Four decades after destroying his sister’s favourite toy with a pellet gun, a man is righting the wrong, thanks to a rare doll.

When she was eight years old, Julie Bonner’s most prized possession was her Mrs. Beasley Doll, from the TV show “A Family Affair.”

“When I was 13 months old I started wearing glasses, so for me to find a doll or have a doll that has glasses was a big thing,” says the Halifax resident.

While Bonner was busy playing with her Mrs. Beasley doll, her three brothers were often busy with their pellet gun, which they were only allowed to shoot in the basement.

“We were told if we were to have it, it’s totally limited to the basement, period. And we respected that,” says Roy Mombourquette.

What they didn’t respect, however, was their sister’s toys.

“I think they kind of got tired of listening to her,” muses Bonner. “One morning I went downstairs for something in the basement and I see Mrs. Beasley hanging from the rafters with a lot of holes in her face.”

It turns out Mrs. Beasley had become the latest victim of her brother’s pellet gun.

“I was pretty upset with him and he knew it and he felt bad,” says Bonner. “He didn’t think it was any big deal. For him it was just target practice.”

But, 40 years later, Mombourquette has finally made it up to his sister. After months of searching, he managed to track down a mint-condition Mrs. Beasley doll.

The dolls were built back in 1967 and most of the ones that are still around are in rough shape, but he had some luck with an American seller. It arrived at his house in October and he gave it to his sister last weekend.

“I came in and I seen this box and I thought, ‘is that mine?’ and I said ‘ugh, it’s got to be a gag gift,’” says Bonner. “As soon as I seen the polka dots and the yellow foot, that was it.”

“I was busting inside,” says Mombourquette. “It was worth every penny.”

With a price tag of just over $300, Mombourquette says the toy was easily the priciest target of his pellet gun days.

“It was an expensive mistake,” he admits.

Bonner is now working on ideas for her brother’s Christmas present next year. She has told him not to expect a pellet gun.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Matt Woodman