Toronto Centre History

     In the Fall of 1959, George King, accompanied by Monique Noppe and Keith Robertson, traveled across the US, giving lectures and meetings as well as TV and radio interviews.  Around Christmas, they ended up in Niagara Falls for a 2-3 day break.

     Keith Robertson wrote: ‘At the beginning of February 1960, we crossed the border into Canada and George King gave meetings in Hamilton and Toronto.  It was a pity that this Canadian excursion was done at short notice.  The correct amount of advance publicity could not be accomplished and the meetings therefore, were not so large as we would have liked. However, it was more than worthwhile going to Hamilton and Toronto, as two groups have now been set up for The Service of The Twelve Blessings in both these towns.  Not only this, but the enthusiasm for the work of The Aetherius Society was so great that it seems as though George King will have to pay a return visit to our Canadian friends.’ Cosmic Voice issue No. 22, pg. 6. (Here George King is giving a lecture at Jesus of Nazareth Spiritualist Church in Hamilton, Ontario on Sunday, January 31st, 1960.)

     By 1961, Ida Galloway, a dedicated Member of The Aetherius Society for a few years, became the official Organizer of the ‘OVERSEAS BRANCH’ in CANADA at her home on Inverness Ave. in Hamilton, Ontario. (As shown here on the back cover of this 1961 copy of Cosmic Voice issue No. 25.)

     In the summer of 1967, Lilita Selens and her father were heading in his car towards their home in Dundas, Ontario, when they saw a rotating disc with flashing red, green and yellow lights over top of the roof of their house.  As they got out of the car, it became a small ball of light moving silently and slowly away, vanishing into the distance.  Being overwhelmed by this encounter, Lilita purchased two flying saucer books, one by George Adamski and the other by Howard Menger, both claiming to be Contactees.  Through George Adamski’s book, she also subscribed to Saucer News, a bulletin about flying saucer sightings and in this bulletin there were advertisements about George King’s books and tapes.  After ordering and listening to these brilliant lectures on cassette, Lilita and her mother, Antonia Selens became Members of The Aetherius Society.  Inquiring if there were any other Members in the Hamilton area, they were provided with Ida Galloway’s address and phone number.  For many years after that, they met at Ida’s house on a regular basis for Twelve Blessings Services. Her grandson, Allan Jaggard as a teenager in 1975, came to see the ‘burn mark’ left on the grass DIRECTLY across the street from Ida’s house in a field adjacent to the police station.  He said it looked like a perfectly round ‘hot plate’ had burned an impression on the grass, where it was reported in the Hamilton Spectator that a boy had seen a flying saucer land the night before.

     When Ida’s husband, Les, passed away, she moved into an apartment, and they continued to meet for Services there.  Ida’s grandson, Allan Jaggard, started coming to Sunday Services at her apartment in Hamilton around 1980 with his girlfriend Laura Shapiro, even though Allan was living in Burlington and Laura in Toronto, at the time. The five of them met on Sundays for some time, and then Allan and Laura got the names of two Members who lived in Toronto, a married couple, Elaine and Ron Gay.

     Allan, Laura, Elaine and Ron got together weekly for Twelve Blessings Services at Laura’s apartment on Thorncliffe Park Dr., and were eventually joined by Dave Wilkinson and Sherilyn Azlen.  The six of them became an ‘Official’  Twelve Blessings Group in 1981, and they started promoting the Teachings in the Toronto area at Psychic Fairs, and to local UFO groups.  The Toronto Group later moved to Mississauga in March 1983, and got together for meetings and Services in different Members’ homes. Over the next few years, Allan was periodically on TV and radio as well as gave a large public lecture at the ‘Constellation Hotel’.  The Group has remained a vibrant, active Centre of The Aetherius Society in Canada up to the present date.