Article content continued

Louws theorizes that one reason OEV residents have been able to put the explosion behind them after a bit more than two months is because no one died in the incident. “Thank God nobody was (killed),” he noted.

Paul Riley was in the playground adjacent to Boyle Memorial Community Centre with his toddler Wednesday afternoon. The Glasgow Street resident said he doesn’t think about the explosion much anymore. “It didn’t affect me too much,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

At Anderson Craft Ales, which served as a temporary depot for items donated in the days following the explosion, president Gavin Anderson says the displaced residents weren’t out of house and home for long, which likely helped the neighbourhood heal quickly.

“The fact the majority of people were able to return to their house probably helped,” he said. “Not as many people are still affected.”

And while people were impressed by the show of support from their OEV neighbours, no one was surprised by it.

“This is the Old East I’ve always known. I think Old East is special in that way,” said Meg Pirie, the outgoing president of the community association who completed her two-year term at Wednesday’s meeting.

“We didn’t really learn anything we didn’t already know,” echoed Anderson. “The community coming together was pretty amazing to see. It’s a tight community.”

All of that said, there still remains work to be done, those who work and live in the OEV say. A number of houses on Woodman Avenue are still boarded up.

“Neighbours have continued to support each other,” said Pirie. “It’s been a huge focus for our work.”

danbrown@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/DanatLFPress