Weston Historical Society | Friends of Raymore Park

Weston Historical Society's Cherri Hurst talks at the first stop on the tour.

Weston Historical Society’s Cherri Hurst (far right) talks at the first stop on the tour.

Close to 70 people attended last Saturday’s Hurricane Hazel Revisited walk. The guided tour stopped at many of the significant locations that played a part in the October 1954 tragedy that changed the face of Toronto. The walk was well received thanks to an excellent script that was a collaboration between Weston Historical Society members, Cherri Hurst and Mary-Louise Ashbourne.

I had the privilege of assisting in this Heritage Toronto walk and the level of interest among attendees was impressive. Hazel’s legacy is our precious park ravine and system; a place to enjoy nature as well as a haven for plant and animal wildlife.

Thanks to Jill for coming all the way from Burlington and adding a personal touch via her father’s incredible memories of being personally involved during the storm.

The rain held off until we began walking to the renovated St Matthias Church – now the Canadian headquarters for Sukyo Mahikari. We were shoehorned into the beautifully restored small church, dripping wet and were given a bonus presentation on the renovation of the church which played a part during Hazel’s aftermath.

Have you ever wondered about the people who lived in Weston during the time of Hurricane Hazel? Weston’s Historical Society is leading a walk, ‘Hurricane Hazel Revisited‘ that focuses on the storm’s devastating impact on the people and surrounding area. Participants will walk along the river, past some of the most significant locations and look at traces of what remains and the changes forced by Hazel that have occurred since 1954. The tour begins on Little Avenue this Saturday at 1:30 follows the river down to Raymore Drive and ends at the former Matthias church at Scarlett and Kingdom.