June Callwood – The Warrior Princess

June Callwood was a force to be reckoned with; especially to those that were in her way to granting kindness to all. It’s said that with power comes responsibility and in the case that you had power over a resource that June Callwood needed, you were pursued till she made you realize the responsibility you have to all you have power over; I call her “The Warrior Princess.”

I don’t usually write about people on my blog rather I focus on buildings and places in Cabbagetown that I find interesting so this is a new feat for me as I try to summerize all that I feel into this post.

My day yesterday was a long one and it ended with me working for 14 hours then going to say hello to my neighbor Margaret McBurney on my way home. She had asked me to take care of couple of items around her place. She offered a drink which I graciously accepted and we started talking about life, work and families. I was inquiring about how Bob, Margaret’s partner, was doing since he was admitted to hospital due to Cancer and during our discussion the name June Callwood came up.

I’ll admit, I had heard the name but didn’t know much about her. I was profoundly surprised when Margaret told me her history with June and how she was one of the team member that created the Casey House. She also told me the story about how when June was admitted to the hospital during her last days that a lot of the nurses didn’t know who June was which begged a question from Megan, Margaret’s daughter, to put a collection of “June Stories” together. The collection edited by Margaret McBurney is comprised of 60 stories from June’s friends and family. Margaret graciously offered me to borrow the book, It’s all about Kindness – Remembering June Callwood, which I will be buying for my collection, and my night finished well after 2 AM when I was done reading the recollections of June’s friend and family.

The stories blew me away… The relentless pursuit of justice leading to her have founded organizations such as the first AIDS Hospice Casey House, Nellie’s Hostel for Women and Jessie’s Center for Teenagers, and countless other crusades such as Civil Liberties Association, The Issue Is Choice, Maggie’s (a Toronto prostitutes’ community service project), the Polish Journalists Aid Committee, Connecting Seniors of Canada, the Canadian Campaign for Prison System Improvements, the city of Toronto’s Children’s Network and Women for Political Action to name a few.

A relentless activist and kind person! I’ve never met her but reading all the stories in the book made me feel as if I’ve lost out on something important in my life. The book, Remembering Jane Callwood, is a powerful book to show you what a person can do in their lifetime. I urge you to get your copy! All proceeds from the book are donated to Casey House by Margaret.

As I sit now writing this post, I can’t help but think what my legacy in this world might be. I’ve been a bit resigned in life since I lost my Amijaan (mother) in November last year and reading this book has reminded me that anyone that is gone hasn’t left till we have forgotten the values they tried to instill in us. Make everyday count and being kind to all!

I was able to find June’s last interview with George Stroumboulopolous which was filmed in 2007 and it shows her amazing personalty, her love for her husband, family and world. Kindness will save us all!

For a more detailed look back at her life, you can read this Toronto Star article that goes into a bit more detail.