St. Theresa's, Rosetown, Sask. 1954

Miscellaneous Letters
Admin Note: In the early 1950's Stuart did work on the Quinez instrument at St. Theresa's, as Dr. Hart had hoped. The image gallery at the top of this page contains photos of the Rosetown organ (the infamous Quinez) taken in March 1954 when my father was working on it. William Thurmeier of The Golden Eagle Organ Company in Saskatoon rescued the Quinez in the mid-1990's and used parts of it in Zion Lutheran Church in Saskatoon, details used with permission:
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Admin Note: In the mid-1940's, Stuart Kolbinson worked for Cyril Robbins in Toronto.  In 1948 they dismantled at least two organs, Elm Street Methodist (1884 Warren II-32 tracker) in Toronto and Douglas Methodist (1905 Casavant Opus #224) in Montreal, and various parts were used in the rebuilding of # 301.

Letter from Cyril Robbins

30 The Palisades
Swansea Toronto Ont
Sept 25th 1948

Dear Stuart

Your parcel of valve parts went forward today via air mail as you requested.

I have been intending to write you with regard to the organ deal which has been completed and most of it has been removed from the organ loft into adjoining rooms in the building which they agreed to let me have.
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Letter from Cyril Robbins

30 The Palisades
Swansea, Toronto, Ont.
Aug. 9th, 1953

Dear Stuart:

Was glad to receive your letter of July 27th and to hear that you are still on the go and busy.  It must be a gratifying experience when crops are good.  It would take a bit of doing to erect a shop the size you say you have to build organs in.  Are you planning on going into business? You enquire about the type of wood best suited for chest work.  By all odds whitewood is the best. It comes from a poplar tree grown in West Virginia where there is no heavy winds or extreme weather  which makes a climate suitable for even growth and texture.  Basswood is not so suitable especially where considerable boring is required as the wind will seep along the grain and cause runs.  However good basswood comes in useful for bungs and places where it could be substituted for the more expensive whitewood.  All lumber must be kiln dried to the moisture content of the locality in which it is to be used.  Some builders are using basswood and sugar pine and running a sealer into the holes.  Shellac, glue or paraffin is a suitable material for this.
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Letter from H.W. Homer

The Limes,
Lodge Road
West Bromwich  Feb. 12th 1946

Dear Mr. Kolbinson,

I was delighted to receive your letter dated Jan 31st. but am astonished that it found me amongst a town's population of over 100,000 with quite a number of `Homers' therein, especially as it seems to have come without any lost time.  I am wondering whether the information as to my whereabouts was post office or police knowledge, and feel somewhat uneasy at apparently being somewhat notorious.
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Letter from Providence General Woodware Reg'd

Providence General Woodware Reg'd
St. Hyacinthe, Quebec  Nov 20th 1948

Dear Mr. Kolbinson,

In reply to yours of Nov 17th, I am glad to learn that your dream of getting an organ for your home is coming true.

Regarding your inquiry on pipe organ chest we have no second hand one, but we will be glad to give you prices on new ones as soon as we know the number of ranks needed on each chest, and also the scale.

We have few ranks of pipe in very good condition our price for, is $50.00 a rank.
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Letter from Aug. Laukhuff

AUG. LAUKHUFF
Kirchenorgein/Orgelbestandteile jeder Art
Weikersheim, January 31st, 1949

Messrs. Stuart Kolbinson, B.A.,
Kindersley, Sask.
Canada

Dear Sirs,

Your favour of 9th inst. has duly reached me on 17th inst. and I have learned therefrom that you have got my letter of September 10th, 1948. You inform me that you are a friend of Mr. Eberhard G. Walcker, voicer for Casavant Freres in St. Hyacinthe, Que. The undersigned has been since 1927 in St. Hyacinthe, together with his father, who died in 1933. Please remember me to Mr. Walcker. I hope that he and his family are enjoying the best of health.

With interest I have learned from your letter that you have just returned from a trip to Toronto, where you have shipped a large organ to the Western Canada. Will you please allow me a question: Do you make the organs for your own account and do you carry on an own organ business and of what an extent? I should be very pleased to receive an answer from you to this question.
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