We found the stone fairy. And she didn't disappoint.
Her name is Marcia McReynolds and she lives in Portland, Oregon.
She's 55, has a loud, infectious laugh, and still loves dressing up sometimes as the Easter bunny, sometimes as a creature resembling the May Queen, but always flamboyantly.
The stone fairy, however, hasn't emerged for almost 34 years.
Bizarrely, it seems the only person from the class of '74 without an immediate recollection of her is the fairy herself. Ms McReynolds, who received our email on her 55th birthday (''the wildest birthday card I have ever gotten''), replied that while she had indeed been a student at the college at the time, she couldn't remember the incident.
She had rung her mother, who recalled that it had involved some striped stockings.
''Did I kiss the guy? I promise I wasn't drunk,'' Ms McReynolds said, laughing loudly. ''Things like that are just like breathing for me it's the kind of thing I do. I teach improvisational theatre at the college level, and improv singing. And when there's music, I'm dancing.''
Last Saturday's Canberra Times ran three pictures of the legendary stone fairy incident at the University of Canberra.
In 1974, John Gorton was invited to the then College of Advanced Education to re-enact the unveiling of the college's foundation stone, which he had first dedicated as prime minister five years earlier.
On October 28 Stone Day, as it had become known Gorton pulled back the covering blanket, revealing a spirited young woman who became known simply as ''the stone fairy''.
She wore a pullover bearing the words ''stone fairy'', and had what looked like a large joint hanging out of her mouth. The stone fairy leapt up, did a little dance for the delighted audience, and then wandered off into the distance.
A man from Nichols, who didn't want to be named, saw the story and told The Canberra Times he had been a student at the college at the time and had known the stone fairy.
She was an American, and her name was Marcia McReynolds. A Google search found a Marcia McReynolds on a US website offering listening advice to mediators, billing herself as ''the listening lady'' .
There was something about the picture of the middle-aged, red-headed woman that seemed right.
A glint in the eye, perhaps. Our email got a reply: bingo!
Once on the phone, the stone fairy's memories came flooding back. She had been enrolled in Asian studies, learning Chinese with the idea of going to China as an exchange student (''I was dying to be a little revolutionary''). She had created the Poetry, Songs and Lies club on campus with other singers and performers, ''to entertain ourselves''.
She had lived in an old sheep shearer's quarters in Hall with two hippies from Nimbin who scoured the hills for magic mushrooms.
But what about the stone fairy incident? After several theories, the penny dropped.
''Oh, it was called Stone Day, right? That's why we did it, because, 'oh yeah, man, stone day, let's put you under the stone and make you the stone fairy'. I think that was it. Everybody, let's get stoned type of thing. And fairy just fits me.''
Judith Turley, of Bungendore, had been a good friend of Ms McReynolds in their first year at the college (the stone fairy didn't finish her study). Having been out of touch for about 34 years, Ms Turley was thrilled to hear her friend was alive and well. ''She just had this fantastic, bubbly personality,'' she recalled.
Ms McReynolds now lives with her partner in Portland, Oregon.
She has a 27-year-old daughter, an adopted 12-year-old son, and four stepchildren.
As well as her advice on mediation, she teaches improvisational theatre and singing ''to old people, people with disabilities, kids with difficulties, to help them find the light in their lives again''.
One question lingered: did she, um, indulge? ''No, I never inhaled,'' she said, roaring with laughter. ''I didn't need to.''
The 40th anniversary of John Gorton's original dedication of the University of Canberra's foundation stone will occur this year, on October 28.
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