NEWS & EVENTS

Here is what I have been up to recently...

Heritage Interpreter

Mackenzie House & Colborne Lodge Ongoing

I work at Mackenzie House Museum & Colborne Lodge in Toronto.

William Lyon Mackenzie was the first mayor of Toronto.

His ill-fated Rebellion in 1837 changed Canada forever.

I created and performed the dramatic content for our NECROPOLIS TOUR.

Here are a few pictures...

As Samuel Lount, Charles Lindsey and George Mackenzie in the Toronto Necropolis.

Photo credit - Sochi Fried

Come by for a tour. Message me first just to make sure I am working that day.

Normal museum admission charges will apply.

Museums use stuff to tell stories. Come see the stuff.

See http://www.toronto.ca/culture/museums/mackenzie.htm for details...

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The War of 1812 and the Town of York Tour

COMPLETED - MORE HERITAGE TORONTO TOURS TO COME - STAY TUNED...

On April 27 1813 the town of York (now the City of Toronto) was invaded and captured by an American Army. This tour explores the lives of the towns people at this time and how this invasion affected their lives. Done in cooperation with Heritage Toronto.

This tour was also offered in Mandarin.

This image and the background image for this site are courtesy of The City of Toronto Archives

Eaton's Goes To War:

Family, Memory & Meaning

This exhibit was created at Mackenzie House.

In 1914 Canada entered the First World War and Torontonians enthusiastically responded to the war effort.

To encourage enlistment John Craig Eaton offered to pay all married Eaton's employees their salary for the duration of their service. Recruits received this in addition to their military wages. During the war 3,327 Eaton's department store employees volunteered to fight with the CEF. Each time an employee went overseas, Eaton's displayed a portrait of him in the store. More than 2,000 of these photographs have survived and are now held at the Archives of Ontario.

Below is a photograph of some of the Eaton's employees who served in the First World War.

Henry Roland Agassiz (third from the left) was a married 37 year old father of 5 when he enlisted.

More than 24,000 Canadian soldiers died at the Battle of the Somme.

Agassiz was one of them.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARCHIVES OF ONTARIO

ABOVE IS THE AGASSIZ FAMILY

(Left to Right) Vaudine, Alfred, Muriel, mother Eugenie, Jay & father Henry.

IMAGE COURTESY OF CHARMAIN NOLTE, Granddaughter of Henry Agassiz who was interviewed for this exhibit.

Each of these photos holds a story.

Who were these men?

How are they remembered by their families?

Through a thorough public outreach campaign we found the relatives of some of these men.

This exhibit shared their stories. Private memories became public memory.

This exhibit was nominated for a Heritage Toronto Public History Award

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Kensington Talks.

In cooperation with the Multicultural Historical Society of Ontario & the Kensington Market Historical Society

I am working on an oral history project.

There are many stories in Kensington and we plan to make some of them accessible to the interested public.

Stay tuned for more details... and check out the Kensington Market Historical Society website at www.kmhs.ca

Image courtesy of Library and Archives Canada