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Four decades for Grand Bend doctor who arrived om Irelandµ.Ktl, from
Lynda Hillman-Rapley
Lakeshore Advance
It was August 4, 1970 and a special open meeting
chaired by William Sturdevant, president of the
lin °Grand Bend Chamber of Commerce was sched-
"Puled. The reason for the special meeting was to
acquire the services of a doctor for the village.
And acquire they did- with Dr. Ilium (WIn.)
O'Connor of Dublin Ireland signing on to become
the first of two doctors at the new Grand Bend
medical centre. That was the summer of 1971 and
40 years later he is still part of a team of medical
staff at the Grand Bend Community Health
Centre.
Looking back
At this special 1970 meeting it was announced
that a government report stated a guarantee of a
$24,000 annum salary for a doctor. 'There were pro-
vincial conditions and Sturdevant thought Grand
Bend could meet those specific qualifications.
The first order of business, said businessman
Orva Wassmann, was the need of a building for this
doctor. The availability of office space included the
PUC site, and the Lions Club skating rink property
at 29 Gill Road property. The skating rink property
seemed to be the best fit and Lions Club president
Prosper Van Bruaen said this would be worth look-
ing into. They now needed to raise $25,000.
The committee needed to come up with a financ-
ing plan. The Grand Bend Legion was the first to
jump on the bandwagon, agreeing to sponsor
Bingo games to raise dollars. The Lions Club
donated the property and the Arkona Lions Club
donated a set of plans of their building and a state
of officers was elected. And then the applications
from doctors began to come in.
Kadlecik Construction got the contract to build
with a completion date set for June 1971. The medi-
cal centre consisted of four examining rooms, a lab,
doctor's offices, a waiting room and reception desk.
The dental office section was to be framed in.
By early June 1971 Drs Sean Trapp and Liam
O'Connor agreed to accept the terms and confir-
mation. George Wlnegarden was appointed as cus-
todian (a job he still holds four decades later). The
official ceremony was set for August 8. Dr. Glaskin
Clay DDS would come on board in 1972 and Dr.
Trapp resigned during the middle of the year.
Looking forward
Now, 40 years later, Dr. O'Connor can reflect on
the past since he arrived as a new doctor. He was
doing a residency in Ireland and was going to wait
out the year before going to a hospital in England.
At that time many underserviced Ontario conunu-
nities were looking for doctors. Ile had a year to put
in, so he checked out the map and saw that Grand
Bend looked just fine and applied to come here.
His friend Dr. Sean Trapp decided to head out to
Grand Bend also, After one year I)r. 'Trapp headed
to Kitchener and Dr. O'Connor thought he would
stay one more year before going to England. With a
growing family and a growing practice- that trip
never materialized. For many years the only doctor
in town was Dr. McMaster and he just worked part
time from his Southcott Pines home. I le died sud-
denly and Grand Bend was left without a doctor.
'Ihe new doctors coming from Ireland would be the
first permanent doctors for Grand Bend. 1 le is
proud to have two five -generation families as
patients.
Dr. O'Connor remembers those early Years when
it was just him and the new Doctor Peter Angler
and Dr. I)eb Waters. Computerized medicine was
on its way in and a new technology, the ultrasound
was making its debut.
As the years went by medicine be became more
sophisticated and the Harris government was
downloading services to municipalities. Middlesex,
Lambton and South Huron patients needed more
advanced services and the doctors here realized
the new Community Ilealth Services was the best
model. This community saw the opportunity and
plans began with the help of locals Roy Merkley
and Don Tedford. The Grand Bend CHC was born
and this became a better fit for what the local doc-
tors wanted for their patients.
Now, 40 years later Dr. O'Connor says it is less of
a treadmill- with the help of nurse practitioners
and specialists, each of the doctors have more time
to spend with patients. Since the 1960s this doctor
has been able to travel to third world countries in
the name of medicine, Nigeria, India, Peru, he has
been able to help patients. In the past few years he
has been going to the Amazon Riverboat program.
This is something he really likes and gets back there
with wife Wendy once or twice a year.
Father of two sons and a stepson and three
grandchildren- life is busy for this career doctor.
"Grand Bend has changed completely from that
new office in 1971 -evolving into a fairly large
industry," says Dr. O'Connor. Ile says there are
always new projects advancing and with the CHC
model they are a teaching facility and can attract
new doctors. "We stay abreast of new things and
that helps the wider community.
PECKIT7"S
MERRY RAGS
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Dr. O'Connor helps out
In third world countries
Dr. Sean Thlpp and
Dr, Wm, O'Connor arrive
in Grand Bond 1971
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