Questions about a Harbord CI student’s musical path drew us into 1930s Toronto—an era of popular radio, big bands, and dance halls. The Depression dragged along (1928-1939); pre-war Europe simmered, but people flocked to venues like the Palais Royale to hear “Canada’s King of Swing,” Bert Niosi, and his house-band […]
Harbord Collegiate
3 posts
In June1974—for the first time in its history—the Toronto Board of Education allowed liquor to be served at one of its schools. The occasion was a bang-up homecoming weekend for Harbord students flocking back to celebrate their beloved collegiate. A stellar barbershop quartet of Louis Weingarten and Frank Shuster (Wayne […]
More than 3,000 women volunteered for the Canadian Army Medical Corps (CAMC) in the First World War. All had trained as nurses before the war; average age was 24. Nicknamed “blue birds,” because of their blue uniforms and white veils, they assisted with surgery and cared for convalescing soldiers. Though […]