Valerie’s father Douglas Bannock brought the family to the island in 1947, when his engineering firm relocated to Laxey and he later became involved in the re-opening of the Snaefell mines.

Among the first friends that she met when she arrived here was Jane Long (nee Quirk), who now runs Alexander Nurseries in Douglas and whose grandson Adam became the first professional Manx footballer in 2017.

Along with Jane, Valerie also met up with another early Laxey school friend Irene Livingstone (nee Clague) when she returned here to celebrate her 80th birthday.

Valerie wrote about her return: ’My first destination was Laxey to revisit the first cottage where I had lived with my parents and baby brother.

’Amazingly, I discovered it untouched by time.

’The beach held memories of long summer days spent with Irene, and walking through "Old Laxey" revealed the simple remembered beauty of my childhood.’

’Our next home had been the Glen Road house featured on national television, damaged after the flooding.

’After its ordeal it still stood firm retaining my memories of nearby Glen Gardens where wrestling, followed by a dance in the Pavilion was held each Saturday night.’

Valerie, who now lives in Sheffield, later went on to attend Douglas High School before leaving the island at 18.

Another memory which stood out as a benchmark in time was the Queen and Prince Phillip’s 1955 visit, when Valerie and Jane waved to the new royal couple as they passed by in their car, on its return from Ramsey.

Another landmark which she revisited was the Snaefell electric railway.

’I was hoping to point out the mining site and Captain’s house to my daughter - sadly the site once a hive of activity now lay silently beneath dense undergrowth,’ she wrote.

Driving past the Villa Marina on the way to the reunion, this was a place Valerie remembered ’where we had once all danced to famous big bands’.

’In May 1957 the Villa hosted the finals of a beauty contest organised by the Examiner,’ she writes.

’Island girls submitted photographs which were printed weekly.

’Unfortunately, Jane had to withdraw because her father objected!

’Irene and I reached the final few and Irene, lovely in her white dress, was judged runner up.

’She eventually became a successful bathing beauty competitor well known on the island.

’To my surprise the Examiner forwarded me a letter from a merchant ship’s crew who had chosen me as their pin-up, bless them!’

’Had they seen me in my working clothes, wearing a long rubber apron and hideous plastic hat - I suspected they would have swiftly revised their decision.’

Valerie said that when the trio of old friends met, ’after an emotional greeting, instantly 63 years faded into oblivion’ and Jane presented her with a photo of the class of 1947.

’To an onlooker, we were three ladies in the winter of our years enjoying a quiet afternoon tea.

’An image soon shattered as we quickly morphed into enthusiastic teenagers relieving our past to celebrate the joyful springtime of our lives’.

Soon, conversation turned to the social and cultural changes which occurred during 1954.

Valerie explained: ’Previously, films (excepting Disney), fashion, music and dance were created for the adult population.

’Then, "Rock around the Clock" followed by the James Dean films were shown at the Strand Cinema.

’Elvis appeared transforming the music scene.

’Our fashions changed, Jive became popular, and record sales soared, young people were now considered a marketable commodity.

’On hearing us play an Elvis record, Jane’s granny responded with the words: "What is that dreadful noise?!".

’For adults the recent ending of rationing was far more significant than the vocal renderings of Elvis.’

At the end of their meeting, she said the three ’raised our glasses and toasted our forever friendship’.

’Throughout my whirlwind visit I have been reminded of church coach trips organised to enable local children to visit other parts of the island,’ Valerie wrote on.

’Having lived my first five years in London during the horrors of war, the island’s beautiful beaches, castles, traditions and folklore seemed to have escaped from the pages of a fairy story.

’This independent island where I spent my formative years, and received my good education is still retaining its past beauty, and rejecting the trappings of commercialisation.

’It remains always my "happy place" of retreat during difficult times.’

Irene, who has lived on the island throughout, pointed to Douglas as being among the things which had changed significantly over the years.

’For a capital now, it looks shabby,’ she said.

’Whereas before there used to be loads of things on the promenade - the sunken gardens used to be different, they had the fountains going and things.

’I mean the front would be buzzing, absolutely heaving with people.

’Maybe you look at it with rose-coloured spectacles, I don’t know - but certainly it’s changed.’

Valerie’s last morning was spent at The Sound, where she was pleased to see a group of seals bobbing their heads above the waves, and a lone seagull crying in the distance as she said her farewell to the ’Gem of God’s earth’.

Valerie explained that she had also since been contacted by Manx Historian Andrew Scarffe, who is in the process of writing a book in tribute to her father’s determination to re-open the Snaefell Mines in 1955.

She added: ’And also in remembrance of the twenty workmen employed in that hostile environment, which received massive publicity during the fifties, and hopefully is still remembered’.