Legacy donor: Kaldi Polding
- ellenvalter
- Oct 5
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 12
Update # 263
Love of homeland inspires a final and heartfelt gift
On the front page of Kaldi Polding’s funeral song sheet is the saying “Love never fails” from the Corinthians, 1.8.
For Kaldi, who was 97 when he left this earth, that love never wavered: love for his homeland of Saaremaa, Estonia; his family and his community. His final wish was to contribute to the future of the Estonian community through a gift in his will to KESKUS.
The Polding name lives on as a Viru Vanemad donor to KESKUS, the new International Estonian Centre in downtown Toronto that will open in the summer of 2026.
The escape from Saaremaa
Kaldi, independent and resourceful from a very young age, was just 17 when he left Saaremaa and began the years-long journey that eventually led him to Canada.
As fate would have it, when it became clear that escaping from Estonia was necessary, events began to unfold for Kaldi and his family. One day, his uncle saw a vessel off the shore of Saaremaa and found out it was a ship from Latvia in distress with a broken rudder. His intrepid and sea-faring uncle was able to fix it and, as payment, the captain said he could take 30 people to Sweden.
After the repair, Kaldi’s father told him to stay on the ship overnight to make sure it wouldn’t leave and, true to his word, the captain of the Latvian ship took a boatload of people to Sweden. Kaldi and his parents Tiina and Jaagup (Jakob) Polding left their family farm and began the journey that would change their lives forever.
Family life unfolds in a new country
They lived in Sweden for about seven years, where Kaldi studied to be a draftsman. Family life began for Kaldi in Sweden when he met and married his wife Eele Pärna. Kaldi and Eele had three daughters, Enne-Reet, Mari and Kersti, two of whom were born in Sweden.
Young Kaldi with his parents Tiina & Jakob, left, and Kaldi hard at work on the family farm, 1954, Tiina & Jakob Polding, 1965.
The family decided to emigrate to Canada and took a ship to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1951, joining the thousands of other refugees who would travel across the ocean to call this new country home. They first went to Winnipeg, then rural Ontario where they operated a farm, before settling in Toronto.
Kaldi worked as a draftsman for the Etobicoke Civic Centre, where he rose to be the head of his department, until his retirement. He lived in the family home in Etobicoke until his death on September 27, 2024.
Eele passed away in 1963 and Kaldi started a new chapter in his life when he met his second wife Erika Lehtla in 1966 at a new year’s party at the Estonian House in Toronto. They happened to sit at the same table and the rest, as they say is history.
The family now includes Erika's daughter, Ille, seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Kaldi with daugher Ille at Niagara Falls, left, and with daughter Kersti, granddaughter Elena and husband George, right.
Fishing and a stroke of luck
The spirit of Saaremaa must have been guiding Kaldi all those years because when he was in his 40’s he won the Irish Sweepstakes and, of course, decided to buy a boat and motor with his winnings. He was able to pursue his lifelong passion for fishing and created many happy memories for his family including nighttime excursions with his father.
Fishing at night with a net for “tindid” (smelts) was a favorite pastime for Kaldi and his father, and the pair enjoyed many outings to capture the delicacy. The tiny fish would be dried in the oven and consumed “as is.”
There must a secret to a long life in the Polding family. Father Jakob also lived to age 97 and could a contributor to that robust health be the smelts? Or perhaps the “rasvaleib” that father and son enjoyed? Today’s dieticians would not recommend the traditional dish which calls for pieces of bacon, mixed with rye flour and water, and baked in the oven.
But sometimes the old ways are best, and the stories and legacies our families leave are priceless.
The KESKUS project is grateful to Kaldi, and salutes the strong spirit that guided his love of Estonia from the beginning of his life to the end.
Discover the benefits of giving wisely, to a project that will endure
Please join the growing list of KESKUS capital campaign donors to help bring this extraordinary project to completion. KESKUS leadership donors are recognized here.
There are many ways to make a contribution to KESKUS.
To donate, click here, or call +1.647.250.7136 or email donations@estoniancentre.ca. Donations may be made as a family gift, or in honour of an individual or family. All donations are issued a tax receipt, in Canada via Estonian Arts Centre, US tax receipts via Myriad USA and Estonian tax receipts via Eesti Rahvuskultuuri Fond. Donations; by credit card may be made here.
Legacy gifts made to the Estonian Arts Centre, the charity associated with KESKUS, are creative and tax-effective ways to provide support. These are known as “planned gifts” because with thoughtful planning, we create a win-win situation that benefits both you and our community for generations to come. Find out how to provide a bequest in your will by going to www.estoniancentre.ca/bequest.
For information on making other types of planned giving, including gifts of appreciated securities or insurance policies, or if you have any other questions, please contact EAC Donations Manager Taimi Hooper via email at donations@estoniancentre.ca or phone +1.647.250.7136.
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