Caledon East woman named to Order of Canada
By ALAN LICZYK Staff Reporter

The highest honour in Canada for lifetime achievement has been awarded to a woman from Caledon East.

Helen E. Gardiner, 69, will be invested into the Order of Canada this Friday, Oct. 26 at Rideau Hall in Ottawa during the 100th investiture ceremony. Governor General Michaelle Jean will bestow the honour on 12 officers and 28 members. Gardiner will be named a member.

"It's a terrific honour," she told the Citizen on Friday.

She said a lot of nice people recommended her. She was informed a few months ago of her honour in a letter she received from the Governor General. The letter included her lapel pin.

Gardiner and her late husband George founded the Gardiner Museum in Toronto in 1984. It has grown to become one of the most famous museums of ceramic art in North America.

She explained she and her husband were collectors for quite a few years and decided to give their ceramic art collection to the museum when it was created. is now owned by the province.

She added the museum also features 18th century porcelain, 15th and 16th century Italian maiolica, pre- Columbian art, and Oriental and contemporary ceramics. Other people have given to the museum.

Gardiner was also recognized for her generous donations to the National Ballet of Canada, Canadian Opera Company, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Textile Museum of Canada and the Soulpepper Theatre. She noted she served on the board of the National Ballet for many years.

She currently owns Gardiner Farms Ltd. in Caledon East, a thoroughbred racing farm her husband bought 45 years ago. She moved there permanently after her husband died in December 1998. The farm stands six stallions and can have 150 to 400 horses there at any one time depending on the time of year.

Gardiner explained she will be driving to Ottawa tomorrow (Thursday) with her mother, Helen McMinn of Toronto, who will turn 97 years old Oct. 28, as well as her only child, Lindy Barrow, 49, of Caledon.

"I'm very much looking forward to it," Gardiner said. "I've been told it's a beautiful ceremony."

The Order of Canada was established in 1967 to recognize outstanding achievements and service in various fields of human endeavour. More than 5,000 people have been invested since its creation.