Guest Speakers February 6, 2019

Jackie provided a history Dr. McClure and the bursary.

 

“Dr. Bob” McClure’s dedication as a surgeon and his warmth as a human being endeared him to the suffering people of several continents. For a quarter of a century, Bob McClure pioneered in China rural medicine, family planning and the therapeutic use of radium. During the Sino-Japanese War, he served as a Field Director for the International Red Cross in the interior of China and was also a medical Commandant of a Quaker ambulance unit.

 

These were interesting times in China for as Scott Munro reported:

 

“While McClure is following the dictates of his own conscience, Chinese Nationalist soldiers attempted to execute him, the Japanese put a price on his head, the Chinese   Communist black-listed him, and Canada’s Prime Minister, Mackenzie King, threatened to throw him in goal”

 

Returning to Canada in 1948 at the age of 49, he practiced medicine in Toronto, but in less than two years he was back overseas. This time Dr McClure took an assignment in Cairo and Gaza as Medical Chief to a hospital in Gaza serving refugees. He then went to a church hospital in Central India where for fourteen years he served as Medical Director and Chief Surgeon.

 

Returning to Canada upon his ‘retirement’ in 1976, Bob was elected the first lay moderator of the United Church of Canada- a post he graced with compassion, insight and humour for three years He then took his volunteer surgical services to hospitals as far afield as the head waters of the Amazon, the Caribbean, the Canadian northwest and the island of Borneo.

 

Throughout his career, wherever he served, Dr. McClure developed innovative training programs to assist local people to acquire the skills necessary to support their own health care services. As Dr. McClure so clearly recognized, when we give the gift of knowledge; when we educate the others; we give them the ability to help themselves and their neighbours.

 

Dr. McClure passed away in November 1991, two weeks short of his 91^st birthday.

 

RTE awards up to 4 bursaries of $2500 each, in the spring of each year to First Nations Students in the Health Science Program –Faculty of Community Services, School of Nutrition, School of Occupational and Public Health, Midwifery Program and the Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing- at Ryerson University. 

 

The bursary was created to honor the work of Dr. Robert McClure, an outstanding humanitarian, gifted surgeon, the first lay Moderator of the United Church of Canada and member of Rotary Toronto Eglinton.

 

Successful candidates must be in good academic standing, in financial need, have demonstrated commitment to their community through their work in the community, and planning to return to their community following graduation. The recipients will be invited to attend a Rotary lunch and share information about their work in their community.

 

Bursary recipients Emma Bilodeau, and Jasmine Allan-Sferruzzi were in attendance at today’s meeting. Also in attendance was Aboriginal Student Coordinator, Claire Dion Fletcher (pictured below), and Celest Richard, Director of Development at Ryerson

 

 

Claire spoke about the importance of supporting aboriginal students. The midwifery program is only takes 30 students per year and aboriginal students represent the highest cohort. This is a very demanding 4 year program and the financial burden is extreme. As a result, the bursary is very important and needed by these students.

 

 

Emma Bilodeau (pictured above) is Mohawk from Six Nations and grew up in London, Ontario. She is passionate about improving the health and wellbeing of Indigenous women and believes that Indigenous midwives are an important part of that. The Mohawk consider women to be stronger than men, because they can have children. Emma wants to show respect for her culture, by helping women have positive child birthing outcomes. She thanked RTE for our support.

 

 

Jasmine Allan-Sferruzzi (above) is a multi-racial woman of Indigenous (Anishinaabeg), Syrian, Finnish, and British descent. She is currently in her third year of the Midwifery Education Program. She hopes to one day work with urban Indigenous populations and help to facilitate power, sacredness, and hope of birthing in a culturally safe space within these communities. Jasmine is very grateful to be in her third year, and a recipient of the bursary. She thanked us for our support.

 

Walter W thanked our guest speakers.