We are pleased to announce that our speaker for March and April will be Richard Jordan. We thoroughly enjoyed Richard’s presentation to the Swansea Historical Society in November 2019 on the subject of Hurricane Hazel, and we are delighted that he has consented to return (virtually) to join us in Swansea in the coming months.

Richard Jordan is a former President of the Etobicoke Historical Society.

A seasoned writer and an exciting and entertaining speaker, for seven years Richard contributed a local history column to the Toronto Star. His feature articles on various topics have appeared in the Saturday Star, the Sunday Star, and international history and genealogy magazines. He has made hundreds of presentations on local history in various venues, and now that he is retired, his repertoire also includes his experiences travelling the world.

The topic of Richard’s March 1 presentation will be Robert Home Smith, Riverside Drive, and the Humber Valley Developments. Robert Home Smith was a fascinating and mutli-faceted Toronto character in the early 1900s, a lawyer by training, a civic leader, an international investor, and a property developer who was also a natural-born town planner with a vision and an eye for architecture. Among his many contributions to Toronto’s history were the development of a series of elegant west-end neighbourhoods including The Kingsway, Baby Point, Humber Valley Village, and Swansea’s Riverside Drive area.

In April, Richard will share his knowledge of the history of Etobicoke’s three lakeshore communities, Mimico, New Toronto, and Long Branch. The three former municipalities share many things, including the streetcars of Lake Shore Boulevard West and the beautiful shores of Lake Ontario, but they have very different histories. Mimico is an older town, once the home of palatial estates. New Toronto had its start as a gritty industrial suburb. And Long Branch began as a gated, upper-class cottage community and resort in Victorian times. No doubt, in each case you will see many parallels with the history of Swansea. Richard invites us to come take a pleasant journey with him along the lake and hear stories about the people and neighborhoods of Etobicoke’s Historic Lakeshore.

HERE ARE THE LINKS FOR THE MARCH 1 VIRTUAL MEETING ON ZOOM.

The link will be open shortly after 7:30 pm and we are suggesting that people sign in before 8 pm so that we can get the meeting started promptly at 8.

March 1, 2023 – 8 p.m. start, however accessible at 7:30:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89694421653?pwd=bTJWUUsvY0NlMjZWL1FNd0ZIVmRuQT09

Meeting ID: 896 9442 1653
Passcode: 363568