As we step into this New Year of 2018, we pray that it will bring with it hope and peace across the world especially to our tight-knit community - the “Village of Streetsville”. While we wish for better times ahead it is also important to reflect on the past and learn from our experiences with the goal of a better future. Unfortunately, history often repeats itself, but men and women will continue to strive to break the cycle and learn from the lessons of the past. With these thoughts in mind, let’s reflect on 2017 and some other dark periods in Streetsville recent and not so recent history.
In October 2017 Brad Butt, who represented the electoral district of Mississauga - Streetsville from 2011 to 2015 as a member of the Conservative Party, spoke at the Streetsville Historical Society General Meeting on his passion for Mississauga. Brad began his presentation by reviewing some of the week’s sad events that are noted below. These recent events were troubling to Brad and of course our membership but he reminded us that we need to focus on working towards a better local community through continued involvement and service.
2017 was marked by numerous violent and criminal acts in Streetsville. On October 7, 2017, a young 23 year old man, Alan Connor Drew, died in hospital after having sustained serious blunt force trauma injuries from a senseless beating by another young man in the area of Queen Street South and Tannery Street. Many of his friends and family said he had a “gentle soul” and sometimes called him “Mr. Streetsville”. Our small community was shocked and saddened by this terrible news.
On October 11, 2017 just before 11 a.m., the Royal Bank at the corner of Queen Street South and Maiden Lane was robbed at gunpoint by two masked men. On November 12, 2017 there was a robbery at Shiv Convenience located on River Grove Avenue near Creditview and Bristol Roads. The robbers restrained the employee at gunpoint and also a second victim who had entered the convenience store at the time of the robbery.
Streetsville has not escaped other acts of crime and violence through its history. On April 13, 2017 at the SHS General Meeting, Mathew Wilkinson, Historian, presented –“The Darker Side: Stories of Crime and Punishment from Historic Mississauga”. Of the 20+ documented crimes from the mid-1800s to today that he spoke about, there was the 1879 Dandie Mystery where Thomas Dandie’s body found in Faskens Bush1; the 1901 Streetsville Scoundrel – Frank Rutledge and the Rutledge Gang Robberies2 ; and the 1910 murder of The Streetsville Laundry Owner Joe Crag witnessed by Mabel Graydon3.
In retrospect, some of these stories become legendary and folkloric and we don’t view them in the same way as if they were current violent or criminal acts. Yet, they are nonetheless, reprehensible acts that should not be glorified and would not be glorified if placed in today’s context.
On a positive note and with further reflection, if we have the desire to change and improve our lives and those of others we can change our actions and build a model for an educated and compassionate society that previous generations have strived for and future generations will build upon. We must not compare the acts of the past with those of today but instead reflect on them and take the wisdom to shape a different world moving forward.
“The very purpose of our life is happiness, which is sustained by hope. We have no guarantee about the future, but we exist in the hope of something better. Hope means keeping going, thinking, ‘I can do this.’ It brings inner strength, self-confidence, the ability to do what you do honestly, truthfully and transparently.” – The Dalai Lama, Facebook
Note:
1 The Darker Side – 1879 Dandie Mystery by Matthew Wilkinson
2 The Darker Side – A Streetsville Scoundrel by Andrea Kennedy
3 The Darker Side – The Streetsville Laundry Owner by Nicole Mair
