Newsletter

The protagonist in Brian Moore’s 1975 Governor General Award winning novel, The Great Victorian Collection, wakes one morning to discover that his dream of owning the most-extensive collec-tion ever of Victorian an-tiquities has materialized in dazzling glory in a parking lot beside his mo-tel — the downside is that it’s up to him to look after it. This is a role that retired registered nurse Nancy MacLeod has taken on willingly as she has col-lected more than 200 pieces of 19th-century medical memorabilia. And like The Great Victo-rian Collection, she too displays her pieces: Dressed in period cos-tume she re-enacts the part of a “medical practitioner” of that era. Using audience members as “patients,” she “treats” their various ailments by bloodletting, amputation and the like. Last year, MacLeod, who lives in Kitchener, Ont., took her show on the road 176 times in Ontario, mostly to nursing homes, but also historical sites and community groups. “The elderly don’t just want to be entertained they want to learn things as well,” she says. Her interest is a synthesis of her interest in nursing

Ninety per cent of her pieces are authentic; the reproduction pieces, in-cluding an amputation/ surgeons kit with multiple knives and bullet forceps, a trephine kit and slip (bed) pan, were acquired for her Civil War re-enactments. The move from re-enactment to road show came in 1998 when she staged a private Victorian fashion show and was in-vited by an activities di-rector at a seniors’ home to bring her show to that institution. MacLeod’s shows typically begin with an explanation of the health status of your average citizen in 1850, when the life-expectancy was around 50. This month we welcome Nurse Nancy McCloud.

Www.probusclubofburlington.ca

Probus Club of Burl ington

U pcoming

Speakers

November 17th—

Susan Raby-Dunne -

Lt. Col. John McCrae.

November

22nd the

Christmas

Gala Lunch-

eon.

and medicine and long-time love of history. In the late 1970s she ac-quired her first piece, an invalid feeder cup. Today her artifacts range from a travelling pharmacy kit to a syphilis syringe (which was filled with diluted silver nitrate and injected into the urethra), blood-letting instruments to an enema pump (c. 1855) called The Irrigator, which may have also been used for embalming. She combs antique stores and thrift shops, occasion-ally scoring spectacular finds, such as a medical dictionary from 1850 that she bought along with a mitt full of novels for $2 at her local Value Village. Her collection of medical memorabilia and Victori-an fashion, gradually grew through the years, then, in 1994, a patient told her about historical re-enactments of the Civil War and MacLeod trav-elled to the United States to have a look. She decided they needed a period medical unit. Her first persona was a Grey Nun and then she became a Confederate nurse leading a unit of eight. Her collecting picked up.

Victorian Medicine Show October 2016

T he next meeting of the Probus Club

of Burlington will be held on Thursday October 20th, at 10:00AM at the Art Gallery of Burlington.

E xtending the hand

of welcome…

What better way to begin our morning than with a firm handshake and a friendly smile from our four greeters, James Con-nell, Doug MacDou-gall, Bob Martel, Reg Michie, guarantee this and will set the tone for the morning in true Pro-buscian style.

Thanks Gentlemen.

Now our still anonymous Probus Ghost writer, whose first initial just MIGHT be "G" for ghost, presents ‘Ghosts in the Country', by our Sep-tember speaker Robert Panabaker, Doctor and Coroner. ——————————————————— He kept his audience wide awake with some revealing stories and im-ages of his career in Hanover, Ontar-io. Fortunately, some of his graphic images only stayed on the screen for a few seconds. Any longer, may have been shocking and stomach-turning for many of us. Most cases that came under his scru-tiny were tragic accidents, on the farms and rural roads. Humourous incidents could arise from some cas-es, such as the call to a farm death. When he arrived the OPP officer di-rected him to the kitchen where 3 men were playing cards and drinking beer. Strange. Then he was directed to a stairway to the basement. At the bottom was a body. The man had fallen backwards and died at the bot-tom. Nothing the card players could do but call the OPP, and finish their game. Attendance was 70 members and a collection of $142.65. They just can’t get it right.

The Ghost wooooo! Ghost writer in the closet…...

PROBUS CLUB OF

BURLINGTON

2017 MEMBERSHIP

FEES

It is the time of year when your 2017 Probus Club of Burlington annual membership fees are col-lected. Members will be receiv-ing their notification in the mail by mid-October and we ask that you follow the payment instruc-tions contained within the notifi-cation. You will note that, after holding the annual membership fee flat for over a decade, the executive has had to raise the fee by $5 to offset increased costs (2017 annual membership fee is $45).

The Membership Committee appreciates your prompt payment of the 2017 fees.

MONTGOMERY, John "Jack" It is with great sadness that we share in the passing of Jack Montgomery, on Monday, August 8,

2016 at the age of 88 . A moment of silence was held for Jack at our Au-gust meeting. A letter of condolence was sent to the family. (Editor’s Note; This announcement was omitted in our September Newsletter by mistake.)

Squire We will be going to the

Squire for lunch after the

meeting. The cost is $13 for

meal and a beer or a glass of

wine.

It's Bob here to start. Yes, I've missed another Probus meeting. When the first of the month falls on a Thursday, the third Thursday comes impossibly quickly and then you realize it is the Third Thursday, and you're sitting at breakfast overlooking an impossibly beautiful Georgian Bay .... well you kick and cry, and put more syrup on the pancakes. Frankly, I don't know how much longer I can hold this, "Reporting About the Speaker", job while the Ghost Writer is doing all of the ac-tual reporting. I'm also worried about the expense to the club of two salaries. Although when you look at the casual way the club members regard the two-dollar meeting fee .... next to the dues .... our only source of revenue, I’m sure they'll just write-off the extra salary (editor’s note: What Salary!) with a shrug. But they did well on the 15th, actually exceeding the two bucks per head, by what? Nearly four cents per head. I wish I had been there to hear Rob-ert Panabaker. His experiences cer-tainly remind me of my early days as a 20ish newspaper photographer for The Welland Tribune. The local police called me at home at 3am and wanted to alert me about a fa-tality from a car accident. When I arrived at the quiet, dark scene, the officer present asked me if I had ever seen brains before, then pulled back the blanket covering the vic-tim's head. That was life reporting reality in my part of the country in the late 1950's.

Members Pages

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Condolences

Meeting Review

By Bob Chambers and the Ghost

Special Events

Page 3 The Probus Club of Burlington Newsletter Www.probusclubofburl ington.ca

Savaria Plant Tour

View design, assembly and testing of accessibility lifts, wheelchair accessible vans and elevators.

Tour is limited to 8 participants: 5 are signed up. 3 more slots available

REQUIREMENT: Participants m ust wear CSA approved Safety Shoes (steel toes). Safety glasses can be provided

When: 1st November 2016; Arrive at plant at 10:45 a.m.

Where: 2 Walker Drive, Brampton

Maps available at PROBUS Meeting 20, October

This will be a U-Drive Event; Travel time: less than 1 hour each way

Tour time: Approx. 1.5 hours

View the following for more details https://www.savaria.com/home https://vimeo.com/132823456

Contact Warren Elliott wkelliott@cogeco.ca

Christmas Gala Location: Burlington Golf & Country Club

Date: November 22nd, 2016

Full Service Luncheon

Cost $50.00/Person

Ticket Sales continue October 20th, 2016 at our meeting.

Reservations can be made online.

Computer

Interest Group

Our next meeting will be on October 13th at 10am at Ap-pleby Place.

Remember to send Robert your questions via email to Rob-ert.lalonde@me.com.

This month we will be looking at the latest update of Windows 10.

Interest Group Activities

Page : 4 Www.probusclubofburlington.ca The Probus Club of Burlington Newsletter

Published monthly by The Probus Club of Burlington, Box 85098, Brant Plaza P.O., Burlington ON, L7R 4K3

President: Bob English, 905-331-4545 Editing & Distribution: Bob Lalonde, 905-332-1383.

Probus Bridge Club

The Monday Bridge Group

Meets every week at the Ca-

nadian Legion. Join us for

lunch and friendly games of

bridge Starts at 12 Noon..

Thanksgiving