(Special thanks to Carole and Jon for the article and the photo and we are very grateful to Thomas Neal of ROYAL LEPAGE ESTATE REALTY and a member of our Board of Management for his ongoing sponsorship of the Beach Citizen of the Year).

Jean Cochrane is 2009 Beach Citizen of the Year
by Carole Stimmell

It will come as no surprise to her friends and the people who have volunteered with her over the years that the Beach Citizen of the Year Committee has selected Jean Cochrane as this year’s recipient. The surprise was that she allowed her name to be put into nomination. It’s not that she is a shy person, but she would rather be ‘useful’ than acclaimed.

Jean and her husband Glenn (another Citizen of the Year) are a familiar couple on the streets of this community. Jean, who was a journalist for most of her working life, and Glenn settled in the Beach in 1972 and immediately fell in love with the community.

Although Jean volunteered with Senior Link for a number of years, it wasn’t until she retired about 15 years ago that she started to get involved in a number of worthwhile projects.

I first became aware of Jean’s activities when I was on the Toronto Historical Board. As part of a community history project, Jean helped to collect a number of oral histories from people who had lived and worked in the Kensington Market area. This collection of personal histories became the basis of her third book, Kensington, which was short-listed for the Heritage Toronto Book Awards in 2000.

Jean’s passion for local history also led her to raise funds to preserve the Leuty Lifeguard Station. I also worked with Jean on the Advisory Committee to restore the historic Maple Cottage facility.

Jean is a long time member of the Board of Directors of Neighbourhood Link Support Services (formerly Senior Link/Neighbourhood Link). Chairman of the Board Jane Lennox King said that Jean is a very hard working member of the board. “Her connection to the community and journalism skills are especially valuable to the [organization],” said King.

King said that, in addition to her work on the board, Jean volunteered with the Immigrant Settlement Program, leading a Tea Circle in which non-English speaking women could get together to learn and practice the language of everyday life in Canada.

One of the refreshing things about Jean is that she is willing to do whatever needs doing. She doesn’t need to be in charge or given a title. Every Wednesday for the last four years, she volunteers at the Beach Synagogue’s Interfaith Luncheon Program. “I make sandwiches and put cookies on a plate,” said Jean. While Jean might think her efforts as small, Arie Nerman, who is in charge of the Synagogue's lunch endeavour, said that her contribution is greatly appreciated.

Thursdays is her day working as a volunteer in the Friends of Toronto Public Library program selling discarded books to fundraise for the library.

Over the last few years, she has offered her skills to the Board of Beach Metro News, serving as president from 2005 to 2007 and volunteered actively with the Balmy Beach Residence Association.

So you see, she has done remarkable things for her community, however when I sat down to talk with her, she didn’t really want to talk about her ‘accomplishments’, she wanted to talk about her home for the last 35 years, the Beach.

”The Beach is a remarkable place...It’s not just a beautiful face, it is a real community,” she said.

She pointed to all of the locally based resources which are unique to the Beach such as Neighbourhood Link, Pegasus Community Project and Beach Metro News. She then listed the cultural resources such as the Guild of Fine Arts, the Beach Studio Tour, the newly formed Beach Chorale, and the excellent infrastructure such as Community Centre 55, the Beaches Library and all the service clubs. “There is such a variety of of things happening. It’s a very rich area."

Jean, who is ever ready to help with a good cause, respects all those many others in the community who are willing to give their time, skills and energy to protect the history and ‘feel’ of their neighbourhood.

“It’s a neat place to live and a neat place to be a part of,” she said.
Jean will be honoured at an event on Sept. 26 starting at 1 p.m. at the Community Millennium Garden in the northwest corner of Woodbine Park (Coxwell and Eastern).