The List of Past Speakers at Swansea Historical Society

From Toronto Mayor David Crombie to historian Mike Filey, and many more, the Swansea Historical Society has been proud to host some fascinating speakers at our monthly meetings. Here is a list* of the speakers we’ve hosted at our monthly meetings going back to 1984:

2019

Feb 6, 2019: Gregory Klages– “The Many Deaths of Tom Thomson”
Mar 6, 2019: John Maniezzo – ““When Swansea Was Dry”
Apr. 3, 2019: Kelly Mathews – “The Road to Marylake”
May 1, 2019: Alexandra Kim – “A Royal Presentation: Curating the Dress Collection at Kensington Palace”
Oct 2, 2019: Dr. David Galbraith – “Rennie Seed Company”
Nov 6, 2019: Richard Jordan – “Hurricane Hazel and its Legacy”
Dec 4, 2019: Ray Strong – “Women of the U.S. Civil War”

2018

Feb 7, 2018: John Beram – “The Beginnings of the Canadian Auto Industry”
Mar 7, 2018: Kelly Mathews – “Eaton Hall: Pride of King Township”
Apr. 4, 2018: Garfield Portch – “The Post Office in York / Toronto in the 1800s”
May 2, 2018: Gay Gooderham – “The Gooderham Family in Toronto”
Oct 3, 2018: Trevor Parkins-Sciberras and David Reigate – “Tales Of Toronto Transit”
Nov. 7, 2018: Barbara Dickson — “Bomb Girls: Trading Aprons for Ammo”
Dec. 5, 2018: Plum Johnson — “They Left Us Everything”

2017

Feb 1, 2017: Daniel Laxer – “Music & Dance in the Canadian Fur Trade Era”
Mar 1, 2017: Rona Arato – “The Ship to Nowhere”
Apr. 5, 2017: Peter Vronsky – “Fenian Raids & Battle of Ridgeway”
May 3, 2017: Anne Dublin – “The Toronto Garment Workers’ Strike”
Oct 4, 2017: Jack Gibney – “Sunnyside”
Nov. 1, 2017: John Sewell — “How We Changed Toronto in the 1970s, and How it Has Changed Since”
Dec. 6, 2017: Bianca Lakoseljac — “Stone Woman” — A novel about Toronto’s 1967 Summer of Love

2016

Feb. 3, 2016: Glenn Turner – “Hiking the Trail: The Toronto Carrying Place”
Mar. 2, 2016: Joanne Doucette – “Ashbridge’s Bay: The Natural & Human History of a Wetland”
Apr. 6, 2016: Rona Arato – “The Last Train – A Holocaust Story”
May 4, 2016: Hugh Barnett – King George’s War and the Lake Ontario Frontier, 1744-1750
Oct. 5, 2016: John Beram – “Toronto’s Association with the US Civil War”
Nov. 2, 2016: Dave Cook – “Fading History – More Stories of Historical Interest”
Dec. 7, 2016: Craig Douglas & Sarah Hall – In Partnership with the Sun: Stained-Glass at St. Olave’s Church”

2015

Feb. 4, 2015: Will O’Hara – Life in West Toronto before European Contact
March 4, 2015: Douglas Gibson – Stories About Story-Tellers
April 1, 2015: Rona Arato – Josiah Henson & the Underground Railway
May 6, 2015: Millie Morton – One-Room Schools & Ontario History
Oct. 7, 2015: John Beram – Canada Packers & the Union Stockyards
Nov. 4, 2015: Terry Reardon – Winston Churchill & Mackenzie King
Dec. 2, 2015: Neil Brochu – The City of Toronto’s Collections & Conservation Centre

2014

Feb. 5, 2014: Eva Stachniak — “Catherine the Great of Russia”
March 5, 2014: Catherine Raven – “The Howards – Threads of Their Lives in the Fabric of Toronto”
April 2, 2014: Jean Miso “Our Canadian Military: Past and Present”
May 7, 2014: Rev. Dr. Karen Dimock, “125 Years Strong: Journeying into the Future at Morningside-High Park Church”
Oct 1, 2014: AGM & elections. Speaker: Thelma Wheatley – “Labelled and Locked Up in Canada’s Oldest Institution, Orillia: A True Story”
Nov. 5, 2014: Linda Granfield – “The Unknown Soldier”
Dec. 3, 2014: Nate Hendley – “Edwin Alonzo Boyd: The Life and Crimes of Canada’s Master Bank Robber”

2013

Feb. 6, 2013: Dave Cook – “Fading History – Stories of Historical Interest”
March 6, 2013: Beverley Darville – The Royal Canadian Yacht Club Archives and its Heritage
April 3, 2013: Liz Woodburn – “Emmie Returns – A Memoir of 2 Lifetimes”
May 1, 2013: Brian Mooney – The Story of William Mellis Christie
Oct. 2, 2013: AGM & elections – Speaker: Paul Huntley – City Dairy Toronto
Nov. 6, 2013: Sandra Joyce — “The Street Arab – The Story of a British Home Child”
Dec. 4, 2013: Alan Skeoch — “Why Teach History?”

2012

Feb. 1, 2012: Gordon Turner – Canadian Pacific Steamships: A Link to Our Past
March 7, 2012: John McKenty – The History of CCM
April 4, 2012: David Crighton — “His Accomplishments”
May 2, 2012: Keith Walden – Late Victorian and Edwardian Society Teas in Toronto
Oct. 3, 2012: AGM; Elections; Nancy Mallett – The War of 1812
Nov. 7, 2012: Plaque unveiling, plus Gib Goodfellow – Moguls and Monuments of Northern India
Dec. 5, 2012: Dorothy Duncan – Feasting and Fasting: Canada’s Heritage Celebrations

2011

Feb. 2, 2011: Ann Birch – Making a Case for Historical Fiction
March 2, 2011: Arlene Chan – Toronto’s Chinatown
April 6, 2011: Ken Purvis – War of 1812 Musical Instruments
May 4, 2011: Norie Jacobs – Life in Toronto in 1834
Oct. 5, 2011: AGM; Elections; Darryl Withrow – From Hands Now Striving to be Free
Nov. 2, 2011: Bill Tennison – Nicholas Hornyansky’s Views of Toronto and Other Subjects
Dec. 7, 2011: Memorabilia Night & Christmas Party

2010

Feb. 3, 2010: Mark Osbaldeston – Unbuilt Toronto
March 3, 2010: Doug Wrigglesworth – Sherlock Holmes – The First Criminal Profiler
April 7, 2010: Linda Granfield – Stories from Canada’s War Brides
May 5, 2010: David Crombie — “Swansea”
Oct. 6, 2010: AGM; Elections; Speaker no show
Nov. 3, 2010: Paul Federico – In Defence of the Realm: Toronto the Warrior City
Dec. 1, 2010: Memorabilia Night & Christmas Party; Ben Fogel – A Walk Around Swansea

2009

Feb. 4, 2009: George Duncan – 40 Years of Fossil Collecting in Ontario
March 4, 2009: Legends of the Junction – Boom Times Cabaret
April 1, 2009: George Jardine – Growing Up in West Toronto in the Mid-Twentieth Century
May 6, 2009: Charles Pachter — “Travels with Charlie”
Oct. 7, 2009: AGM; Elections; Home Movies from Swansea and Area
Nov. 4, 2009: Terry Murray — “Faces on Places”
Dec. 2, 2009: Memorabilia Night & Christmas Party

2008

Feb. 6, 2008: Elizabeth Driver – Tried & Tested Recipes – Canadian Home Cooks in Print
March 5, 2008: Sally Gibson – Inside Toronto – Urban Interiors 1880s to 1920s
April 2, 2008: Ron Fletcher – The Humber: Tales of a Canadian Heritage River
May 7, 2008: Roy Carless & Kerry Schooley – Five Decades of Editorial Cartoons
Oct. 1, 2008: AGM; Elections; Jason Crowtz – The Revue Cinema
Nov. 5, 2008: Bill Tennison – Cornelius Krieghoff
Dec. 3, 2008: Memorabilia Night & Christmas Party

2007

Feb. 7, 2007: Robert Roden – Stately Homes of North America
March 7, 2007: George Duncan – Ontario’s Vanishing Barn Heritage
April 4, 2007: Fred Turner – Canadian Wild Flowers
May 2, 2007: Mary Lou Borg – The Palais Royale Then and Now
Oct. 3, 2007: AGM; Elections; Lisette Mallet – Sentier Partagé / Shared Path – A Proposal for a Historical Park Along the Humber
Nov. 7, 2007: Randall Reid – Dundas Street, from Lambton Mills to Six Points
Dec. 5, 2007: Memorabilia Night & Christmas Party

2006

Feb. 1, 2006: The Boulevard Club – 100 Years on the Shore
March 1, 2006: George Duncan – Conservation Success Stories
April 5, 2006: John Robert Colombo – Swansea and the Myth of Canada
May 3, 2006: David Crombie – Memories of Swansea
Oct. 4, 2006: AGM; Elections; Robert Gutteridge – The Arrival of Moving Pictures in Toronto
Nov. 1, 2006: Shirley Hartt – Personal Stories of the Waterfront
Dec. 6 2006: Memorabilia Night & Christmas Party

2005

Feb. 2, 2005: Speaker no show
March 2, 2005: Ron Brown – Ontario’s Unusual Main Streets
April 6, 2005: Ted Wickson – The 150 Years of Public Transit Since 1850
May 4, 2005: Ric Tremaine – Restoration on Once Grand Jarvis Street
Oct. 5, 2005: AGM; Elections; Mike Filey – Toronto – Then and Now
Nov. 2, 2005: David Garrick – The Ex, The Tower, The Dome
Dec. 7 2005: Memorabilia Night & Christmas Party, Sarah Walker –Getting Dressed (in the 1800s)

2004

Feb. 4, 2004: David Crombie – Swansea – Fifty Years After Metropolitan Toronto
March 3, 2004: Aubrey Martin – Toronto Subway’s 50th Anniversary
April 7, 2004: John Wilcox – Stained Glass – An Adventure in Light and Colour
May 5, 2004: Doug Carruthers – Memories of Swansea
Oct. 6, 2004: AGM; Elections; Madeleine McDowell – The 50th Anniversary of Hurricane Hazel
Nov. 3, 2004: Thelma Wheatley – Swansea – A Tale of Two Cities
Dec. 1 2004: Memorabilia Night & Christmas Party, “Structures” presentation on Swansea

2003

Feb. 5, 2003: William Lamb – William Rennie Jr. — “A Hero in Japan”
March 5, 2003: Jessie Hassell, Swansea’s Public Nurse – The Way We Were
April 2, 2003: Shirley Hartt – When King Was Grand: King Street East in the 19th Century
May 7, 2003: Grace Irwin – Compensation: 75 Years in the Making
Oct. 1, 2003: AGM; Elections; Ted Wickson – Reflections of Toronto Harbour – 200 Years of History
Nov. 5, 2003: Shirley Hartt – Intriguing People from Toronto’s Past
Dec. 3 2003: Memorabilia Night & Christmas Party

2002

Feb. 6, 2002: Ken Weber – Prime Ministers’ Wives
March 6, 2002: Prof. Glen Norcliffe – The Ride to Modernity – the Bicycle in Canada from 1869-1900
April 3, 2002: John Sebert – The Nabes – Toronto’s Wonderful Neighbourhood Movie Houses
May 1, 2002: Prof. Richard Anderson – Local Lost Environments
Oct. 2, 2002: AGM; Elections; Old Postcards from the collections of Gord Sykes & our Archives
Nov. 6, 2002: Mike Filey – Toronto Then and Now
Dec. 4, 2002: Memorabilia Night & Christmas Party, The Eden United Church Handbell Ringers

2001

Feb. 7, 2001: Hilary Dawson – Out of the Lion’s Paw: Fugitive Slaves in York County
March 7, 2001: Michael Harrison – the Mimico Estates
April 4, 2001: Douglas Gardner – Concert Halls of Toronto
May 2, 2001: Gordon Sykes – The Joys of Collecting
Oct. 3, 2001: AGM; Elections; Bob Marchant – When Milk Came in Bottles
Nov. 7, 2001: Swansea’s Bread Basket – The Industrial and Commercial Area of South Swansea
Dec. 5, 2001: Memorabilia Night & Christmas Party, The Swansea Senior Swingers

2000

Feb. 2, 2000: Grace Irwin – A Century and a Half of Toronto
March 1, 2000: Gerry Tooke – Stained Glass Over the Years
April 5, 2000: Richard MacFarlane – Doug MacFarlane, Newsman of Many Wars
May 3, 2000: Randall Reid – The History and Restoration of Montgomery’s Inn
Oct. 4, 2000: AGM; Elections; Alex Adamson’s Swansea Collection
Nov. 1, 2000: Joan Dancy – My Grandfather’s Legacy
Dec. 6, 2000: Memorabilia Night & Christmas Party, The Eden United Church Handbell Ringers, and The Official Opening of the William Small Memorial Community Archives Room

1999

Feb. 3, 1999: Dr. E. Laurie Morgan – The Toronto Belt Line Railway
March 3, 1999: Bob Burgar – The Archeological History of the Toronto Region and the Humber Valley
April 7, 1999: Fred Addis – Toronto Harbour and Great Lakes Shipping
May 5, 1999: George Peckover – Swansea’s Bar and Breakwater
Oct. 6, 1999: AGM; Elections; Bernice Thurman Hunter (Author: “Booky” novels) – Growing Up in Swansea
Nov. 3, 1999: Keith Spark – Robert Home Smith: “Ulysses” at the Dawning of 20th Century Canada
Dec. 1, 1999:

1998

Feb. 4, 1998: Iain Craig – Canoe Trip to Georgian Bay by John Graves Simcoe 200 Years Ago
March 4, 1998: Peter Coffman – Medieval Toronto
April 1, 1998: Dr. Arthur Gryfe – Carved in Stone: A Medical History of Grave Markers
May 6, 1998: George Peckover – The Peckover Estate, Ellis Avenue
Oct. 7, 1998: AGM; Elections; George Peckover – Historically In and About Swansea
Nov. 4, 1998: Madeleine McDowell – The Toronto Carrying Place
Dec. 2, 1998: Memorabilia Night & Christmas Party, The Eden United Church Handbell Ringers

1997

Feb. 5, 1997: George Chowns – Humber Bay
March 5, 1997: Solomon Boyé and Terry Fahey – High Park Eco-System
April 2, 1997: Diana Sythes — Humbervale
May 7, 1997: Gordon Sykes – Queen Victoria and a display of pressed glass
Oct. 1, 1997: AGM; Elections; Morris Sorensen – Wild Toronto
Nov. 5, 1997: Randall Reid – Etobicoke “Then” and “Now”
Dec. 3, 1997: Memorabilia Night & Christmas Party, The Swansea Swingers

1996

Feb. 7, 1996: Carl Benn – The North American Indians
March 6, 1996: Madeleine McDowell – Heritage Humber River; Heritage Lambton Village
April 3, 1996: David Crombie – The Waterfront Regeneration
May 1, 1996: Mike Filey – The Changing Times of the TTC Etc.
Oct. 2, 1996: AGM; Elections; Ron Brown – Ghost Railway Stations in Ontario
Nov. 6, 1996: Joan Miles – West Toronto Junction
Dec. 4, 1996: Memorabilia Night & Christmas Party, The Swansea Swingers

1995

Feb. 1, 1995: Chris Raible – Wm. Lyon McKenzie: 200 Years Later
March 1, 1995: Fred Turner – Harcroft: the Harvey Family Home
April 5, 1995: Elizabeth Ingolfsrud – Kingsway Park: Triumph in Design
May 3, 1995: Bill Roberts & Gordon Dunn – World War II
Oct. 4, 1995: AGM, Slides of Old Swansea, Archives Update, 10th Anniversary
Nov. 1, 1995: René Malagon– John George Howard and his Donation of High Park to the City
Dec. 6, 1995: Places and Faces; Christmas Party

1994

Feb. 2, 1994: Jeff Therien – The Great Fire of Toronto
March 2, 1994: Bill Sherk – The Way They Drove – Toronto’s Love Affair with the Automobile
April 6, 1994: Ted Wickson – Development of Transportation in Toronto
May 4, 1994: Wm. Tennison – Stories, Anecdotes or Facts You Might Not Know About Swansea
Oct. 5, 1994: AGM, Peter Attfield – Hurricane Hazel
Nov. 2, 1994: Barbara Myrvold & Dr. Laurie Morgan – Swansea Memorial Library
Dec. 7, 1994: Memorabilia Night & Christmas Party, Fraser McKee – H.M.C.S. Swansea (the book)

1993

Feb. 3, 1993: “Your Stories”
March 3, 1993: Carl Benn – The History of Fort York & the 200th Anniversary of York
April 7, 1993: Capt. John Band & Capt. Fraser McKee – H.M.C.S. Swansea
May 5, 1993: Tom Allen – Youth of Swansea
Oct. 6, 1993: AGM, Elections, John Thompson – A Trip on the South Simcoe Railway
Nov. 3, 1993: Bernice Thurman Hunter (Author: “Booky” novels) — Memoir
Dec. 1, 1993: Pictures of Swansea Night & Christmas Party

1992

Feb. 5, 1992: Farmer Memorial Church
March 4, 1992: Bill Small & Joe Kemp – Morningside Presbyterian Church and Swansea
April 1, 1992: Mary O’Brien [noted local artist & long-time member of St. Pius X Church]
May 6, 1992: St. Olave’s Anglican Chuch
Oct. 7, 1992: AGM, Elections, Mike Filey – Area Streetcars
Nov. 4, 1992: Keith Spark – Robert Home Smith,The Old Mill, Belt Line, Humber Valley
Dec. 2 1992:

1991

Feb. 6, 1991:
March 6, 1991: Toronto Historical Board – Colborne Lodge and High Park
April 3, 1991: A New Era for 95 Lavinia
May 1, 1991: George Joynson – History of the Swansea Legion
Oct. 2, 1991: AGM, Elections, Photographs by R. C. Smith
Nov. 6, 1991: Windermere United Church
Dec. 4, 1991: Memorabilia Night & Christmas Party

1990

Feb. 7, 1990: David Crombie – A Son Returns – Memories of Swansea
March 7, 1990: Linda Cobon – 100 Years of the Canadian National Exhibition
April 4, 1990: Duncan Green, Bill Jacobi, Tom Allen – Life in the Village After 1926
May 2, 1990: Bill Daniels – Surveying and Rousseau
Jun 27, 1990: Tour of Stelco Plant
Oct. 3, 1990: AGM, Bill Small & Joe Kemp – What Happened in Swansea — Episode 2
Nov. 7, 1990: Participation or You Are The Program
Dec. 5, 1990: Village Photo Memories & Christmas Party

1989

Feb. 1, 1989: Bernice Thurman Hunter (Author: “Booky” novels) – The Tremendous Changes in the Past 60 Years
March 1, 1989: Renovation of the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres
April 5, 1989: Bill Small & Joe Kemp – Swansea as it Was
May 3, 1989: Mireille Desjarlais-Heynneman – La Société d’histoire de Toronto
Oct. 4, 1989: AGM, N. McLeod – History of Swansea & Morningside-High Park Presbyterian Church
Nov. 1, 1989: Margaret Baily – Working to Save our City’s Past
Dec. 6, 1989: Memorabilia Night

1988

Feb. 2, 1988: Paul Denter – The Loyalists
March 2, 1988: Pleasance Crawford – 19th Century Gardens in Toronto & The Rennie Family
April 6, 1988: Carole H. Carpenter – How Folklore Can Illuminate History
May 4, 1988: Ernest Sykes –Tracing Your Family Tree
Oct. 5, 1988: AGM, Mima Kapches –The Toronto Carrying Place
Nov. 2, 1988: Sylvie Beaudreau – Jean Baptiste Rousseau
Dec. 7, 1988: Memory Night

1987

Feb. 4, 1987: Rev. Mr. Rose & N. McLeod – St. Olave’s Anglican Church
April 1, 1987: York & Weston Historical Societies – The Humber River
Oct. 7, 1987: AGM
Nov. 4, 1987: West Toronto Junction Revisited
Dec. 2, 1987: Village Memories

1986

Oct. 1, 1986: AGM, Dr. Donald Brown – The French in Toronto & The Excavation of Fort Rouillé
Dec 3, 1986: John Jursa – The 75th Anniversary of the Toronto Harbour Commission

1985

Feb 6, 1985: N. McLeod – A Survey of the Village of Swansea

1984

Jan. 25, 1984: (Exploratory meeting) Derwyn Shea, Dorothy Duncan, Mike Filey
Oct 24, 1984: (Inaugural meeting) Beatrice Thurman Hunter (Author: “Booky” novels) – Childhood Years in Swansea

* Completed with the best information we have at this time but there are a few gaps still to be filled-in.

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