humble horde of heraldic hopefuls happened to have a happy happening at
historic Hart House! Several members and guests gathered for a tour of
the edifice and its history, led by a first-year student named Joanna,
from Halifax. We had opportunities to see the architecture of the House,
and excellent occasions to view the many heraldic coats of arms in the
Great Hall. Some of us took advantage of the students we met by relating
stories of our own student days at the University, and comparing their
hardships of student life with those of today's students. No winner was
determined. We then enjoyed a reception in the Debates Room.
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Heraldic beast holding a shield of the arms of Canada, on display on the west wall of the Debates Room
Photo: Raymond Morrell
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Society President Dr Kevin Greaves, CD, FRHSC, entertains in the Debates Room of Hart House
Photo: David M. Cvet
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Following a dinner of gastronomical
delight served in the Debates Room with fine Ontario
wines, the
Branch presented a cheque for $1500.00 to Hart House's Heraldic
Display restoration project. This donation was matched by the Royal
Heraldry Society of Canada, on
whose behalf society president Dr Kevin Greaves, FRHSC, also presented a
cheque. Both amounts are the equally divided shares
of the profit from the 2004 Annual General Meeting in Hamilton, Ontario in
October 2004.
The outgoing Branch President, Captain
David Rumball, is shown to the right with Ms Caroline Pereira, Senior
Development Officer for Hart House (photo:
David Cvet). Captain Rumball also presented a
personal cheque for $500.00 to honour his parents, both of whom attended the
University of Toronto.
This was followed by a talk
from the conservator of the heraldic shields, Mr Reumen Kirinkov, who cited
the extreme efforts of his staff in restoring the details in the shields in
the Great Hall of Hart House, and the methods they employed to promote
conservation and restoration. Several slides of works completed and in
process, with before and after shots, complemented his talk. The Reverend
Canon David Bowyer then spoke on the history of Hart House and the many
adventures that building has endured, including having soldiers camped out
on its lawns and in the library during the First World War!
New branch president, Mr David Cvet, gives his inaugural address |
Mr Reumen Kirinkov explains the restoration of the Great Hall heraldic shields |
Reverend Canon Bowyer recites some history about Hart House |
The evening ended with a brief
Annual General Meeting, at which the new president, Mr David Cvet, was
elected. The financial report shows the Branch to be soundly in the black,
with a solid membership base. The new president has a couple of events in
the planning stage for the upcoming year, of which more can be found in this
and future issues of Hogtown Heraldry. Our Branch webmaster
continues to be Mr Raymond Morrell and he will assume secretarial duties, Ms
Susan Peters as Director, Communications, Mr Brian Domander and Mr John Ames
continue as Directors at Large, and Mr John Wilkes stays on as Treasurer.
Royal Heraldry