Happy 65th!!

On the first Tuesday of January, 1950, 20 women from communities around Tyne Valley met for the first meeting of the Stewart Memorial Health Centre Ladies Aid.  The decision to build a hospital in Tyne Valley had only been made the previous year. Money, and lots of it, had to be raised so construction could begin.

These were our charter members:

Mrs. J.A. Stewart (President)

Mrs. Sidney Enman (Vice-President)

Mrs. Lorne Burleigh (Secretary - Treasurer)

Mrs. Ira Banks

Mrs. Reginald Birch

Mrs. E.S. Burleigh

Mrs. Athol Colwill

Mrs. Spurgeon Dyment

Mrs. Richard Found

Mrs. Charles Frost

Mrs. Thomas Grigg

Mrs. James Livingstone

Mrs. R.R. Logie

Mrs. Ivan MacLean

Mrs. Angus MacLennan

Mrs. Clark MacQuarrie

Mrs. Henry Maynard

Mrs. William Maynard

Mrs. James Milligan

Mrs. Oswald Yeo

They each paid 25 cents membership and got to work raising money to build the hospital.  Sadly, none of these ladies are still with us, but many of their descendants are still members of Stewart Memorial Healthcare Auxiliary.

Their first fundraiser was a tea party held in the summer of 1950 at the old Mt. Pleasant air base.  That event raised over $1,700, a great result even for a fundraiser today.  Countless raffles, teas, and concerts have been held ever since.

When the hospital opened, the Aid members led the huge effort of readying the building for the first patients.  That included cleaning the rooms, sewing drapes, providing canned goods for the kitchen, and decorating.  They went on to raise money to purchase items both small and large, from stethoscopes and bed pans to x-ray machines, photocopiers and ECGs.

So, as of January 3, 2015, we are 65 years old, an age when most look forward to slowing down, taking a well-deserved break from work life.  That doesn't seem to be in the cards for our group, though, as there is still plenty to do!

From the May 1, 1950 Charlottetown Guardian