I recently ventured into the heart of the city, Toronto, and ended up at Union Station. I've been there many times before, rushing through, never really paying attention to my surrounds. This time, I wasn't in a hurry and without realizing the intention, I headed up to the Great Hall. I stood in awe, looking up, soaking the detailed beauty of the ceiling, captivated by the beauty of architecture surrounding me. I knew very little about the history of Union Station. All I knew was that 44 years ago, in February of 1967, my family arrived at Union Station in Toronto, after 3 days of train traveling from Vancouver.
Vancouver was our point of entry to Canada. Our family immigrated to Canada from Australia. We traveled by ship and was at sea for 17 days. We departed from Melbourne, Australia, with stops in Sydney, Fiji, New Zealand, Hawaii, San Francisco all the way up to Vancouver. There was an air strike at the time, and my father booked the family to travel by train to Toronto. I have scattered memories of the train travel but I remember the Rockies vividly. How incredibly beautiful are the Rockies!!
As I stood in the Great Hall, I remembered coming out of departures. We were greeted by my uncle, and his friends. I also remember one of my uncle's friends and my father embracing with such happiness. He found a friend, from the old country, Greece. A friend who was in the army with my father, doing their patriotic military duty. I also remember it being very cold, a cold I was not accustomed to. This would take some getting used to, and after 44 years, I'm still trying to get used to it. Actually, I've had enough of the cold!
I walked out to Front Street and stared at the Royal York Hotel. WOW, it's still as grand as the first time I saw the hotel. It was the tallest building in Toronto in 1967. Look at it now, still igniting such grandness in the centre of it all, in fine company with Union Station right across the street.
This Canada Day, I'm going to go back to Union Station and revel in the place, Toronto, which has been my home for 44 years.
Happy Canada Day!
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