Willem George POOLMAN

POOLMAN, Willem George
Passed away June 8, 2009, 'Opa' will be lovingly missed by his grandchildren, Bronte Jayne and Kalan Coltart, his sons Gavin and John, his daughter-in-law Sandy Morris, his brother Humphrey in California, his ex-wife Inez Poolman, and his many friends. Willem was born August 21, 1923 in Malang, Indonesia and moved to the Netherlands at age 8. During WWII, he avoided being sent to Nazi work camps by hiding on farms, while his father, a Dutch Cavalry officer, was killed in a Japanese POW camp. He studied law at Leiden University where he was very active in his year club Teigetje 1945, before emigrating to Canada in 1951, where he attended Trinity College and studied law at Osgoode Hall. He was recently made a Life Member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and was still practising up until his death. Willem was also one of the pioneers of the modern Canadian film industry. In 1964 he founded Film Canada Presentations Inc., the first independent Canadian distribution company, releasing films by Truffaut, Godard, Warhol, Lefebvre, Jutra and Cronenberg. The centre of this hive of film activity was Cinecity, a theatre built from a reclaimed postal station in downtown Toronto that featured rockumentary classics Gimme Shelter and Monterey Pop on Friday and Saturday nights. Based on these successes, he produced footage of the legendary Canadian rock tour Festival Express. He also started a live music venue, The Chameleon Club, another theatre, Cinematek, and managed rock bands. In parallel, he embarked on a path of increased spirituality, becoming a Sufi and discovering the teachings of his Holiness Guru (Sheikh M.R.) Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, and was instrumental in setting up the Canadian Branch of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship. He will be buried in a private ceremony in Pennsylvania, USA. Thanks to his personal physician Dr. Trapman, to Dr. Myron and the staff at North York General Hospital, and to his many friends in Canada, the US, the Netherlands and elsewhere, for whom he cared deeply. A remembrance of his life will be held on Saturday June 13, 2009 at 4:00pm, at 54 Banstock Drive, North York, ON M2K 2H6. As an expression of sympathy, donations may be made to: www.trinity.utoronto.ca/ Alumni_Parents_Friends/ Support_Trinity. Condolences to: jpoolman2516@rogers.com