Here we highlight local County & Township authors and historians and recognize their contribution to the ongoing history of our community.
John McDonald was born in Milton, Ontario and is a lifelong resident of Halton and has conducted extensive research throughout the Halton area since the early 1970’s including numerous presentations and walking tours. This work has resulted in the publication of three books Halton Sketches, Halton Sketches Revisited and Halton’s Heritage. His latest projects include a look at Milton’s art, culture and entertainment development as well as a history of Milton’s Main Street.
John McDonald was born in Milton, Ontario and is a lifelong resident of Halton and has conducted extensive research throughout the Halton area since the early 1970’s including numerous presentations and walking tours. This work has resulted in the publication of three books Halton Sketches, Halton Sketches Revisited and Halton’s Heritage. His latest projects include a look at Milton’s art, culture and entertainment development as well as a history of Milton’s Main Street.
John was awarded the Ontario Heritage Community Recognition Program “Certificate of Achievement” and recognized for his community efforts and historical research when presented with the “Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal”.
Wayne Shillum was raised on Rosemar Farms in Palermo, a 100-acre dairy farm purchased by his parents, Rose and Robert Shillum, in 1950. The farm, on Burnhamthorpe Road West, allowed Wayne to experience the rigors and rhythms of rural life, from haying and milking to well-digging and barn painting. These experiences shaped his deep appreciation for hard work, family, and the land.
Wayne’s reflections on farm life culminated in his book “The Farmboy in 1950’s Palermo Ontario”, where he documents the daily routines, challenges, and joys of growing up in a pre-mechanized agricultural setting. His recollections are rich with detail—whether describing the use of workhorses before tractors or the meticulous process of painting the barn with his father. Wayne’s storytelling preserves a slice of Ontario’s rural heritage, offering readers a window into Palermo’s past.
