After five years working in Burns Lake and 42 years on the job, Dr. Alan Hill, chief of staff from the Burns Lake Medical Clinic said he is ready for the next chapter in his life.
He recently made the decision to retire and has returned with his wife, to live in the U.K., but said he has many fond memories of Burns Lake to take with him.
"I am really sorry to leave Burns Lake as I have made so many friends and acquaintances. The last five years have been an experience that I wouldn’t have changed for the world. I only wish that I had discovered the wonders of Burns Lake many years ago. What a difference that might have made. The friendliness that was shown to my wife, Margaret and I has been unprecedented in our experience and we have appreciated this a great deal. It is said that you get out of life what you put into it and this is true in this community more than anywhere else."
In August 2011, Dr. Hill returned to the U.K. for family reasons and he recently said to Lakes District News that putting his family first is something he must continue to do.
"I have spent 42 years looking after others and it has been a great privilege to do so, but now it is time to accept that I am not as young as I was and that I should put my family first ... after the [family] events of last year in the U.K. I must do that."
He said to Lakes District News that proceeds from his recent garage sale will be donated. "The sum realized was way beyond our expectations, so there is a donation on its way to the Canadian Cancer Society Lakes District Unit, with the balance going towards sponsoring our late daughter Joanne's husband, Mark, who is looking for sponsorship for his climb of Mount Kilimanjaro in September 2012 in memory of Joanne, and in aid of the MacMillan Cancer charity in the UK."
The other reason for leaving Burns Lake, Dr. Hill said, is that it is easier to burn out than he had realized.
As reported in the Lakes District News of Jan. 11, 2012, Dr. Hill was Burns Lake's only permanent full time physician after others had retired or left the community.
According to Northern Health's Dr. Susan MacDonald, Northern Interior medical director, two physicians that were recruited late last year to work in Burns Lake, still remain, with another physician set to arrive in Burns Lake from South Africa in the coming months.
Dr. Loren Caira signed on to work in Burns Lake for a minimum of three weeks of every month and Dr. Chris Annandale is working on a two week on two week off rotation, in conjunction with Dr. Michael Graetz.
"Dr. Loren Caira and Dr. Chris Annandale are both very competent, as was proven during the Babine Forest Products tragedy," Dr. Hill said.
Dr. Membo Kibonge will be arriving in Burns Lake in June with his wife and three children. "He will be taking over my practice," Dr. Hill said, adding that the chief of staff position will be appointed by Northern Health at a later date."
According to Dr. MacDonald, Dr. Greg Norman is also working from time to time and there is between three and five locums working at the Burns Lake Medical Clinic and Lakes District Hospital emergency room on a regular basis.
"We have been fully covered at the emergency room for quite some time now," Dr. MacDonald said.
"Northern Health wishes Dr. Hill all the best in his well deserved retirement," she added.
Dr. Hill said he was pleased to be in the community when the announcement for the new Lakes District Hospital was made. "A lot of people have put immense amounts of time and effort into this project to lobby politicians to make the dream come true."
He feels a new hospital will make the task of recruiting more doctors to the community much easier, as well as making life better for current medical staff and the patients.
"The next step is to return to on site food preparation [at the hospital] to make it perfect. I believe it is also cheaper to operate and uses local produce not to mention, tastes better. The new hospital will be higher in elevation than the present one so the views from the patient rooms will be even better than they are now."
He said the only regret he has is having to leave Burns Lake and while he was here, not having enough spare time to spend experiencing all things Canadian.
He said he would have liked to try curling after watching a few games, but would pass on playing hockey.
"It's too dangerous for me, although I have discovered it as a spectator sport. I will miss the friendly people, the wail of the trains approaching the crossing, the homemade jams from the farmer's market exposing us to flavours of which we had never heard tasted before, such as Saskatoon and Huckleberry, the beautiful countryside, the freezing and thawing of the lakes and the winter temperatures.”
“There is of course, many more things such as treating a teenager who had been run down by a four foot snowball during my first winter in Burns Lake and the enormous breadth of medical ailments that I had never seen before .... or even heard of."
"It's sad to be leaving the home that we have created here in Canada.
“We have had a wonderful time and we leave with many fond memories.”
These we will take back to our own Lakes District, near where we live in England a mere 90 minutes drive over the Pennine range of hills from our home," he added.