President’s Message, January 2024:
by Bob Roden, Swansea Historical Society President
To members and friends of the Swansea Historical Society, we wish you good health, happiness, and prosperity for 2024.
We are pleased to remind you that the 2024 Swansea Community Calendar has been available for purchase since early December. As in past years, the calendar includes dates of upcoming community events and a selection of historic photographs of the area, and the price is being held at $10.00 per copy. Calendars can be purchased over-the-counter at the office of the Swansea Town Hall, or at any SHS events. We can also receive orders by telephone (647-859-3901), via email, or regular mail (95 Lavinia Ave., Box 102, Toronto, Ontario M6S 3H9), for calendars to be mailed to you — or hand-delivered if you are in the area. (A hearty “thank-you” to Lance Gleich and Wallace Boustead for their roles in making the annual calendar a success once again).
Monthly SHS meeting, Wednesday evening, February 7, 8:00 pm
Also, please mark your calendars for the next meeting of the Swansea Historical Society, scheduled for 8 pm, Wednesday evening, February 7, 2024. Our speaker for February will be SHS President Bob Roden. His topic will be “The Story of Windermere United Church – A Swansea Landmark for More Than a Century”.
Windermere United Church has played an important role in the life of the Swansea community ever since the congregation was founded in 1912, as Windermere Methodist Church. When the United Church of Canada was created in the 1920s, Windermere Methodist became Windermere United. For many decades, the congregation grew and prospered, and in recent years it was noted for its outreach initiatives. In 2023, as the membership was shrinking, the decision was made to merge with Runnymede United. We are pleased that the landmark building at the corner of Mayfield Avenue will be preserved as a hub for community-oriented activities, now known as the Windermere Campus of Runnymede United Church.
Bob Roden was an active member of Windermere, starting when he met Susan in 1984, and they were married by Windermere’s minister in 1985. (Susan had been attending Windermere since she was 3 years old)! For several years, Bob served on the Church Council, including terms as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee.
The February meeting will be conducted in a hybrid format so that participants can attend in-person at the Swansea Town Hall or connect on-line using the Zoom tool. For those who prefer to join us on-line, a Zoom link will be provided closer to the meeting date. The Zoom connection will be open before 7:45 pm on February 7. If possible, we suggest that on-line participants start tuning in as soon as the link is open, so that we can be ready to kick off the meeting at 8 pm.
All are welcome!!
Swansea Historical Society
January 2024
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for historical Swansea photos and other updates.