of Canada’s iconic Bluenose schooner. He goes on to describe his rescue efforts following the 1958 Springhill Mining Disaster, his service as a volunteer firefighter and after Hurricane Ginny in 1963. Caleb shares Albie’s eyewitness account of the 1967 Shag Harbor UFO, his experiences helping families of those who died in the Swissair crash off Peggy’s Cove and how he and Sarah welcomed the world to Gander, Newfoundland after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.\t
Albie’s girlfriend, Rosie, claims to have survived the Titanic. When Caleb investigates, he aggravates Rosie’s domineering daughter, Carole Anne, who is embarrassed by her mother’s stories. She uses her business influence to try to shut down Caleb’s project. She also moves her mother to another adult home to keep her away from Albie. After Rosie dies, Carole Ann discovers a letter that proves Rosie’s Titanic story.
Shortly after Rosie dies, Albie dies, too, and the book ends as it began with hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the life of an extraordinary man. Caleb’s eulogy provides a fitting exclamation point for Albie’s life.