Van Petroff was 7 years old when he arrived in Canada from Bitola in1930 and settled in St. Thomas, Ontario. Although Canada was suffering through the great depression, it seemed like heaven compared to the dire conditions in the country he left behind, where a piece of bread with onions or tomato was considered a good lunch.

When he started school he had trouble communicating as he only spoke Macedonian, and his schoolmates only spoke English, but he worked hard and learned quickly. Van left St. Thomas for the “Big City” of Toronto, where he completed Grade 13 and graduated from High School at Parkdale Collegiate, then started postgraduate studies in Hotel, Restaurant and Bakery Trade (Chef) at the Training and Re-establishment Institute, Toronto (now known as Ryerson) and graduated with honours on June 27, 1947.

Van’s father opened their first restaurant in Toronto in 1942, which they owned until 1945. In January 1945, Van volunteered for the Canadian Armed Forces and was stationed at Camp Borden as a weapons instructor, attaining the rank of lance corporal.

From 1946 to 1951, Van experienced the most difficult period in his life. For 5 difficult years he worked from morning to night, to earn enough money to support his family and save the life of his father, who had to spend a great deal of time in the hospital (there was no government assist¬ed health program at that time). Van’s work paid off and his father recovered and enjoyed a long life.

From 1951 to 1980, Van expanded his industrial catering company to a total of 35 in-plant cafeterias and employed 400 food service staff who were responsible for preparing meals for 40,000 factory and office workers across the City of Toronto and surrounding areas. He also expanded the business to include social catering, which involved the preparation and service of food for weddings, banquets, funerals and other private and organized affairs.

In 1980, Van sold the industrial catering side of his business and seven years later sold the social catering portion of the business. He retired and took the opportuni¬ty to sit home, relax and visit with friends and relatives. But after four years he found himself back in business when he acquired the Fiesta Inn Banquet Halls.

Van the Activist - For most of his life, Van has been involved in various Canadian and Canadian Macedonian associations. He is a long time Mason and member of “King Solomon Lodge”, “Rameses Shrine Temple” and “Leaside Shrine Club”.

In 1954 Van inaugurated The Macedonian Open Golf Tournament. It is now, one of the longest running golf tournaments in Ontario. Van presided over and organized this tournament, but for many years it was a struggle for the tournament to break even so Van subsidized the tournament in order to keep it running and to maintain the high standards that the participants had come to expect. In 1993, he handed the tournament over to Canadian Macedonian Place (C.M.P.) under the condition that a portion of the net profits would go towards the costs of the Macedonian language course at the University of Toronto. Van was one of the primary supporters of the Macedonian language course at the University since its inception.

For 26 years, Van had been an active member of the Board at C.M.P. and was at the work site on a daily basis. He was President of C.M.P. during construction and the official opening on June 17, 1979.

Van also made a significant contribution to the building of St. Clements of Ohrid Church in Toronto. He was one of five people listed on the charter for the building of the church by the province of Ontario in 1962. Van was on the executive board of the first church committee for 3 years and was the chairperson for all meetings. He has continued to assist both C.M.P. and St. Clements Church materially and through the service of his time and knowledge.

Van the Sportsman - During his school days, Van played on the football and basketball teams with great distinction. He also played on Macedonian community (St. George’s and St. Cyril & Methody) and Canadian Army basketball and baseball teams. In 1944, a new page was turned in Van’s sports career, when he began to play golf. Since that time he has participated in golf tournaments in a wide range of countries including Spain, Portugal, Brazil and Greece, and at Pebble Beach in the United States. He received many trophies for his achievements with his most memorable victories came from the tournament he organized for more than half a century - The Macedonian Open. He is currently a golfing member of the Bayview Golf and Country Club, active at age eighty-two!

Van the Humanitarian - Van has always been supportive of those in financial need, beginning with “In Memoriam donations” and continuing with significant dona¬tions to churches and support of the Macedonian Language course at University of Toronto.

He has great empathy for those with health problems, especially young children and in 1963, after a catastrophic earthquake hit Skopje, Van worked tirelessly to assist in the funding to rebuild the city. He sent financial assistance along with medicine and clothing. The humanitarian efforts of Van have been recognized by his fatherland and in 1967 the University of Skopje awarded him a diploma in honours for his contributions to the medical faculty.

Van is proud of Macedonia, the country of his birth. He is also proud of his second homeland - Canada. He states, “I was born in Macedonia and lived there for seven years. I’ve been in Canada for seventy years - Canada is my homeland!” With pride, Van declares himself a Canadian of Macedonian origin.

Today we honour Van Petroff for his role as a great humanitarian and community worker. His dedication and leadership will serve as an inspiration to all of us.