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Hilary Weston
Hilary Weston
Galen Weston
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Her critics had underestimated the formidable
will and stamina of a thorough perfectionist. Weston forged
ahead through five successful years as lieutenant-governor.
"It opened so many doors that I would never have had
open to me. I was not only informed at every level, but transformed
by the experience," explains Weston.
Born just outside Dublin in 1942, Weston was the eldest of
five children of a middle-class appliance salesman. She was
the family's Cinderella, beautiful and clearly destined for
greatness. Her father died just before she became one of Ireland's
top fashion models - her face on every billboard and magazine
cover. Then her mother developed multiple sclerosis, and Weston
became the surrogate parent to the rest of the children. It
was a heavy burden to shoulder, a burden made easier by the
arrival of her own Prince Charming, Canadian Galen Weston,
who had come to Ireland to start a chain of self-service supermarkets.
They were married after three years of courtship, and Galen
expanded his business empires on both sides of the Atlantic,
moving easily from millionaire to billionaire status. But
success also made them the target of a violent kidnap attempt
by the IRA in 1983. It was foiled by a tip to the police,
but still resulted in a machine gun battle that left four
gunmen seriously wounded.
Today, the Westons have a multi-faceted business empire that
includes Holt
Renfrew, Loblaws
and Weston
Bakeries. They have homes in Toronto; Vero Beach, Florida
- where they own a very exclusive housing development; and
Windsor, England, where they live in Fort Belvedere, once
the home of Edward VIII.
Original Air Date - October 29, 2002
Links
Highlights
of the Mandate of the Hon. Hilary Weston
The
Hilary M. Weston Foundation for Youth
Farewell
Address by the Hon. Hilary M. Weston
Windsor
(a residential development in Vero Beach, Florida owned by
the Westons)
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