FAIRBANK LUMBER AND COAL COMPANY
In 1888, the face of the area really began to change when, anticipating suburban growth, the Belt Line Railway promoters encircled the city with a commuter railway line. The line crossed Dufferin north of Eglinton, where a station named Fairbank was added. Unfortunately, the economy collapsed and Belt Line Railway went with it. However, in the optimistic glow accompanying the election of Prime Minister Laurier in 1896, The Grand Trunk Railway revived plans for the Old Belt Line Railway, which would cross West Toronto down to Union Station.
Sadly, it became a disappointment to the owners, but came into its own as a branch siding serving the north end of the city. One of its functions was to deliver lumber and coal to the many retail lumberyards located along the Belt Line railroad, such as the Fairbank Lumber and Coal Company, which was located on the north side of the rail line and the east side of Dufferin Street at Roselawn Avenue. Now, the tracks have been removed and it has become part of the York Beltline Trail.
Sadly, it became a disappointment to the owners, but came into its own as a branch siding serving the north end of the city. One of its functions was to deliver lumber and coal to the many retail lumberyards located along the Belt Line railroad, such as the Fairbank Lumber and Coal Company, which was located on the north side of the rail line and the east side of Dufferin Street at Roselawn Avenue. Now, the tracks have been removed and it has become part of the York Beltline Trail.
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In fact, the railway would cross by a 100-acre farm near the Dufferin and Eglinton intersection. This land belonged to John T. Watson, one of the founding families in the area. And if there was one central theme in John T.’s life, it was the association with the word Fairbank, an association that he eventually passed down to his descendants.
John Thomas Watson himself was a descendant of Joseph Watson, son of the pioneer Christopher Watson. The Watson family emigrated from the County of Cumberland in England in 1819, crossing the Atlantic on a sailing vessel, progressing up the St. Lawrence River and landing at the town of York, then a small group of wooden homes that later became the City of Toronto. The family moved to a farm in 1820, the Sprucegrove Farm, purchased with some hundreds of pounds sterling brought from England. The farmhouse eventually became known as 567 Ridelle Ave. in York Township. In 1961, the property was sold and the family moved to 20 Riverside Blvd., in Thornhill. In 1898, Gordon McKay Watson was born (the fourth of seven children born to the late John Thomas Watson and Isabel Gardiner), born in the Watson house on the Sprucegrove Farm in the village of Fairbank. Remember, this was during the later reign of Queen Victoria. Sir Wilfred Laurier was Prime Minister of Canada, which then consisted of seven provinces. Gordon’s father, John T., as he was affectionately known among close friends, served as deputy reeve for seven years and then reeve for two years of the Township of York in the early part of the century. |
The old Belt Line bridge.
John T. himself (top row, second from the left) with a few of his cronies.
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John T. eventually sold 87 of the 100 acres of the family farm to a local developer in 1909, retaining the 13 acres that contained the home and farm building. In 1910, he applied to the railway for a siding. In 1912, immigrants who came to take up land in that part of Toronto could purchase their coal and lumber from the Watson farm. That year, the farm was subdivided into building lots and John T. organized and established the Fairbank Lumber and Coal Company, Limited, with his partner, David Riddell, a knowledgeable lumberman, and his son Gordon Watson.
Gordon’s life revolved around the world of Fairbank: the village of Fairbank (his home), Fairbank United Church (his church), Fairbank Lumber and Coal Co. (his entrepreneurial spirit, his employer and his vocation), Fairbank Lodge (his masonic and social interest) and Fairbank Lions Club (his community involvement).
Gordon attended Fairbank School, named in 1915, then Oakwood Collegiate. He left school after Grade 10 on the premise that his services were required on the farm. He was a self-educated person having mastered the mathematics of business and effective writing. In 1921, Gordon married Kathleen Hamilton. They had two children Mary (1939) and John (1943). Before Kathleen passed in 1987, they had celebrated 65 years of marriage.
In retrospect, it was, perhaps, this lack of a formal education that caused Gordon to place a heavy emphasis on a university education when it came to the rearing of his two children. John notes that “The other influence and not to be understated was my mother, who was a schoolteacher. Mom had two brothers and three sisters. One brother, Gavin, was a university professor, and the second brother, Jimmy, was a mink farmer in Lac La Biche, Alta. All four sisters: Margaret (Peggy), Florence, Ella and Kathleen (mom) graduated from the Toronto Normal School (now the current Ontario Institute for Studies in Education) and became schoolteachers.”
Since the present Fairbank United Church dates back to 1889, it becomes evident that Gordon had been part of the life of Fairbank Methodist/United Church for almost as long as the congregation has been housed in the building. As a boy, he loved to go to church on Saturdays to help C.B. Parsons ready the furnace for Sunday services and during much of his adult life, he served as secretary of the official board.
Gordon often reminisced about the pristine spring that flowed from a berm on the Belt Line Railway, just west of where it presently crosses Dufferin Street some four and one half blocks north of Eglinton Avenue. He called it a virtual oasis. Sam Meadows, an employee and watchman, carried water from there. Sam, his wife, Topsy, and their dog Peggy lived in the little brick house that stood in the southwest corner of the Fairbank Lumber property (at a later time it served as the office for the company, then as an office for the Justice of the Peace).
In 1921, on Dec. 19, Fairbank Lodge was instituted. It was a new lodge in Toronto District 6, spun off from York Lodge, with 19 charter members. John T., who had been a member of York Lodge, became the first master of the new Fairbank Lodge and his son Gordon was the first candidate, initiated into Fairbank Lodge on Jan. 16, 1922. Gordon maintained his interest in masonry and his involvement in his lodge until he was physically unable to attend. In 1998, Gordon was the only surviving member of the lodge who had been a member throughout its entire 75-year history.
Gordon’s life revolved around the world of Fairbank: the village of Fairbank (his home), Fairbank United Church (his church), Fairbank Lumber and Coal Co. (his entrepreneurial spirit, his employer and his vocation), Fairbank Lodge (his masonic and social interest) and Fairbank Lions Club (his community involvement).
Gordon attended Fairbank School, named in 1915, then Oakwood Collegiate. He left school after Grade 10 on the premise that his services were required on the farm. He was a self-educated person having mastered the mathematics of business and effective writing. In 1921, Gordon married Kathleen Hamilton. They had two children Mary (1939) and John (1943). Before Kathleen passed in 1987, they had celebrated 65 years of marriage.
In retrospect, it was, perhaps, this lack of a formal education that caused Gordon to place a heavy emphasis on a university education when it came to the rearing of his two children. John notes that “The other influence and not to be understated was my mother, who was a schoolteacher. Mom had two brothers and three sisters. One brother, Gavin, was a university professor, and the second brother, Jimmy, was a mink farmer in Lac La Biche, Alta. All four sisters: Margaret (Peggy), Florence, Ella and Kathleen (mom) graduated from the Toronto Normal School (now the current Ontario Institute for Studies in Education) and became schoolteachers.”
Since the present Fairbank United Church dates back to 1889, it becomes evident that Gordon had been part of the life of Fairbank Methodist/United Church for almost as long as the congregation has been housed in the building. As a boy, he loved to go to church on Saturdays to help C.B. Parsons ready the furnace for Sunday services and during much of his adult life, he served as secretary of the official board.
Gordon often reminisced about the pristine spring that flowed from a berm on the Belt Line Railway, just west of where it presently crosses Dufferin Street some four and one half blocks north of Eglinton Avenue. He called it a virtual oasis. Sam Meadows, an employee and watchman, carried water from there. Sam, his wife, Topsy, and their dog Peggy lived in the little brick house that stood in the southwest corner of the Fairbank Lumber property (at a later time it served as the office for the company, then as an office for the Justice of the Peace).
In 1921, on Dec. 19, Fairbank Lodge was instituted. It was a new lodge in Toronto District 6, spun off from York Lodge, with 19 charter members. John T., who had been a member of York Lodge, became the first master of the new Fairbank Lodge and his son Gordon was the first candidate, initiated into Fairbank Lodge on Jan. 16, 1922. Gordon maintained his interest in masonry and his involvement in his lodge until he was physically unable to attend. In 1998, Gordon was the only surviving member of the lodge who had been a member throughout its entire 75-year history.
Many of Gordon’s friends were members of Fairbank Lodge, known as the Fairbank mafia: Crawford (Doc) Gould from St. Cuthbert’s United Church (also Gould’s Drug Store, which was later purchased by Fergy Brown, who became mayor of the City of York), Canon (The Boomer) Jackson (rector of St. Hilda’s Anglican Church and a driving force behind the Northwestern General Hospital and St. Hilda’s Towers senior citizen apartments), Herb Blues (the manager of the Toronto-Dominion Bank at the northwest corner of Dufferin and Eglinton), John Arnott (Arnott’s service station at the corner of Eglinton Avenue and Locksley Avenue, better known for the call of “com’ on Teeder” at the home games of the Toronto Maple Leafs at Maple Leaf Gardens in reference to his Maple Leaf hero, Teeder Kennedy), Bob Ferguson (a mason of impeccable standing), Farquhar (Scottie) McCrae (lawyer and judge) and Bob Alexander (Chief of Police).
Not only did they enjoy the fellowship of ancient free masonry through the Fairbank Lodge, but they were also members of the Fairbank Lions Club and they enjoyed an annual fall expediton to hunt deer in the Barry’s Bay area of northeastern Ontario (just a little beyond the eastern entrance to Algonquin Park). This area was known for logging and, through the goodwill of Murray Brothers Lumber, a supplier of rough and finished lumber to Fairbank Lumber, Gordon was able to have the gang bunk out at the logging camp and share the cooking prepared for the lumberjacks. Gordon always argued that he just went for the opportunity to be close to nature and enjoy the fellowship of his friends. But apparently, he was a very accurate shot, and often brought home venison. His sharp eye may explain why he was such a good bowler, he always had a 200+ average and, as a member of the Fairbank Bowling League, he always enjoyed it, since a bad back kept him out of more physically demanding sports.
If one word could describe Gordon Watson, it would be integrity. He really believed in the principle that your word is your bond. A handshake meant you had an agreement. A close, second characteristic would be generous. Many of Gordon’s good deeds in life were always undertaken in the most circumspect manner and handled quietly; that was his way. As well, Gordon could be described as industrious, principled, careful and level-headed. He witnessed his Christian convictions by setting a very strong example in the way that he lived his day-to-day life.
When Fairbank Lumber was incorporated in 1912, Gordon was one of the early owners along with his father, John T., and his partner David Riddell. There were five employees that first year. An old cheque from 1918 suggests that Gordon was making $40 every two weeks, which meant an annual salary of $1,040. Fairbank Lumber became the focal point of Gordon’s career: it thrived and he did, too. He was still working a six-day week in 1982 at the age of 85. He was an integral part of that operation for 83 years until it was sold in 1995, and witnessed firsthand some of the changing business landscape: the boom after the turn of the century, the First World War, the business expansion of the 1920s, the Great Depression, the Second World War and the great economic expansion (baby boom) of the second half of the century.
Gordon Watson was always happy with the progress in terms of sales and profits, but he felt equally good about the company’s record as a fair employer. Gordon managed his business as he did his life: with integrity, trust and loyalty. A good illustration is the accounting firm that did the very first audit of his company. When they started the business, they needed an auditor, and they hired Warren Hurst’s father’s firm, Gunn Roberts. He was the auditor, but back in the day, he was also allowed to own shares in the company. As time went on, he had a son, Warren, who became a gracious mentor to Gordon’s son, John. Warren, a graduate of the Harvard Business School and a chartered accountant, served on the company’s board, and when Hurst Sr. passed on, he left his shares to his three children: Warren, John and Lois. After many mergers, Gunn Roberts morphed into KPMG, the auditor today of Sprucegrove Investment Management Limited and Fairbank Investment Management limited.
Gordon was proud of the fact that the company remained in the black in each and every year throughout the Great Depression, except 1930, the only year the business lost money, a total of $500. He attributed this incredible feat to the fact that York Township was installing sidewalks alongside the roads and those sidewalks were made of wood. The contract to supply the lumber to this project more than any other single event helped the company to survive the Great Depression. There were never any layoffs, and no family was ever refused coal.
Fairbank Lumber and Coal Co. survived some challenges from the Great Depression of the 1930s, including fires in adjacent lumber companies’ yards in the 1960s and 1970s. A lumberman’s worst nightmare is a fire! The Oliver Lumber Co., located on the south side of the Belt Line Railway adjacent to the east end of the Fairbank property went up in flames. And the Home Lumber Co., located west of Oliver’s and immediately south of the Fairbank property, burnt down, as well. According to John, “On both occasions, Fairbank Lumber was just plain lucky.”
It may not sound like a lot, but in 1934, the company built a four-room summer cottage for a client, including a porch for only $295. Eight kinds of coal were sold for home heating, ranging in price from $10.50 to $14.50 a ton, before it was phased out in the late ’40s.
Gordon Watson always had vision and, in 1964, he sat on a farmer’s doorstep in Vaughan every day for a month until finally the farmer sold him 10 acres of land on the north side of Steeles Avenue between Dufferin and Keele Street. A few years later, he purchased an adjoining six acres. It was here, in late 1983, after nearly three-quarters of a century in one location, Fairbank Lumber began construction of a second location, a combination traditional lumberyard and home-centre outlet. In the long run, Gordon felt that the company would outgrow the property at 2441 Dufferin Street (3.7 acres).
In 1984, the company opened its second outlet at 1900 Steeles Ave. W. At the peak of its activity, the company had sales in excess of $30 million and employed more than 200 people. It was not until the onslaught of the category killers like Aikenheads (owned by Molsons and later sold to Home Depot in the United States), which severely hurt profit margins, coupled with the recession of 1990-92 with a 12 per cent unemployment rate, which curtailed sales, that Gordon, at age 94, made a monumental decision to sell the business.
Gordon was certainly not interested in associating with any of the big-box stores. “The company has always been an independent operation, and always will be,” said Gordon. “It was pretty tempting to join one of the big chains, and we were associated with one group of lumbermen for a while. But when they started talking about a Canadian Tire type of chain store, we pulled out.”
One of the things that Gordon detested the most in his life was debt. This may have come from witnessing firsthand the economic ravages of the Great Depression or it may have been one of those great financial principles that come to some people early in life, but either way, Gordon hated debt. He never owned a credit card. He always paid cash. He was proud of the fact that the company was able to undertake the Steeles Avenue expansion without incurring any debt. And by the mid-’80s, Fairbank Lumber was the only survivor of about 15 family-owned lumber firms in the Toronto area during the 1930s and ’40s.
Gordon’s one love at the office was the mill, and he could often be seen trudging up the lumber yard carrying any number of rough 2x 4s, 2x8s or 2x 10s on his shoulder and heading for the mill. John notes that “it was no wonder that he had a bad back!” It was Gordon’s home away from home. In fact, Gordon could change the blades in a moulder to create many different types of moulds, and over time, the company built its reputation around mouldings and trim, distinguishing it from some of the other big-box stores that had started to pop up. It was truly a “competitive advantage.” Gordon rolled up his sleeves and worked side by side with the staff until well into his ’80s. This example was instrumental in building the close bond of loyalty between Gordon and most of the staff, and integral to the success of the enterprise.
Nevertheless, as the competition heated up and recessionary conditions became more severe, it was necessary to take a short-term loan from the Toronto-Dominion Bank. For the record, the Toronto-Dominion Bank was on the northwest corner of Dufferin Street and Eglinton Avenue, and the company and every member of Gordon’s family banked there. In recent years, it has moved a block west to the corner of Short Street and Eglinton Avenue, where previously the Victoria & Grey Trust Co., had resided. By the fall of 1994, with some pressure from the bank to inject additional funds and Gordon’s long-standing objection to debt, he approached his son, John, and his good friend, John Hurlburt, a board member of Fairbank Lumber and business advisor, with a view to selling the business.
Why? The world of business is a dynamic one, not a static one. There is no time for inertia. The business landscape was changing and decisiveness was critical in order to pay off the debt and ensure that what had been built up did not perish. Gordon was just as obsessed about not going into debt at the age of 95 as he had been throughout his life. A young Gordon Watson might well have taken a different route and become the acquirer rather than the acquiree. But after careful thought and further discussion, the decision was made to sell the business and the plans were put in place. (There was no obvious successor. John, his son, had fallen in love with the investment management business. His daughter, Mary, was a teacher of modern languages. Andrew, his grandson, 19, was too young and inexperienced, as he was enrolled at Laurentian University and had not yet decided on a career.) In April 1995, the business was sold to the Alpa Group of Companies.
Now picture this: Gordon’s son, John, telling him that following in his footsteps at Fairbank Lumber was not his first choice. Gordon’s response: “As long as you cannot wait to get up in the morning to pursue your chosen vocation, then you have the world by the tail.” In other words, if you enjoy your daily work, then you have taken a giant step toward your purpose and personal satisfaction, reinforcing the fact that the greatest joy is not in the passion for the milepost, but rather in the incredible journey.
This was one of the great lessons in life that Gordon passed on to his son firsthand, and one he lived every day. Gordon lived to 101, and almost saw another turn of the century (and came within four months of living in three centuries).
The original hamlet of Fairbank is long gone, as well. Today the intersection consists of Shoppers Drug Mart, which, perhaps in a coincidental nod to its origins, includes a post office, on the northwest corner; The British Methodist Episcopal Church “Christ Church,” on the northeast corner, which replaced St. Cuthbert’s United Church; St. Hilda’s Park, St. Hilda’s Anglican Church and the Lewis Garnsworthy Residence on the southeast corner; and on the southwest corner, Pat’s Gift & Variety store, with a Canadian/Filipino Fast Food Restaurant and a coin laundromat beside it.
Throughout the area, the name is still floating around: Fairbank United Church; Fairbank Avenue; Fairbank Public School and Fairbank Memorial Community School; Fairbank Memorial Community Recreation Centre; the Royal Canadian Legion, Fairbank Branch No. 75; and until recently, Fairbank Hardware, now a Home Hardware, and a fairly new addition to the community, Fairbank Convenience Store. But perhaps the award for best example of survival goes to Fairbank Memorial Park and Pool (immortalized in the ’80s when several City of York politicians received bribes in exchange to speak in favour of a developer’s plans during council meetings, including the tearing down of Fairbank Park for condominium construction). In fact, if you ever have a little bit of time, and you’d like a little green space to think about what life was like for the pioneering families of Fairbank and see where it all began, take a trip to JT Watson Park, named for John T. himself. It’s at 605 Ridelle Ave., just east off Dufferin Street north of Castlefield Avenue.
Not only did they enjoy the fellowship of ancient free masonry through the Fairbank Lodge, but they were also members of the Fairbank Lions Club and they enjoyed an annual fall expediton to hunt deer in the Barry’s Bay area of northeastern Ontario (just a little beyond the eastern entrance to Algonquin Park). This area was known for logging and, through the goodwill of Murray Brothers Lumber, a supplier of rough and finished lumber to Fairbank Lumber, Gordon was able to have the gang bunk out at the logging camp and share the cooking prepared for the lumberjacks. Gordon always argued that he just went for the opportunity to be close to nature and enjoy the fellowship of his friends. But apparently, he was a very accurate shot, and often brought home venison. His sharp eye may explain why he was such a good bowler, he always had a 200+ average and, as a member of the Fairbank Bowling League, he always enjoyed it, since a bad back kept him out of more physically demanding sports.
If one word could describe Gordon Watson, it would be integrity. He really believed in the principle that your word is your bond. A handshake meant you had an agreement. A close, second characteristic would be generous. Many of Gordon’s good deeds in life were always undertaken in the most circumspect manner and handled quietly; that was his way. As well, Gordon could be described as industrious, principled, careful and level-headed. He witnessed his Christian convictions by setting a very strong example in the way that he lived his day-to-day life.
When Fairbank Lumber was incorporated in 1912, Gordon was one of the early owners along with his father, John T., and his partner David Riddell. There were five employees that first year. An old cheque from 1918 suggests that Gordon was making $40 every two weeks, which meant an annual salary of $1,040. Fairbank Lumber became the focal point of Gordon’s career: it thrived and he did, too. He was still working a six-day week in 1982 at the age of 85. He was an integral part of that operation for 83 years until it was sold in 1995, and witnessed firsthand some of the changing business landscape: the boom after the turn of the century, the First World War, the business expansion of the 1920s, the Great Depression, the Second World War and the great economic expansion (baby boom) of the second half of the century.
Gordon Watson was always happy with the progress in terms of sales and profits, but he felt equally good about the company’s record as a fair employer. Gordon managed his business as he did his life: with integrity, trust and loyalty. A good illustration is the accounting firm that did the very first audit of his company. When they started the business, they needed an auditor, and they hired Warren Hurst’s father’s firm, Gunn Roberts. He was the auditor, but back in the day, he was also allowed to own shares in the company. As time went on, he had a son, Warren, who became a gracious mentor to Gordon’s son, John. Warren, a graduate of the Harvard Business School and a chartered accountant, served on the company’s board, and when Hurst Sr. passed on, he left his shares to his three children: Warren, John and Lois. After many mergers, Gunn Roberts morphed into KPMG, the auditor today of Sprucegrove Investment Management Limited and Fairbank Investment Management limited.
Gordon was proud of the fact that the company remained in the black in each and every year throughout the Great Depression, except 1930, the only year the business lost money, a total of $500. He attributed this incredible feat to the fact that York Township was installing sidewalks alongside the roads and those sidewalks were made of wood. The contract to supply the lumber to this project more than any other single event helped the company to survive the Great Depression. There were never any layoffs, and no family was ever refused coal.
Fairbank Lumber and Coal Co. survived some challenges from the Great Depression of the 1930s, including fires in adjacent lumber companies’ yards in the 1960s and 1970s. A lumberman’s worst nightmare is a fire! The Oliver Lumber Co., located on the south side of the Belt Line Railway adjacent to the east end of the Fairbank property went up in flames. And the Home Lumber Co., located west of Oliver’s and immediately south of the Fairbank property, burnt down, as well. According to John, “On both occasions, Fairbank Lumber was just plain lucky.”
It may not sound like a lot, but in 1934, the company built a four-room summer cottage for a client, including a porch for only $295. Eight kinds of coal were sold for home heating, ranging in price from $10.50 to $14.50 a ton, before it was phased out in the late ’40s.
Gordon Watson always had vision and, in 1964, he sat on a farmer’s doorstep in Vaughan every day for a month until finally the farmer sold him 10 acres of land on the north side of Steeles Avenue between Dufferin and Keele Street. A few years later, he purchased an adjoining six acres. It was here, in late 1983, after nearly three-quarters of a century in one location, Fairbank Lumber began construction of a second location, a combination traditional lumberyard and home-centre outlet. In the long run, Gordon felt that the company would outgrow the property at 2441 Dufferin Street (3.7 acres).
In 1984, the company opened its second outlet at 1900 Steeles Ave. W. At the peak of its activity, the company had sales in excess of $30 million and employed more than 200 people. It was not until the onslaught of the category killers like Aikenheads (owned by Molsons and later sold to Home Depot in the United States), which severely hurt profit margins, coupled with the recession of 1990-92 with a 12 per cent unemployment rate, which curtailed sales, that Gordon, at age 94, made a monumental decision to sell the business.
Gordon was certainly not interested in associating with any of the big-box stores. “The company has always been an independent operation, and always will be,” said Gordon. “It was pretty tempting to join one of the big chains, and we were associated with one group of lumbermen for a while. But when they started talking about a Canadian Tire type of chain store, we pulled out.”
One of the things that Gordon detested the most in his life was debt. This may have come from witnessing firsthand the economic ravages of the Great Depression or it may have been one of those great financial principles that come to some people early in life, but either way, Gordon hated debt. He never owned a credit card. He always paid cash. He was proud of the fact that the company was able to undertake the Steeles Avenue expansion without incurring any debt. And by the mid-’80s, Fairbank Lumber was the only survivor of about 15 family-owned lumber firms in the Toronto area during the 1930s and ’40s.
Gordon’s one love at the office was the mill, and he could often be seen trudging up the lumber yard carrying any number of rough 2x 4s, 2x8s or 2x 10s on his shoulder and heading for the mill. John notes that “it was no wonder that he had a bad back!” It was Gordon’s home away from home. In fact, Gordon could change the blades in a moulder to create many different types of moulds, and over time, the company built its reputation around mouldings and trim, distinguishing it from some of the other big-box stores that had started to pop up. It was truly a “competitive advantage.” Gordon rolled up his sleeves and worked side by side with the staff until well into his ’80s. This example was instrumental in building the close bond of loyalty between Gordon and most of the staff, and integral to the success of the enterprise.
Nevertheless, as the competition heated up and recessionary conditions became more severe, it was necessary to take a short-term loan from the Toronto-Dominion Bank. For the record, the Toronto-Dominion Bank was on the northwest corner of Dufferin Street and Eglinton Avenue, and the company and every member of Gordon’s family banked there. In recent years, it has moved a block west to the corner of Short Street and Eglinton Avenue, where previously the Victoria & Grey Trust Co., had resided. By the fall of 1994, with some pressure from the bank to inject additional funds and Gordon’s long-standing objection to debt, he approached his son, John, and his good friend, John Hurlburt, a board member of Fairbank Lumber and business advisor, with a view to selling the business.
Why? The world of business is a dynamic one, not a static one. There is no time for inertia. The business landscape was changing and decisiveness was critical in order to pay off the debt and ensure that what had been built up did not perish. Gordon was just as obsessed about not going into debt at the age of 95 as he had been throughout his life. A young Gordon Watson might well have taken a different route and become the acquirer rather than the acquiree. But after careful thought and further discussion, the decision was made to sell the business and the plans were put in place. (There was no obvious successor. John, his son, had fallen in love with the investment management business. His daughter, Mary, was a teacher of modern languages. Andrew, his grandson, 19, was too young and inexperienced, as he was enrolled at Laurentian University and had not yet decided on a career.) In April 1995, the business was sold to the Alpa Group of Companies.
Now picture this: Gordon’s son, John, telling him that following in his footsteps at Fairbank Lumber was not his first choice. Gordon’s response: “As long as you cannot wait to get up in the morning to pursue your chosen vocation, then you have the world by the tail.” In other words, if you enjoy your daily work, then you have taken a giant step toward your purpose and personal satisfaction, reinforcing the fact that the greatest joy is not in the passion for the milepost, but rather in the incredible journey.
This was one of the great lessons in life that Gordon passed on to his son firsthand, and one he lived every day. Gordon lived to 101, and almost saw another turn of the century (and came within four months of living in three centuries).
The original hamlet of Fairbank is long gone, as well. Today the intersection consists of Shoppers Drug Mart, which, perhaps in a coincidental nod to its origins, includes a post office, on the northwest corner; The British Methodist Episcopal Church “Christ Church,” on the northeast corner, which replaced St. Cuthbert’s United Church; St. Hilda’s Park, St. Hilda’s Anglican Church and the Lewis Garnsworthy Residence on the southeast corner; and on the southwest corner, Pat’s Gift & Variety store, with a Canadian/Filipino Fast Food Restaurant and a coin laundromat beside it.
Throughout the area, the name is still floating around: Fairbank United Church; Fairbank Avenue; Fairbank Public School and Fairbank Memorial Community School; Fairbank Memorial Community Recreation Centre; the Royal Canadian Legion, Fairbank Branch No. 75; and until recently, Fairbank Hardware, now a Home Hardware, and a fairly new addition to the community, Fairbank Convenience Store. But perhaps the award for best example of survival goes to Fairbank Memorial Park and Pool (immortalized in the ’80s when several City of York politicians received bribes in exchange to speak in favour of a developer’s plans during council meetings, including the tearing down of Fairbank Park for condominium construction). In fact, if you ever have a little bit of time, and you’d like a little green space to think about what life was like for the pioneering families of Fairbank and see where it all began, take a trip to JT Watson Park, named for John T. himself. It’s at 605 Ridelle Ave., just east off Dufferin Street north of Castlefield Avenue.