Historic Hyde Park The Yeo Family of Riverside Drive As the modern suburb of Oakridge Acres started development in the 1950s, a large farm property located at 539 Riverside Drive near Hutton Road (now Wonderland Road), remained overlooking the Thames River. Here, Daisy Yeo raised her family from 1961 to 1970. The children, Susan, Vicki, Michael and Randy attended the historic Hutton Road Public School, located at the southwest corner of Hutton Road and Oxford Street West. It was a long trek from home to school by today’s standards. Susan remembers “A creek ran through the property. There was a little footbridge over it that we crossed on the walk to school. It almost floated away a few times during Spring floods There was also an autobody shop on a rented portion of the property.” Recalls Hyde Park-Oakridge Villager editor Cathy Wood, “My sister and I delighted in walking or bicycling from our paved streets in Oakridge to spend hours playing in the barn (kittens!) and fields at the Yeo’s. That was back when kids explored and played outside on their own all day until dinner time.” Although not a full-working farm at the time, the Yeos raised rabbits and chickens. Like many children then, Susan and her siblings collected discarded bottles from along the river and roadsides to turn in for the deposits, but they had some additional sources for earning a little extra spending money – going door-to-door in the nearby suburb selling the wild asparagus and rhubarb that grew on their property. “And we used to sell parking space to people who came to watch the waterskiing shows held back then on the Thames,” recollects Susan. The home was destroyed by fire in February 1970 when a defective pipe on the kitchen wood stove caused a blaze. A large apartment complex now stands nearby at 521 Riverside Drive. Susan fondly recalls large family get-togethers for Christmas and summer BBQs. While the Yeo family may have lost their home in the fire, the cherished memories of their years on the farm by the riverside will remain forever.
Susan, Randy, Michael, Vicki and one of the family pets.
Michael (1954-2024) with the shed and barn in the background.
London Free Press, February 3, 1970
Susan on the lawn at 539 Riverside (left, dressed up for Grade 8 graduation from Hutton Road School. A bridge crossing the Thames is seen in the background). Photos courtesy Susan (Yeo) Joudrey.
Daisy Yeo (1931-2009), Susan’s Grade 10 photo, and Susan in 2024.
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Hyde Park – Oakridge Villager • June 2024 • Page 13
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