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Serving the Mapleton Community
Community News Volume 45 Issue 50
Drayton, Ontario
1 Year GIC - 2.00% 3 Year GIC - 2.40% 5 Year GIC - 2.56% Daily Interest 1.65%
Friday, December 14, 2012
Variety, opportunity continue to draw physicians to Mapleton community
“Elvis� shakes it up in Drayton - Crowds packed the streets of Drayton to share in the Christmas spirit at this year’s 23rd annual Drayton Santa Claus Parade. LEFT: Elvis (a.k.a. Derek Moore of the Drayton School of Music) and his family delighted parade watchers with classic renditions of Christmas carols, including, of course, Blue Christmas. RIGHT: Sisters Alisha, Kelly and Natasha Huberts anxiously awaited their chance to visit Ol’ St Nick at the Drayton Fire Hall after the parade. photos by Wilma Mol
Skater girls - Members of the Drayton Figure Skating Club bundled up to take a trip up Moorefield’s main street during the Santa Claus parade. photo by Kelly Waterhouse More Drayton and Moorefield parade coverage on pages 3, 5, 6 to 9.
by Patrick Raftis DRAYTON – When Dr. Chris Donald arrived to practice medicine here in 1973, his original plan was “to stay for a year or two.� Today, the New Zealandborn physician is planning for retirement next September, exactly 40 years to the month after setting up shop at the busy rural medical clinic. After completing his “registration� (equivalent of residency) in New Zealand in 1970, Donald came to Canada, where he was attracted to Drayton by the opportunity “to use all my skills and all aspects of my training,� that comes with working in a rural practice. For a physician seeking a varied experience, Donald had certainly come to the right place. The medical practice today known as the Mapleton Health Centre serves a wide rural area, with patients coming from across the Mapleton and Minto areas. At one point, says Donald, about 7,500 patients were registered with the clinic, served at the time by three physicians, a situation that resulted in a feature article in the Toronto Star on the challenges faced by rural Ontario physicians in an emerging doctor shortage in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Today, after years of vigorous recruiting, the Mapleton Health Centre boasts five physicians, as well as a nurse practitioner. While a larger roster of doctors helps share the load, there are still 2,300 patients who consider Donald their family physician. Advancements in technology have brought the biggest changes to the practice of medicine over the past four decades, says Donald. Ultra-sound technology was in its infancy when he began, he recalls, adding, “We didn’t have CT scanners,
Changing times - Dr. Hao Sun, left, recently joined the medical staff at the Mapleton Health Centre, while Dr. Chris Donald is planning to retire this year after more than 40 years in medicine. photo by Patrick Raftis
and certainly no MRIs.� He also says advances in medical and surgical techniques have allowed medicine to become far less hospitalcentred than it once was. “It’s mostly day surgery now,� notes Donald. “It used to be if you had your gallbladder out you were in the hospital for a week,� he adds. “There was no intervention,� Donald continues, pointing out that, today, someone suffering a heart attack is quickly transferred to the regional cardiac centre at St. Mary’s hospital in Kitchener, where, after specialized treatment, “they might be home the next day.� “Ride my bike,� is Donald’s reply when asked about his retirement plans. He also indicated he plans to stay involved in medicine in some capacity. “I’ll keep my license up for a while and see what happens,� he states.
New physician in town As the veteran doctor prepares to ease out of the local practice, another new physicians joined the health team earlier this year. Dr. Hao Sun began working out of the Mapleton Health Centre in July. A graduate of the University of Ottawa, she recently completed her residency in Hamilton. The Toronto native’s reasons for choosing to practice rural medicine in the Minto-Mapleton area largely echo those that factored into Donald’s decision four decades ago. “I actually did a rotation here last year and really enjoyed the work. I think you get to do a lot more learning and use a lot of different skills. That’s something you don’t always get to do as a much as a family doctor in a larger centre. Here, it’s a fuller scope of care.�
Santa’s travel plans include final area parade stop in Alma on Dec. 23 ALMA - Santa will be in Alma on Dec. 23 at 2pm. “He likes to visit the little village as close to Christmas as possible so that he can confirm the children’s requests,� said volunteer Sharon Grose. “He wants to see the streets of Alma lined with people.� The Optimists have boasted for years that Alma has the only Santa Claus parade that is as long as the town. By the time the lead floats return to the starting point, Santa is usually just pulling out of the school laneway to join the
parade route along the main street of Alma. “Just how Santa will cruise through town this year is top secret,� noted Grose. “He likes to surprise all the good little boys and girls. Alma’s is one of the last parades on Santa’s lists for December. Unlike the big cities where they start their parades in mid-November, Alma Optimists like to wait until almost Christmas to invite the jolly old elf to town.� What can you expect to find in a country Santa parade besides Santa Claus? Last
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year’s parade featured brightly decorated tractors and farm implements in the traditional Christmas colours of green and red, as well as a few others. The volunteer fire department trucks and township snow plows were decorated, Christmas music was in the air and the local church groups sang carols on their floats. There were palomino ponies prancing down main street and a troupe of unicyclists riding along the streets. Most of the local businesses put together floats, along with
Alma Public School. Santa always arrives at the end of the parade. “Santa has been known to ride or drive in a large variety of machines over the years,� said Grose. “From a traditional cutter or sleigh to a horse and buggy, a combine, a high hoeand, of course, a farm wagon pulled by eight deer - John Deere tractors. “No one knows until the parade begins what Santa will be in - it is always a surprise.� Parade-goers can enjoy the parade from their car or by
Weekly Wag
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standing along the main street. The theme of this year’s parade is “Peace on Earth.� Following the parade the Alma United Church’s Celtic Christmas Kanata will take place at 3pm. Santa will also be attending the Alma Optimists Breakfast at the Alma Community Hall on Dec. 23 from 8:00am11:00am. The Alma Optimists will be hosting their annual Christmas holiday swim meet from the Alma Presbyterian Church on Jan. 2 at 1:30pm. Cost is $1
per person, the balance is paid by the Alma Optimist Club. The Optimists organize a bus to take students to the sports complex in Fergus for the afternoon, providing an outing for kids during the Christmas break. On Jan. 5, teams can register for the Alma Plunger Plop at 1pm at the Alma Community Hall. The cost is $40 per team of four. The Alma Plunger Plop takes places at the “Alma Dome� in February. All teams must register in advance.
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