6 Friday, December 22, 2023 brooklintowncrier.com By Jennifer Hudgins With a mere handshake carrying the weight of a contract, two modern-day pioneers, Stato Kozaroff and Vasil Phillips, struck an agreement to equally divide 64 acres of trees, creeks and fields they had jointly purchased. It was the beginning of what became the Macedonian Village. In 1945, the two men from Toronto were searching for a summer refuge when they came across the plot of land north of Lynbrook Rd., and just east of Coronation Road. Spring water flowed from a nearby stream and they realized that this location would provide a perfect summer retreat for their families, far removed from the city's clamour. Dividing property Kozaroff acquired the property south of Stevens Road while Phillips claimed the northern portion. They settled this by drawing lots, putting pieces of paper into a hat and each picking one to decide who got which section. With an eye to future development, both agreed to reserve a couple of acres for a community park. Preferring non-Macedonian names for the dirt roads, they named them Stevens (English for Stato), Phillips, Shepherd (for Kozaroff's family history of goat shepherding), Ward (in honour of the village's first non-Macedonian resident) and Park because it ran alongside the park. Initially, both families visited the Village on weekends and holidays. They planted vegetable gardens and spent summers exploring. In 1953, Kozaroff's daughter Evelyn, her husband How Macedonian Village Began Norm O'Leary, and their four boys became the first family to make the Village their permanent home. They moved Kozaroff's 24' x 24' car garage from Toronto to Evelyn's lot on Shepherd Avenue, dug a well, put in a septic tank and established a full-time life in the Village. Simple dwellings In the meantime, Phillips divided his land, selling parcels to families dedicated to preserving Macedonian traditions. Originally there were no official deeds. Instead, plots were measured out by walking and counting steps. The dwellings were simple and mutual aid was the norm among families. Some purchased retired TTC streetcars and converted them into summer cottages. As more people moved to the Village, small bungalows were built, with rooms gradually added to accommodate their growing families. In 1958, the Town of Whitby introduced subdivision control, requiring surveys for each property and in some instances adjustments to property lines. The town acquired the previously designated parkland and named it Phillips Kozaroff Park, complete with a plaque recognizing its donation by the founders of the Macedonian Village. Peter Tobias, whose home is on Ward Street, is the only original Macedonian still living in the Village. He recalls when his family came from Toronto in the summer to visit with other families. They grew vegetables to take back to their restaurant in the city, held picnics and danced in the park. While dirt roads are now paved and small houses have given way to larger dwellings, the sense of community vital to those first families still exists in the Village today.