4 Friday, March 11, 2022brooklintowncrier.com While Canada is not presided over by a president, that did not stop Brooklin from having a First Lady. Beginning in 1852, members of the Whitby Township Council were only men. This changed on December 12, 1955, when rate- payers elected the first woman to a council seat. Brooklin's Myrtle (Myrt) Lovelock defeated her opponent, fellow Brooklinite Sydney Lockyer, by 53 votes to give her an entrance into the historically male only legislative body where she served as councillor until 1959. Along with other duties, she chaired the Park Board which was responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of all the Township's public parks, including the original Brooklin Memorial arena. Myrt, a business woman, wife, and mother of three sons, was a charismatic and popular figure in the community. In 1955, when General Motors went on strike and her husband Ed was out of work, Brooklin residents bought chicken dinners at the Hole in the Wall Restaurant she managed. The tiny restaurant, about the size of a takeout place, was situated on the corner of Baldwin and Way Streets, in the corner of a garage she rented from Brooklin businessman Walter Labanovich. Determined not to lose the business when he raised the rent, she moved it to the family's home on George Street. Second victory The second time Myrt was seen as First Lady was in 1962 when she ran for the position of Deputy- Reeve on the Whitby Township Council. She defeated the sitting Deputy-Reeve, John Goodwin, by 89 votes. Myrt's husband was a strong supporter of her political aspirations. However, after she completed her year as Deputy-Reeve, she gave up politics. They bought a parcel of land at 7725 Baldwin Street north and built a restaurant. Rearranging their initials, they named it The ELM, but to locals it was always known as Myrt's. The family left the house on George Street to move into living quarters in the building's lower level where Myrt entertained a variety of well known people. An employee said that Joel Aldridge, radio host, the first President of CFTO-TV and part owner of CHFI-FM, made a point of stopping by on his way home from Toronto to Port Perry. Myrt loved a good debate and Clayton Ruby, one of Canada's leading lawyers and a prominent activist who specialized in constitutional and civil rights, often dropped in on the way to his cottage to engage in political chat. Ed died in 1977 and "First Lady" Myrt in 1990 at the age of 73. The couple is buried in St. Paul's Anglican Cemetery in Columbus, Ontario. Brooklin's First Lady By Jennifer Hudgins I am searching for anyone living in the Brooklin area who may be able to assist me in solving a family mystery. Mary Craig Duff/Bolton may have resided in the area prior to her death in February, 1955. Mary was buried at Grove Side Cemetery. She was born in Durris, Scotland, on September 11, 1874. I am looking for relatives of the following who may have been her friends: William Brown, Postmaster, William Ashton, Legion, Mr. & Mrs. W Sawdon, William McNea, Mr.& Mrs. W Roach, Mrs. Alex Bremner, Mr. & Mrs. Burt Smith, Mrs. C Kemp, Mr. E Bowman, Mr. J Sturgess, Mrs. A Hagen, Mrs. Halpenny, Eleanor M Kemp, R McNea, Mrs. A Stanlick, Mrs. B Cornel/Cornew(unsure of correct surname) and Rev M J Cathcart. Mary is my maternal grandmother's half-sister and would have been my Great Aunt. I have many questions requiring answers. Please contact me at moragmulford@hotmail. co.uk or at 289-356-3369. I need your help! Regards Morag Mulford Letter to the editor: Former Brooklinite Seeks Help in Family Mystery At the March 7 council meeting, Regional Councillor Rhonda Mulcahy made a motion, seconded by Councillor Elizabeth Roy, that town staff investigate the feasibility of additional off-leash dog parks in Whitby, specifically at Optimist Park on Cassels Road. This was in response to areas throughout the town where bylaw has had to regularly address offleash issues. As well, while Whitby has two such parks already, they are largely only accessible by car rather than walkable. The motion asked for staff to report to council in the second quarter this year regarding enclosing part of Optimist park for this purpose. Off-Leash Dog Park in Brooklin?