Doctor Appreciation Day coming up in Moosomin

May 10, 2016, 2:06 am
Kevin Weedmark

Moosomin’s Doctor Appreciation Day is coming up Saturday, June 11.

The day will include the dedication of Doctor Davidson Park on Hussein Drive, and the two retired doctors being honored will be on hand for the dedication.

There will also be a tea in the afternoon, and a Doctor Appreciation Evening at the Conexus Convention Centre that evening. “The plans are coming along really well,” said Kim Looyenga.

“We have confirmation from Dr. Hussein and his family that they’re coming,” said Pansy Taylor. “I spoke with Dr. Davidson and he’s getting quite excited about it as well.”

“The park is shaping up,” said Looyenga. “We will have topsoil in place and it will be seeded, and we’ve had quite a few plants donated and our bricklayer will be back soon. We’re putting in grass and perennial plants. We’re also putting in a couple of trees. Shade trees are intended for the back by the benches. We have one tree purchased, it’s called autumn blaze, and it’s a maple that’s red for most of the year and goes bright orange in the fall.”

The day will be about showing appreciation to the retired doctors and current doctors, but any funds raised will go to help finish the park.

“Basically what we’re hoping to do is cover the cost of putting this event on and if we have any funds left over then we can use it to develop the park,” said Taylor.

“We want to get some information from the current doctors as well so that we can have a powerpoint running throughout the course of the evening with background information of each of the doctors and Kim and Larry Rambold are going to be working on the pictures,” said Taylor.

“The idea came about when Alice Abrahamson and I were chipping away at the bricks,” said Taylor. The women salvaged the bricks from the former Moosomin Union Hospital building to use in the sign on the park.

“We just thought we had to do something to remember the people that worked at the hospital, and then Alice Davidson and Dr. Davidson happened by and I got talking to her and I told her my thoughts about a street and a park and she really encouraged me,” says Taylor.

“Alice and I had this vision, but we didn’t know how we were going to accomplish it, we had bricks, but that’s all we had. Kim helped with planning out the site and elevations and all those things we didn’t have a clue about.”

Moosomin director of public works Kim Looyenga has provided her expertise to the project.

“They wanted to do something, they just didn’t know how to go about it,” said Looyenga. “I’ve designed parks before so it was easy for me to do. We worked together and decided that we had to have a grand opening. We then decided that not everyone would come to that, so it kind of evolved into the dinner as well.”

“Beginning at 2 o’clock, we have the dedication of the park, so there will be the unveiling of the sign, and the street sign as well, and that will be a fairly brief event,” said Taylor. “And then from there they go directly to the armoury at which point there is complementary tea, coffee, cake, and socializing with the doctors. It’s a come and go thing but it’ll wrap up by 4. It gives everyone a chance to rest and regroup before the evening event. The evening event starts with cocktails at 6, and 7 o’clock is the dinner, and then socializing afterwards.”

“Also, Dr. Hussein and Dr. Davidson are going to go to the nursing home and visit with the seniors from 10 to 11, so we’ll have a little event for them there so they’re all included,” said Looyenga. “We have nurses, EMTs, firefighters, everyone that’s involved in the doctors’ lives contributing in some way to all the events during the day. We tried to be sure that everyone got to be a part of the day.”

“We thought the floor would be given to Dr. Davidson and Dr. Hussein after the dinner, and we’re wanting one of the current doctors to speak on behalf of the present doctors,” said Taylor.

“During the cocktail hour we’re going to have live entertainment as background music. Someone will be playing piano, violin, guitar, and throughout the dinner we will have classical music being played.”

“There will be an opportunity for people to write thank-yous to the doctors,” said Looyenga. “We’re just trying to keep it a light evening. They don’t get evenings to themselves very often so we’re trying to make it possible for them to have a nice enjoyable evening where they can socialize with their friends and family and still be honoured.”

“Larry Tomlinson has made contact with Stephen Bonk and premier Brad Wall. He still hasn’t spoken to Dr. Kitchen but the letters of invitation have gone out,” said Taylor. “As Larry said, Brad can’t firmly commit in case there’s something more urgent that comes up.

“We’re hoping that this shows our appreciation for those two former doctors and how much they did, but then it makes the current doctors realize that we are a community that really does appreciate the doctors and makes them feel equally important and appreciated, and maybe makes the newer doctors feel really welcome,” said Taylor.

“We have a residency program where students between second and third year come, so that will kind of show them that small communities are worth coming to,” said Looyenga.