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Two good friends of Fort York passed away in the autumn and they’ll both be missed for a host of reasons. Ward McBurney, a man of many literary talents, died October 24 of Parkinson’s at the age of 57. Birgitte Nielsen-Worrall, a professional photographer, died November 5 of a heart condition (complicated by cancer) at the age of 71. Although Ward’s early studies were in drama, he was a leading English student at the University of Toronto and went on to graduate studies at Rutgers University. He had worked as an editor and wrote for radio, he wrote poetry, and he wrote two novels of Canadians in the First World War – & after this our exile and Sap’s War – which explored the lasting effects of the shattering experience of war (and which included one unforgettable scene beneath the Bathurst bridge at Fort York). His tastes ranged from Fred Astaire to Jean-Philippe Rameau to e.e. cummings; his favourite places from a farm in France to the botanical gardens in Burlington to the open space of Garrison Common. Born in Denmark, Birgitte came with her parents to Canada when she was three years old. At Victoria College, she became – at well over six feet tall – a celebrated athlete and member of the women’s volleyball team, earning her a place in the university’s Sports Hall of Fame. As a
photographer, her work regularly appeared in Weekend and Maclean’s magazines and illustrated countless school textbooks. She also put her skills to work in support of her husband’s role on the International Olympic Committee; James Worrall (1914-2011) was the Canadian flag-bearer at the 1936 Olympics who became a lawyer and sports administrator. Many of Birgitte’s fondest memories were of travelling with James around the world. While generously sharing her skills with the F&D, Birgitte’s last photographic project was focused on a set of beautiful Bromsgrove Guild stained-glass windows. They are a feature of the Great War Memorial Baptistery of St. Thomas’ Anglican Church on Huron St. – another of architect Eden Smith’s designs – where she was a treasured parishioner.
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