Leaside 100 April 18 by The East York Mirror

LEASIDE

Established 1913. A celebration of 100 years www.eastyorkmirror.com

thurs april 18, 2013

First World War pilots trained at aerodrome built by British government Tara Hatherly thatherly@insidetoronto.com

s Leaside’s 100th birthday approaches, many local residents might be surprised to learn the former town was once home to a bustling airport. Leaside became a town April 23, 1913 and in the early 1900s, its Leaside Aerodrome was a hot spot for flying enthusiasts north and south of the border. The Leaside Aerodrome was built and opened in 1917, on 220 acres of land that now sits between Wicksteed and Eglinton avenues. It housed nine hangars, living quarters, mess halls, instructional and repair facilities, and a hospital. One of five Canadian airfields built by the British government that year, it was a school for the Royal Flying Corps Canada, a

training arm of the British Royal Flying Corps. It was built to train pilots, mechanics and maintenance crews to fight in the First World War. To build the airport, a concrete street named Government Road was constructed to bring supplies from Yonge Street, as there was no Leaside bridge then. The road still stands, now known as Merton Street, McRae Drive and Wicksteed Avenue. Government Road Along with the Leaside Aerodrome, Government Road also made Leaside’s first bus line possible. Both American and Canadian pilots trained at Leaside. After the war, many airfields closed, but Leaside continued to operate, albeit on a smaller scale, as Laird Drive had been extended north of McRae Drive, downsiz-

Photo/CANADIAN AVIATION HISTORICAL SOCIETY - TORONTO CHAPTER

The Leaside Aerodrome is to the left of the Canada Wire buildings on Laird Drive in this aerial photo.

Photo/CANADIAN AVIATION HISTORICAL SOCIETY - TORONTO CHAPTER

W.A. ‘Billy’ Bishop, Canadian First World War flying ace and Victoria Cross recipient, left, and Col. William Barker, Victoria Cross recipient with a war trophy, a German Fokker D VII, at the Leaside Aerodrome in 1920.

ing the airport to approximately 160 acres, and causing most of its buildings to be removed. Only four hangars were left standing on the south side of the original site, one of which would become the birthplace of the Toronto Flying Club in 1928. After the Toronto Flying Club moved in, a small clubhouse was built, along with a canteen, an Imperial Oil office and fuel supply. Leaside Aerodrome was the site of Canada’s first airmail delivery on June 24, 1918, when letters were flown in from Montreal. A heritage plaque commemorating the event can be found at the southeast corner of Brentcliffe Road and Broadway Avenue. Once regular air mail service began in 1928, the airport would also be used to send mail from Leaside to Ottawa, Buffalo and Montreal for a short time.

Leaside Aerodrome officially closed in 1931, when the Toronto Flying Club moved out. The airport was revived briefly, from 1942 to 1944, when it became Royal Canadian Air Force Station Leaside, a radio direction finding school used during the Second World War. After the airport closed, roads were extended through the area, which became home to industrial businesses. In 1971, Leaside Aerodrome’s last hangar was removed. Along with the plaque, the only other reminder left of the Leaside Aerodrome is the honourarilynamed Aerodrome Crescent, southeast of Eglinton Avenue and Laird Drive. n The East York Mirror thanks the Canadian Aviation Historical Society’s Toronto chapter for its help compiling this article.

Leaside will celebrate its 100th birthday in a number of ways next week. Leaside was officially incorporated as a town on April 23, 1913. Next Tuesday, April 23, 100 years later, the Leaside Library will open The Layers of Leaside exhibit. The official opening is slated for 9:25 a.m. at the library, 165 McRae Dr. Also, the Leaside 100 Gala party is set for Saturday, April 27, at All Canadian Self Storage, 1 Laird Dr. The gala will be hosted by David Sparrow and Deb McGrath, and will feature a reception, gourmet dinner and entertainment. For more information on the gala, and other Leaside’s 100 events, go to www. leaside100.eventbrite.ca For more Leaside 100 events, please see page 15.

Share your Leaside memories Do you have fond memories of growing up Leaside, attending baseball games at Talbot Park, playing hockey at the arena, or taking part in a school play or community event? We’d love to hear your stories and see any old photos you might have. We’ll share them with other readers on our website at www. eastyorkmirror.com, where we will have a special Leaside 100 hot topics link. Please send your items to us by email to eym@ insidetoronto.com

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| THE MIRROR e | THURSDAY, April 18, 2013

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Lea settled in area in 1819 wJohn

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The community is named after the Lea family. Farmer John Lea was the first settler in 1819. Born in England, he came to the Township of York by way of Philadelphia. He bought 200 acres of land for the price of one guinea an acre on Lot 13, Concession III in an area that is now bounded by Bayview Avenue to the west, and Laird Drive to the east, half a mile south of what is now Eglinton Avenue. William coined name Leaside The naming of the area Leaside is attributed to William Lea, John’s son. William inherited 91 of the original 200 acres and named the octagonal house he built Leaside. That house was built near the site of the present Leaside Memorial Community Gardens arena.

Junction a key rail station wLeaside

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In the late 1800s, a railway was established through William

Lea’s land and it was dubbed Leaside Junction. In the early 1900s, the Canadian Northern Railway company built a rail line through the Don Valley and began to assemble land in the Leaside area. Much of the community’s development, including the establishment of residential west of Laird Drive and industrial east of it stems from the railroad planning. Minister played for Leaside wPrime

Prime Minister Stephen Harper grew up in the community, before his family moved to Etobicoke where he did his high school years. As a boy, Harper played minor hockey at the Leaside arena. Harper also made a $1,000 contribution to the buiding fund for the second ice pad at the Leaside arena. started with residents w43Town

When Leaside was incorporated on April 23, 1913, it had a population of 43 people. Leaside remained its own

township until Jan. 1, 1967 when it became part of the Borough of East York. In 1998, East York was amalgamated into the City of Toronto as part of the megacity amalgamation of Metro Toronto. airmail delivered in Leaside wFirst

Leaside was part of Canadian aviation and postal history on June 24, 1918. That was when the first airmail letter in Canada was delivered, having set off from Montreal by p l a n e and landing at the Leaside Aerodrome. Regular airmail service began in 1928, and the Leaside airfield was a key point in sending mail to and from locations such as Montreal, Ottawa and Buffalo. The airfield closed in 1931, but reopened briefly from 1942 to 1944.

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The Leaside train station was a busy hub for more than 75 years. The railway played a key role in how Leaside grew and was developed.

Railway spurred development Tara Hatherly thatherly@insidetoronto.com

rom pristine farmland to prosperous town to popular suburb, Leaside rode the rails all the way. On April 23, 1913, the Town of Leaside, with its 43 residents, was incorporated by the Province of Ontario, at the request of the Canadian Northern Railway, after the Town of

North Toronto and old City of Toronto both refused offers to include Leaside in their boundaries. William Mackenzie and Donald Mann, owners of the Canadian Northern Railway, had big plans for Leaside. They moved their company’s rail yard there from the Don Valley, purchasing more than 1,000 acres of land. To finance the project, they hired planner

Frederick Todd to design a town around the yard, with residential plots they could sell for profit. “They started building all this stuff, a big locomotive repair shop and a huge yard – you know, a big freight yard, a roundhouse, all the kinds of stuff that the other railways had downtown,” said railway historian Derek Bowles, from the Toronto Railway Historical >>>STATION, page 15

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leaside 100 >>>from page 14 Association. “It was going to be the Canadian Northern Railway’s principal locomotive shops for repairing locomotives in eastern Canada ... The only problem with this was that by 1917, the Canadian Northern Railway was essentially headed towards bankruptcy.” To keep it afloat, the Canadian government took over the railway, which was later merged with others to form Canadian National Railways, which already had a yard in Stratford. “It was never as important as was intended when the thing was built,” said Bowles. “The big locomotive repair shop was abandoned by the Canadian National probably in the 1930s, and it was used by a variety of businesses, and now of course it’s the new Longo’s grocery store.” While Canadian Northern Railway gave way to the Town of Leaside, it was the Canadian Pacific Railway that allowed Canadian Northern to put Leaside on the map. The Canadian Pacific Railway, by way of the Ontario and Quebec Railway, was the first to lay tracks in the area, on land purchased from William Lea, son of John Lea, the area’s first settler. Canadian Pacific Railway opened a passenger station there in 1894, which it called Leaside, after William Lea. “The old station burned down in the 1940s after World War Two, and they built a brand new station,” said Bowles, noting the new station cost $145,000 and opened Nov. 23, 1946. “All Canadian Pacific TorontoOttawa and Toronto-Montreal passenger trains stopped at Leaside, until these trains were curtailed in 1966,” Passenger service ended at Leaside in 1982, when VIA Rail’s Toronto-Havlock train no longer stopped there, Bowles added.

Leaside 100 celebration guide w Tuesday, April 23

Layers of Leaside opening WHEN: 9:25 a.m. WHERE: Leaside Library, 165 McRae Dr. CONTACT: 416396-3835 The Layers of Leaside exhibit examines the area’s history through six layers of time ranging from pre-history to modern day.

w Saturday, April 27

Leaside 100 Gala WHEN: 5:30 p.m. WHERE: All Canadian Self Storage, 1 Laird Dr. CONTACT: www.leaside100.eventbrite.ca Gala hosted by David Sparrow and Deb McGrath featuring reception, gourmet dinner, entertainment, dancing and more.

w Sunday, April 28

Layers of Leaside historical walking tour WHEN: 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. WHERE: Starts and ends at Leaside Library, 165 McRae Dr. CONTACT: 416-396-3835 The Layers of Leaside walking tour will be led by Geoff Kettel and Jane Pitfield. For more on Leaside and its 100th anniversary events, please visit www.leaside100.ca

For more on the impact of the railway on Leaside, please visit us at www.eastyorkmirror.com, and click on the ‘Leaside 100’ hot topic link.

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Layers of Leaside archival exhibit set to open at library Tara Hatherly thatherly@insidetoronto.com

Leaside’s 100th Anniversary Celebration Archival Exhibit Councillor John Parker invites you to an unveiling of The Layers of Leaside When: Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013 Start time is 9:25 am Where: Leaside Public Library, 165 McRae Drive

esidents are invited to take a walk down Leaside’s memory lane next Tuesday in honour of the community’s 100th anniversary. An archival exhibit will be unveiled at 9:25 a.m. on April 23, 100 years to the day of the township’s incorporation, at the Leaside Public Library, 165 McRae Dr. Everyone is welcome to attend the event, where Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne will bring greetings and congratulations, along with MP John Carmichael, TDSB trustee Gerri Gershon and TCDSB trustee Angela Kennedy. The Leaside 100th anniversary celebration archival exhibit, The Layers of Leaside, explores the former town’s history from today back to the dawn of time, explained Geoff Kettel,

Leaside 100 committee member. “The thing about Leaside, is it went through so many layers, so many stages of development,” said Kettel. “It actually was an agricultural settlement, it was a railway town, it was a suburb and today it’s a thriving midtown community, so it’s very interesting.” Six layers Six layers of Leaside are documented in the exhibit. The first layer looks at Leaside pre-history, before European settlers arrived. The second layer looks at the arrival and life of pioneers and settlers who came to farm the area, including the Lea and Elgie families, while the third focuses on the creation of the Town of Leaside, and the beginning of industrial development in the area. The fourth layer documents Leaside’s late indus-

trial era and residential boom, the fifth showcases Leaside’s annexation and development of Thorncliffe Park. The sixth layer focuses on changes in Leaside from 2000 to today. “Ours is more of a cultural, historical interpretation,” said Kettel. “We want people to know about the illustrious history.” The Leaside 100 committee worked with students from Ryerson University’s architecture program to create the exhibit, which will be displayed until April 28 during the library’s regular operating hours. Following the unveiling will be a reception at Bessborough Drive Elementary and Middle School, 211 Bessborough Drive.

For more on this story, and other Leaside 100 events, please visit us online at www.eastyorkmirror.com and click on the ‘Leaside 100’ hot topic link.

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Arena located at heart of Leaside community Second ice pad to open later this year Tara Hatherly thatherly@insidetoronto.com

or more than 100 years, the site of Leaside Memorial Community Gardens has been at the heart of the Leaside community. The location where the recreation complex now stands once housed the famed octagonal brick farmhouse named Leaside, built in the mid 1850s, that would lend its name to the former town and current Toronto neighbourhood. The house, which also served as a post office beginning in 1873, was built by William Lea, the eldest son of John Lea, the area’s first settler. “The post office was there, so this site, you could say, has been the heart of the community, and it continues to be,” said Allan Williams, community relations chair for the Leaside Gardens board of management. “There’s something about an arena on a Saturday morning when all of the kids and the parents and the community are there, and it really is a hub of the community.” The Town of Leaside was incorporated April 23, 1913. One hundred years later, Leaside Gardens is set to get a second ice rink this year, ensuring the community will continue to come together around the spot for many years to come. The new NHL-sized rink

Prime Minister Stephen Harper grew up in Leaside and played minor hockey at the arena. This signed photo is on display at Leaside Memorial Community Gardens.

is coming thanks to the support of the Leaside community, just as the original rink did in 1951. “The arena was built with the involvement of sort of the whole community at the time,” said Williams. “It was a very significant community fundraising project at that time, and involved not just individuals, but a lot of groups within the community; the schools, and churches and various service clubs were all intimately involved. That community involvement came into play again when the roof was replaced in the 1970s.” And it came into play again more recently, when

it became obvious Leaside Gardens needed a second rink. The Leaside community committed to raising $3.5 million to fund the project, with a recoverableloan from the City of Toronto covering the rest of the $11 million tab. More than $3 million has been raised so far. Community members still have a chance to donate to the project, and even name the new rink. When the revamped Leaside Gardens opens, the original rink will become known as the Bert F. Grant rink, in honour of a $250,000 donation from the family of Grant, whose company built the apartment buildings and homes on Leacrest Road that back onto the arena site. To help build the new rink, Prime Minister Stephen Harper donated $1,000. Harper, born in Leaside, played hockey as a child at the arena; a photo of him in his Leaside hockey uniform hangs inside. He hopes to attend the rink’s opening this fall. Harper is one of many now-famous names to skate at the arena as a youth, including former NHL players Peter and Frank Mahovlich, Dave Gardner, Terry Caffery, Brad Selwood and Tom Edur.

Share your memories of Leaside arena with us by sending an email to eym@ insidetoronto.com

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Leaside baseball has long history in community sean DURACK active@insidetoronto.com

n a span of a few minutes, Leaside Baseball Association president Howard Birnie can recount a handful of tales that, he says, have been told and retold many times over the association’s 67 year history. But some are too juicy, too humorous to die and, as such, continue to be told. One such gem that never gets old is the story of former NHL coach Roger Neilson and the apple incident. “Roger did some very interesting things,” said Birnie who has been a part of the Leaside association since 1964, becoming president in 1973. “In one game his team was playing one of our Leaside teams and he went out to the mound to talk to his pitcher. While he was out there he gave his catcher an apple that had been peeled. The catcher hid the apple under his chest protector and returned to the plate. “So there’s a runner at third,” he continued. “The next pitch came in and the catcher fumbled the ball a bit, took the apple from

Photo/LEASIDE BASEBALL ASSOCIATION

Baseball at Leaside’s Talbot Park in this photo from the early 1950s.

under his chest protector and threw it over third base. “The runner, who thought the apple was a baseball (flying overhead), began trotting in to home. “The only thing was the catcher still had the baseball,” leaving the opposition and the umpire to digest what had just transpired before them. The always colourful Neilson, who coached for North Toronto at the time, ultimately went on to coach Leaside’s bantam and

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midget divisions to championship titles before switching sports and coaching junior in the Ontario Hockey League and, eventually, a career as an NHL coach. Then there’s the one about legendary local baseball umpire, Archie French, and his violent run-in with a moth hovering above home plate at Howard Talbot Park. “He was a great umpire and a very funny guy... He sees this

moth flying around the plate, stopped the game, got out his hat and he whacked the moth, knocking it to the ground. He stepped on it then he buried it,” he said. “He then did the sign of the cross and got on with the game. Everybody laughed; everybody knew he had a great sense of humour.” Because of Talbot Park’s proximity to Bayview and Eglinton avenues, some players have been known to ding the odd baseball over the fence, sometimes into traffic. “There was one time a ball got hit over the fence and there was a bus going by and the ball bounced through the window of the bus,” Birnie said. “The bus just kept going so we figure it was the longest home run ever hit... the bus probably ended up somewhere in the west end,” Birnie joked. There has been no shortage either of players that have moved on to fame in one respect or another after toiling in the league as a coach and/or player. Major leaguer Ron Taylor and Ron Roncetti – Roncetti founded the Leaside league – both went on to further baseball success after

Leaside. Taylor as a pitcher in the majors for 11 years who went on to two World Series titles, and Roncetti as a long time pro scout in the majors. Some, like Neilson, ultimately switched to hockey after leaving. Peter Mahovlich, Dave and Paul Gardner, Jack and Terry Caffery, Pete Conacher and Mike McKeown are all former players in the league. Even actors – Sean McCann, who has appeared in more than 150 movies and coached in the league and actor Jordan Pettle, as a player in the league – have spent time coaching and playing for Leaside before moving on to acting careers. Carmen Bush, a Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee who Birnie calls the “godfather of baseball in Toronto”, coached Leaside’s senior team after the west end league he was operating folded in 1968. Bush, who died in 2001, then joined Leaside and became an invaluable organizer.

Share your Leaside Baseball Association memories with us at eym@insidetoronto.com, and visit www.eastyorkmirror.com and click on the ‘Leaside 100’ hot topic link for more.

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