Former Brockville General Hospital nursing program welcomes back alumnae
A former Brockville nursing school is celebrating its graduates this weekend, with many travelling to the city from across the region.
Those nurses became the backbone of our healthcare system for decades, with some even working in other countries.
"A lot of them worked here, married here, and raised their families here," Brockville General Hospital Nurses Alumnae President Linda Poole said on Saturday.
Women and men arrived for a weekend of activities, beginning with a coffee social hour at the Brockville Country Club Saturday morning.
Ninety-nine-year-old retired nurse Jean Elk made the trip over from Alexandra Bay, New York.
"Oh, I'm just so glad to see all these graduates from our hospital," Elk told CTV News Ottawa.
Elk graduated from the program in 1945 and worked in an Alexandra Bay hospital for 38 years.
"Always wanted to be a nurse, always, and loved my job and loved the people I worked with," she said. "Loved the area."
Jean Elk, 99, attends the lunch for the former Brockville General Hospital nursing program reunion event this weekend. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)
Ruth Jones was another former nurse in attendance, who graduated in 1950.
"Well, back then it was either a school teacher or a nurse, and my mom was a nurse so I came to Brockville to be a nurse," Jones smiled.
"(It's) super. Marvellous to see all these, some of them, familiar faces and some not so familiar," she said.
The nursing program began in the late 1800s with the first class, and only one student graduated in 1893.
The program continued until 1974 when it moved to St. Lawrence College. The nurses' alumnae was formed in 1923 and is celebrating 100 years.
"There's not many nurses alumnae in Ontario still running and we've decided to keep going until all of our graduates could celebrate their 50th anniversary," Poole said.
"It just coincides that the 100th and all our 50th anniversaries are celebrated at the same time," she noted.
Brockville General Hospital President and CEO Nick Vlacholias speaks at the reunion for the hospital's former nursing program. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)
Brockville General Hospital (BGH) President and CEO Nick Vlacholias was on hand to speak at the event, honouring the nurses, and highlighting the importance of the program.
"It's just an incredible day and I'm glad that they invited me to speak on behalf of Brockville General Hospital to honour all the nursing graduates from over the years," he said.
"It's been incredible, and what we've seen is that today we are short nurses, and this type of program here, the way we had this program, allowed us to stabilize through the years," Vlacholias said.
"Now it's in colleges and universities, and that's the way we train nurses compared to a way we trained nurses before. Each hospital had basically their own nursing school," he added.
"All the ladies and the few men that are here have all worked as students at BGH over the years," noted Poole, who graduated from the program in 1971.
"Many of them ended up with jobs there; I ended up working there, several of my classmates ended up working at BGH," she said. "Many of us did end up with jobs because they were familiar with us after that 1971 class."
Jones said the program helped keep her in the area, where she met her husband and started a family.
"If it was that way again, I'd go back and start all over again," she said.
"It is really nice to celebrate, just to see all the familiar faces, and I have two classmates still alive and one of them will be here tonight just to reminisce," Jones added.
Both Jones and Elk agreed that many graduates passed their love of healthcare on to the next generation.
"Both my sons married nurses and my daughter is a lab technician and worked in a doctor's office for years," Elk said. "She just retired recently."
Old photos of graduates from the former Brockville General Hospital School of Nursing. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)
During the morning event, the more than 150 nurses in attendance broke out in song, singing 'Blest be the Tie that Binds,' which was sang every morning to start class, and also at graduation.
"Its tradition," noted Poole.
In total, more than 200 graduates are attending the celebrations, with 43 from the class of 1973 being honoured Saturday evening.
Alumnae celebrating 60 and 65 years will also be honoured Saturday, with a Sunday church service wrapping up the weekend.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Liberal MP says she's leaving politics over disrespectful dialogue, threats, misogyny
Liberal MP Pam Damoff says she won't run again in the next federal election, saying she has experienced misogyny, disrespectful dialogue in politics and threats to her life.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Eating disorders among youth skyrocketed during pandemic and so did associated costs, report finds
The number of young people experiencing eating disorders surged during the height of the pandemic as the social and economic costs skyrocketed too, a new pan-Canadian report has found.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.