WHEN GAIL MOORE and her husband Hugh boarded the luxurious Rovos Rail train in South Africa last year, riding from Pretoria to Cape Town, they didn’t expect to meet any Canadians — let alone any neighbours.

But that’s exactly what happened. Sitting in the observation car of the train, a couple introduced themselves to the Moores and asked where they were from.

“They said, ‘Where are you from?’ And we said, ‘Canada,’” remembers Gail. “And then they said, ‘Where in Canada?’ And we said, ‘Toronto.’ And then they asked, ‘Where in Toronto?’ And at that point, I thought, ‘Well, good grief ! What does it matter?’”

Well, it mattered because, as it turned out, Ulla and John Leckie are very close neighbours — both couples live in the York Road area near Bayview Avenue and York Mills Road.

“They literally live around the corner,” Gail says. “We’ve actually lived here for 37 years, and John and Ulla had been here 15 years, and we had never met.”

The two couples decided then and there that the situation must be remedied. They recruited neighbours to help plan a street party in an effort to get neighbours out of their homes to meet each other and to start to build a sense of community.

Last month, they celebrated the first York Road street party, with more than 200 attendees.

Police and firefighters blocked off the street at Fenn Avenue and Birchwood Avenue. Local residents borrowed vintage cars for everyone to admire. Local shops donated gift certificates and goods for a silent auction. Neighbours volunteered to barbecue and donated prizes for contests. For kids, there was a magician, games and toys.

But for John Leckie, the best part was knowing he was helping to get his neighbours together to help build a sense of community in the neighbourhood: “It exceeded my expectations in how much people interacted,” he said. “It was just so interesting to see people interact. It’s human nature, and that’s what humans do when they’re given a chance.”

And despite all of the hard work, the organizers agreed that they are committed to creating another event for next summer.

“We’ll do it again,” John Leckie said. “The first one’s harder, but we’ve learned the ropes.”