Do you know about - Presenting - Glenn Cochrane - Media Personality, Author and specialist Fundraiser
Kensington Park Retirement Community! Again, for I know. Ready to share new things that are useful. You and your friends.When I recently talked to several citizen about my Celebrate Toronto project, which starts with an record & interview series and a photo exhibition about the Beach, about 4 or 5 separate citizen concurred that one man should not be missed: Glenn Cochrane.
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When I approached Glenn, the old Cfto news personality amiable invited me into his gorgeous condominium high above Queen road and gave me a opportunity to sit down with a real veteran of Toronto's Beach neighbourhood. After explaining my mission to Glenn, he was very forthcoming welcoming and willing to share his life's experiences and his neighbourhood's stories with me.
He first clarified that the true Beach area is bounded by Kingston Road and Lake Ontario, as well as Woodbine Avenue and Victoria Park Avenues on the west and east sides respectively. Particularly due to the expanding inquire for real estate in this beloved area, the term "Beach(es)" has extensive in new years to include other adjoining areas. Beach residents are quick to point out that this is a real estate term.
Glenn himself was born in Hamilton and came to Toronto in 1964. He worked at Canadian Press and moved to the Cfto Television station where he started out as a writer. His singular talent lay in light writing, and Glenn was often assigned to write the end remarks for Ken Cavanagh, the anchorman at the time, who liked to close his newscasts with a light comment.
His work in front of the camera started accidentally when an assignment editor sent Glenn out with a cameraman to cover a local story as the regular television reporter was not available. Glenn's talent in front of the camera got noticed and he received rave reviews from the audience and his peers. From that point forward he had a weekly highlight in the news called "Our Man Friday" and later got a daily spot in the newscast, focusing on human interest stories.
Glenn fondly recalls this time as he was given free reign to interview citizen as he wished and to cover stories that he found interesting. One story that comes to his mind was about a life-long farm worker, an individual without a lot of formal education, but a lot of practical talent. This gentleman would turn disused farm machinery and implements into creatively re-functioned objects. Glenn mentioned a big tractor wheel that was adequate with flower pots that could be watered by turning the wheel.
For a practical example of this gentleman's creative handiwork Glenn took me out onto his balcony and showed me a small round garden table, handrafted by this individual from a round heating grate while the feet were made from hasten spikes. Glenn fondly recalls this man as a quiet very humble individual.
Glenn and Jean Cochrane have been living in the Beach for roughly 40 years now. As a matter of fact, Jean was the one who discovered the neighbourhood when she did an interview with a local resident as the woman's editor for Canadian Press. Right around 1970 the Cochranes moved into their first owned home on Beech Avenue.
At that time, Glenn adds, the Beach was unquestionably a forgotten neighbourhood. While the 1970s the Beach had an aging citizen and the area was not nearly as pristine as it is today. Glenn explained that the boardwalk was placed about half an inch below the lake, and routinely in the spring, shards of ice would lift up the boards and big gaping holes would appear in this treasured waterfront promenade, ordinarily requiring high-priced repairs.
When Glenn and Jean first moved here, most of the market performance on Queen road was concentrated in the middle of Woodbine and Lee Avenue. As a matter of fact, Kingston Road added north was prosperous much more than Queen Street. Agreeing to Glenn's study for the book he is currently working on (his new book will be about the Beach), Queen road was not a particularly enthralling destination in the 1930s and 1940s as it was mostly characterized by gas stations and reduction stores. These so-called "junk stores" were oftentimes visited by the police, until their owners decided to call them "antique stores". With the name change, the image of these market changed as well and the frequent police visits stopped.
Glenn unquestionably toll the revival of this neighbourhood to the rebuilding of the Balmy Beach School. The school was old and cramped and in a communal hearing with the local residents, an devotee demographer proclaimed that the school would need to be rebuilt in order to attract young families. And so it happened, the school got rebuilt and the entire Beach neighbourhood became enthralling to families with young children. Large houses that were originally built in the 1920s for large families were filled with life again.
Referring to the transitions in his neighbourhood, Glenn mentioned that the Beach has never unquestionably been known as a customary destination for fashion shopping although there are several established retailers selling men's and women's fashions. He indicated that the demolition of the race track in the early 1990s had a big affect on the neighbourhood. While the race track was still in existence, local residents experienced vital problems with race track customers parking in their driveways and front lawns. A shortage of parking is a coarse refrain in the Beach.
That does not prevent the neighbourhood from throwing major parties throughout the course of the year. The most well-known event is the Beaches Jazz Festival held over four consecutive days every summer. Although a delight to the revelers and music fans that descend on Queen road East every year, the residents were affected by the increased traffic, congestion and crowds at that time. Many of these concerns have now been addressed in collaboration with Sandra Bussin, the City Councillor for the Beach area. performance commonly shuts down at 11 pm so local residents can still get a good night's sleep while visitors are able to enjoy a great road party. Compromise solutions have helped to address the needs of residents and visitors alike.
Glenn's eyes twinkle when he tells me that right in front of his condo a percussion band regular sets up While the Jazz Festival and their repeated drumming sessions can get to you after a while. Some local Beach residents will unquestionably make a point to get out of town While the festival for a weekend of rest and free time in the country. Glenn and his wife Jean love the Jazz Festival, the only downside is that unquestionably very tiny jazz music is played While the festival. Glenn explains that today there are very few New Orleans-style jazz bands left, and the ones that do exist are very high-priced to bring to the city. One group of oldtimer jazz musicians still participates every year at the corner of Lee and Queen, but due to their advanced age, jazz fans need to profess with frequent breaks in their schedule so these jazz veterans can catch some rest and recharge their batteries.
Particularly since his retirement, Glenn Cochrane has become even more complex in local society work. One of his early introductions to charity work was when he purchased a wooden hand-carved rocking horse from a local artist, sold draw tickets for the horse and raised 0 for the Beaches Library, a local society practice that the entire Beach neighbourhood is very proud of.
Centre 55, a local society centre and communal services agency, is another one of Glenn's endeavours: he is the Chairman the Board of Centre 55 and claims that he is not a dominant shape in the running of this foremost organization. He defers all the credit for the work of this practice to Bob Murdoch, the administrative director, who in Glenn's words, doesn't like to be praised. Gene Domagala, who I recently interviewed, and Glenn Cochrane were both voted "Citizens of the Year" in consecutive years (2001 and 2002) and Glenn says that they are very good friends. Glenn ordinarily volunteers as the devotee of ceremony for the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and he also donates his time to the Jazzfest Winegarden Fundraiser and many other local causes.
One of Glenn's foremost causes is architectural preservation, and along with Gene Domagala they roughly singlehandedly saved the predominant Leuty Lifesaving station from sure destruction. Glenn explains that when the city no longer deems a construction useful they grant it with "benign neglect" which sometimes results in the destruction of a historic building. In this case a committee of concerned citizens led by Glenn Cochrane and Gene Domagala started a major fundraising drive to save the Leuty Lifesaving Station. The campaign was called "Sos" ("Save Our Station") and straight through the sale of mugs, t-shirts ("by the truck load", as Glenn says) and a wide variety of special events, the group raised tens of thousands of dollars and the Leuty Lifesaving station was saved. He even organized several harp concerts as fundraisers. The historic buildings was wholly saved in all its glory; the only divergence to the customary version was the facility of a female change room, reflecting the fact that times had changed and that lifesaving today was no longer an exclusively male domain.
Another fundraising event complex a replica of the Leuty Lifesaving Station: slightly bigger than a garden shed, the "Little Leuty" would be given away in a draw to the lucky winner, and the funds raised went to foremost local causes. A woman finally ended up winning the draw and the "Little Leuty" found a welcome spot in her backyard as a playhouse for your young daughter. Creative fundraising has long been one of Glenn Cochrane's strengths.
Community performance kicked into high gear again when the Greenwood Racetrack lands were done in 1993, and demolition was set to start. Glenn and a group of concerned citizens lobbied to turn the old race track area into parkland. Unfortunately, and maybe not surprising inspecting this was prime real estate, the lobbying endeavor failed, and the developments of new townhouses and condos on the old race track lands went ahead. However, the developers were open to the idea of integrating some space for the community, and Agreeing to Glenn, this sent an foremost signal that Beach residents were not just going to be pushed around.
We discussed that residents of the Beach are very protective of their neighbhourhood and would like to keep it the way it is. Currently, the neighbourhood is experiencing some degree of controversy over a new proposed schedule called "Come in from the Cold" which would have homeless citizen pend one night in a local church in the Beach. The schedule has already been operational in other parts of the city. A small group of local residents has expressed concern about this initiative, and there has been some negative media attention, accusing Beachers of having a obvious Nimby (not-in-my-backyard) attitude.
On the other hand, a drop-in schedule that is open to homeless citizen and various disadvantaged residents, has been successfully in doing for the last 6 years. Four churches in the Beach and the Beach Hebrew construct each open their oors once a week from Monday to Friday, welcoming anything off the road to a healthy and nutritious lunch that is run by local volunteers. Glenn's wife Jean ordinarily volunteers for this schedule and helps prepare the meals for this drop-in program.
Glenn added explains that it is a coarse misconception that everybody who lives in the Beach is wealthy. There are a vital number of low-income families in the Beach and a variety of society programs is dedicated to helping impoverished residents. One of the most foremost ones is Centre 55's Christmas schedule which delivers food and toys to hundreds of low wage families. Glenn's wife Jean has also been very complex in the Neighbourhood Link preserve Services, a ommunity organization that helps seniors, newcomers, unemployed and homeless individuals and provides transportation services to seniors. Many businesses in the Beach are ongoing supporters of Neighbourhood Link preserve Services - the spirit of charity and neighbourly help is alive and well in the Beach.
In addition, both Jean and Glenn Cochrane are highly respected authors: Jean has penned a book about Kensington, one of Toronto's colourful neighbourhoods. In 2005 Glenn published his book "Glenn Cochrane - Tales of Toronto" which features a history of Toronto that won't be found in voyage guides or city archives. Glenn is currently working on another book, as yet untitled, which will be about the Beach and hopefully will be ready later this year.
What I unquestionably enjoyed about meeting Glenn Cochrane (and his wife Jean) was that they so graciously opened their home to me and so freely shared their stories and insights. Glenn and I share a passion about Toronto, our respective chosen home towns, and he most willingly shared his stories and experiences with me, another writer who loves to celebrate Toronto and its neighbourhoods. When I mentioned that to Glenn he simply said "The more the merrier". Toronto can probably use as much preserve from as many separate citizen as it can get.
After our conversation we put on our heavy winter coats and headed out for a nice walk in the neighbourhood. We emerged on Queen road near Beech Avenue where Glen pointed out Quigley's Pub, a neighbourhood practice for good food and entertainment. A few doors down is Ed's Ice cream, a real success story in the Beach, and a place that I have visited many a time for a sinfully sweet treat. From there we walked south towards the Balmy Beach Club where Glenn invited me into this hidden members club which, in his words, has the "best patio in all of Toronto". Talking about Toronto and our mutual observations, we then strolled added east on the boardwalk, past the "Legend of the Lake" mural that adorns the south wall of the Balmy Beach Club.
Having reached the end of the Boardwalk we turned around and headed back west to the old location of the Scarbourough Beach Amusement Club that is marked today with a historic plaque. Just over the road are some older apartment buildings with a long history (including the Ramona and the Hubbard road Apartment Buildings, named after one of the first black City Councillors in Toronto's history). Up we strolled on Wineva Avenue, named after daughters Winnie and Eva of one of the Beaches early residents and then headed back east on Queen Street.
There is no doubt that Glenn Cochrane is an devotee on the Beach, and he gives a lot back to his beloved neighbourhood. I for one can't wait to read all the stories in his upcoming book on the Beach.
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