REUNION OF FORMER PATIENTS AND STAFF MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL
OTTAWA SANATORIUM FOR THE TREATMENT OF TUBERCULOSIS
SATURDAY, 1 NOVEMBER 2014, 10 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
AT THE ROYAL OTTAWA MENTAL HEALTH CENTRE
1145 CARLING AVENUE (site of the former Royal Ottawa TB Sanatorium)
From the time the Lady Grey Hospital (also known as the Royal Ottawa Sanatorium) opened in 1910 until the last TB ward closed in 1970, more than 11,000 TB patients were admitted to the hospital. (The Story of the Royal Ottawa Hospital).
Anne Raina, the co-author of Clara’s Rib (www.clarasrib.ca), and a group of enthusiastic volunteers, warmly welcome former patients, their family members, former staff members and their family members to a reunion. We ask for everyone’s assistance in passing on news of this reunion to anyone who you feel might be interested in attending. Your help in spreading the news would be greatly appreciated.
Anne is the youngest of ten children. Her father and seven of her siblings contracted tuberculosis and spent years in the Royal Ottawa San. Her father and her eldest and youngest brothers died of the disease. Her sister, Clara, with whom Clara’s Rib is co-authored, entered the San in 1939 when she was 12 and she was discharged for the final time in 1952 when she had just turned 26.
Dozens of people who spent time in the San with Clara or other of Anne’s family members have acquired the book. Many of them have expressed a desire to reunite with others who shared their TB and San experience. And there are myriad others who want the book so they can understand a little of what life with TB and in the San was like for a family member.
PROGRAM FOR THE DAY
We are pleased to hold the reunion in a location that is familiar to all of you. The facility is accessible and there is ample parking. Parking is pay & display. We suggest anyone with mobility issues be dropped at the front door. Some of you might enjoy walking to the arches of the Whitney Building which remain on site. The previous workshop (now a storage building) is close to the arches.
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. – Refreshments and Socializing
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Program in the Auditorium
12:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – Lunch and Socializing for the afternoon
For anyone wishing to continue visiting after 5:00 p.m. we could go to a nearby restaurant.
REMEMBERING
It is important that the stories of former TB patients do not disappear. They provide a vital piece in the history of TB. Our hope is that the reunion will provide an opportunity for us to gather your San experiences to be recorded and collated.
We encourage everyone to bring photos/memorabilia to share with others while you reminisce.
CONTACT LIST
We plan to distribute a list of names, addresses and contact information for all those in attendance.
REFRESHMENTS
A lunch will be provided. We will accommodate dietary restrictions.
COST OF REGISTRATION
The registration fee, to cover lunch and refreshments and to help defray the costs of the reunion is $25.00.
HOW TO REGISTER
By phone: Call Anne Raina at 613-733-5891 (Please leave a brief message and you will be called back).
By regular mail: Print the registration form and mail the completed form to:
Ottawa San Reunion 2014
1339 Henry Farm Drive
Ottawa, ON K2C 2E5
By Email: Print the registration form and scan the completed form and email to dsmith6835@bell.net
For further information contact Anne Raina at 613-733-5891 or Debbie Smith at dsmith6835@bell.net