IN MEMORIAM TOM MAUNDER – October 31, 1943 – August 11, 2020
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OCTOBER~NOVEMBER~DECEMBER 2020 Volume 25 --- # 444 NNNEXT DEADLINE ::: DECEMBER 1818,,,, 2020 IN MEMORIAM TOM MAUNDER – October 31, 1943 – August 11, 2020. City Park Co-operative Apartments Inc. ~ 484 Church St., Suite 115, Toronto M4Y 2C7 416-924-6294 REMEMBERING TOM MAUNDER LINK is published quarterly as of January 2020. The next LINK deadline for “Are you the one in charge of the submissions is December 1818,, 2020 . TV?” barked a loud and belligerent voice on the other end of my cell phone. It was a Saturday morning in early July of 2017. I was standing with my dad beside our half-built new pump house at our cottage near Your LINK Team: Editor/Coordinator: Bob Harrison Drue Bracebridge. My hands were Contributors: covered in grease and plumber’s Ursula Carter, Merle Matheson, pipe dope. We were in the midst of Michel Gauvin Distribution: Mitch Lambert an ambitious pump replacement project and I was expecting a call MAUNDER, Thomas Carlyle from a plumber about a question we Passed away at home, on August 11, had regarding a certain fitting which 2020 in Toronto, at the age of 77. we were struggling to install. Beloved friend, educator, and art collector. His sense of humour, wit A couple of weeks earlier, I had and determination will be started working at a large housing remembered. Tom was a unique and cooperative in downtown Toronto prolific supporter of artists in called City Park. There were two Toronto and inspired others to bring major projects which I was tasked art into their homes. A committed with overseeing – both of which had community member, he served as the potential to be disruptive for Board Member to the City Park Co- many of the co-op’s members and, op. To those of us who knew Tom, he for others, quite infuriating. One of was an intelligent, sympathetic, and these projects involved the building thoughtful man, who never held back and installation of an entirely new in offering his opinion and support to satellite television system his friends. As per his wishes, there throughout the co-op’s three will be no service or celebration. buildings. The construction of the Photos, thoughts and memories may new system caused an instability in be shared the existing system and, as we online: https://beautifultribute.com / learned through bitter experience tom-maunder/ over the course of the project, channels on the existing system (Toronto Star – August 22, 2020). were prone to cut out at any time – even when work was not actually 2 being done – like on a Saturday back. Tom’s voice generally put the morning. fear of God into the office staff; I decided to walk in and introduce Tom Maunder was, among his many myself. After a few minutes, the characteristics and eccentricities, a General Manager left to attend to very serious tennis fan. On this something, leaving us with only each Saturday morning, the Wimbledon other. He asked me about my Women’s Final was on. It was on for cottage and then he fondly recalled Tom, that is, before the TSN signal at his days as a teenager at an uncle’s City Park cut out mid-match. He was sprawling property on Lake of Bays. understandably furious. When he He told me that when he was 20 called me that morning, I had no idea years old his uncle had asked him to who he was. promise to him that he would marry, have children and bring those “Well, I suppose you could say that”, children to the cottage and that if he I replied, concluding that there was were to so promise, his uncle (who clearly a problem with the City Park had no children of his own) would television system and also knowing leave the property to him. Tom that it wasn’t going to be one which I explained to me that he could not could likely solve on a Saturday and did not make that promise to his morning from my cottage. He railed uncle who then proceeded to sell the on for a couple of minutes before property shortly afterward. I found realizing that I was a contract this story moving and sad. The project manager and not a satellite General Manager returned before I television technician and that he had could ask Tom any follow-up actually called me on a Saturday, for questions. which he eventually apologized. On A week or two later, I had the the fly, I came up with an analogy for opportunity to ask those questions. I him which described the building of was unlocking my bike to ride home the new television system as from City Park one afternoon when equivalent to rebuilding an airplane Tom approached on his way for a while in flight and with paying late lunch at Sambuca on Church passengers on board. He thanked Street. I asked if I could join him. We me for what he admitted was an talked for a couple of hours. I asked amusing analogy, but he was still him if he thought that his uncle had furious about the loss of his tennis been testing him with his request 54 broadcast. years earlier – testing to see if Tom would come out to him as a gay man. A few days later, I was in the City Tom chuckled at that suggestion but Park office when I heard that same wasn’t sure of the answer. bombastic voice emanating from the General Manager’s quarters at the 3 Obviously, time had mostly healed deep background and history. He that wound but he still regretted loved to complain about every never going to Lake of Bays again. imaginable aspect of the co-op’s He shared with me some of his governance and physical state – experiences navigating the difficult from the office staff who he took practices of the clandestine world of pleasure (often too much pleasure) Toronto’s gay community of the in berating to the sometimes- 1950s, 60s and 70s. crumbling infrastructure of the buildings themselves. Tom loved City Over the next three years, Tom and I Park Co-op and feared for its future. spoke regularly - often on one of the Those of us who remain involved benches in the City Park courtyard, with it owe a duty, in his memory, to and on the phone and by email. I alleviate that fear. sometimes call myself a writer and Tom provided me with valuable and Nigel Aplin constructive criticism on the pieces I Project Manager at City Park asked him to read. When my aging parents encountered health and other issues, his sage advice and CHF CANADA’S VIRTUAL FALL wise counsel was welcome and EDUCATION FORUM ––– OCT 28 TO useful. He always asked about my NOV 30 partner – who for some reason he referred to as Gwendolyn. Tom’s CHF Canada is working hard to knowledge of literature, film and art provide members with the education knew no bounds while mine barely and networking we need during registers, but because of his COVID-19, while keeping everyone willingness to share, we were able to safe and healthy. connect on these subjects as well. He even had a personal story about Following the success of their Virtual one of my favourite Canadian artists, Member Education Forum a few Norval Morrisseau. months ago, they’re working with a virtual event provider to design an The subject that we probably exciting mix of regional and national discussed most often was City Park education and networking scheduled Co-op. As a quasi-staff member, I to take place from October 28 to had certain insights and as a Board November 3030. member, he obviously did too. As a They are partnering with several newcomer to the community, regional federations and sponsors arriving with no pre-existing and this event promises to cover a assumptions, I did my best to lot of new and vital topics. provide him with objective information and context. He offered Visit: https://chfcanada.coop 4 When someone asks, “Do you want a in Cudia Park on a summer morning, piece of advice?” – it’s merely a and you might just think you were formality – it doesn’t matter if you looking down on a tropical paradise answer yes or no – on account of the cerulean waters of you’re going to Lake Ontario. get it anyway. (Erma Bombeck) The French gave the name ‘Les grands Ecores’, or tall points on the shore, to the cliffs. In the 1788 Plan I always knew I’d of Toronto, the bluffs were simply get old – how fast known as the High Lands. The it happened was a escarpment reminded Elizabeth bit of a surprise Simcoe (wife of the first Lieutenant though – Governor of Upper Canada) of the (Anonymous) limestone cliffs in her hometown in England. In her diary, she wrote, TORONTO PARKS III "The shore has the appearance of chalk cliffs - we talked of building a SCARBOROUGH BLUFFS PARK summer residence there and calling it Scarborough”. In time, the cliffs Forming much of the eastern portion became known as the Bluffs. of Toronto's waterfront, the The Scarborough Bluffs formerly Scarborough Bluffs stand above the extended west along the coastline of shoreline of Lake Ontario. At its Lake Ontario towards the Toronto highest point, the escarpment rises Harbour, but extensive areas along 300 ft above the coastline and spans the western fringe were leveled by the use of explosives for the a length of 15 kilometres (9.3 mi). implementation of industrial and There are nine parks along the some residential urban bluffs, with Bluffers Park being the development.