New sign design shift focus to South Dundas and the Upper Canada Region

Media Release

Winchester District Memorial Hospital (WDMH) is very fortunate to have a small group of dedicated volunteers who provide patient visitation services. 

These volunteers show up daily and visit anyone who requests their services. Patients need not be religious or spiritual – they just need someone to talk to. Coming from different backgrounds with varying motivations, their goal is simply to support the exemplary holistic care provided by WDMH.

Spiritual volunteers are much more than just compassionate visitors. To become a spiritual volunteer, individuals must attend a six-week course, pass a final exam, and complete a set amount of service time to receive certification. 

Training includes aspects of every faith ranging from Islam to Christianity to Judaism and many more. Beyond considerations of faith, spiritual volunteers must also be prepared to interact with patients who may be in the worst crisis of their lives. They attend monthly training sessions to learn new communication techniques and discuss best practices.

“Patients look forward to our visits,” says Jannie Van Noppen, one of the spiritual volunteers.

“One patient I visited was having a hard time communicating. It turns out she could only speak German.”

“Fortunately,” she continued, “I could speak some and when we talked, she told me her incredible life story. By the end of our first visit I was able to help her understand what some of the things the staff was asking her for.”

Spiritual volunteers break down many barriers for the patient. They provide a warm and welcoming face to whomever would like visitation. They are there to listen and improve the patient experience at WDMH.

The spiritual volunteers at WDMH are: Jannie Van Noppen, Sabina de Stecher, Susan Helmer, Elva Patterson-Rutters, Shirley Nichol, and David Millward. 

[…]

 It’s the stuff of nightmares in the hotel business.

The Turtle Beach Hotel toilets leak, there’s a gaping hole in the front yard, and the dog next door has been leaving its own unique ‘deposits’ at the front desk.

The staff is down to two individuals: a terribly confused chamber maid who has been ordered to take on reception and room service as well (“I’m not sure I want to service guests in their rooms,” she blurts), and a handyman whose motto is “never fix anything permanently.”

 Owners Terri and Brian Cody are desperate to sell the place. (Brian: “This is a one star hotel.” Hopkins the handyman: “That’s because there’s not a no star rating.”). Their frantic scheme to ‘dump’ the Turtle sets off a conspiracy of comedy.

Audiences will be glad they took out ‘reservations’ at Upper Canada Playhouse’s Hotbed Hotel: it’s riotous fun.

Director Donnie Bowes has put together a first-rate cast and a first-rate production of Michael Parker’s frenetic and funny ‘American farce.’ Staged on a beautiful and versatile John Thompson set, the action and rapid fire lines on-stage never slow down from the moment the hotel owner Brian Cody says prophetically, “Something will go wrong. I just know it!”

The fun of farces rests firmly on their utter improbability.

“There is actually a fine line between farce and a tragedy,” Bowes said during an earlier interview. “The pace is vital. The characters should never have time to stop, think and reason, because that, of course, would destroy the humour.”

This is a cast of highly skilled performers more than able to rise to the challenges of the play.

Timm Hughes and Debra Hale play the hapless Codys. She’s determined to pull off the great ‘con’ when prospective buyer Sam Lewis appears. He’s determined to see the darker side of the whole plan. “Nothing has turned out. We’re no further ahead than we were before.” 

And it won’t help that the couple ropes into their schemes a group for whom the word ‘eccentric’ was invented.

Hopkins the handyman, played by veteran actor, Mo Bock, in a fog of happy alcohol fumes, has love on his mind, not masquerades. Maureen, the maid, (AnnaMarie Lea in the sort of role in which she excels) is desperately trying to keep two completely different thoughts in her head at the same time. She will not be successful. 

Doug Tangney,  delightful as a retired British Major, is sincerely hoping to help the Codys, but is a little unsure if he will be ‘up to the demands of the job’? 

Or, as Hopkins puts it, “All I get to do is talk about sin. Ponsenby gets to do it!” 

In the frantic role of the “Barracuda,” a hotel guest with an all-male shopping list, Susan Greenfield needs to be wildly energetic and wildly outrageous. She is.

“I have this thing for clergymen, reverend,” she remarks salaciously to what she thinks is a preacher. “You and I should have an organ recital together.”

Richard Bauer brings just the right mixture of bombast and hypocrisy to his role as Sam Lewis, possible purchaser of the Turtle Beach. For a man piously telling others to control their “animal impulses”, Lewis has some comic secrets of his own.

Erin MacKinnon, in the role of the rather sweet young thing Ashley, is as close to a ‘straight man’ as this play ever gets. After all, it’s not really her fault that her clothes keep vanishing!

Brenda Quesnel is Dorothy, the umbrella-wielding mystery woman, whose appearance will set off a chain reaction of mayhem in Act II. As another guest, prey to her temper, bluntly remarks, “If that woman lived in India, she’d be sacred.”

The back stage crew is in top form for Hotbed Hotel. Headed by stage manager Liz Campbell,  they have dozens of cues to meet, props hand offs, elaborate costume and set changes and  several tricky physical gags to manage. As director Bowes put it, “Backstage can sometimes be as exciting as on stage in a farce.”

The bends, twists and turns of character and plot are delivered at a breathless pace in this production. The play flips 180 degrees so often it’s like being in a spin cycle at times. 

Outrageous, brilliantly paced and howlingly funny, Hotbed Hotel runs until July 1 at the Upper Canada Playhouse.

For ticket information on evening and matinee shows, contact  613-543-3713. 

[…]

Another stirring Remembrance Day at Branch #48. Fraser Hall was filled with wreaths, crosses and people. Morrisburg and area does remember. The walls were decorated with many entries in the poster campaign. Thank you to our Ladies Auxiliary for the delicious lunch.

Business arising from the meetings on the 7th and 9th involved donations to the Santa Claus Parade in the amount of $500, a $200 donation to Camp Sheldrick, $100 to the War Museum and $500 for a new memorial being build at R.C.A.F. base Trenton. This memorial will honour the veterans from the Afghanistan conflict. There were several other business items which will be covered at a later date. 

On November 16, the Ladies Auxiliary will cater the Canadian Club dinner. Bingo resumes on November 17 and from November 18-20, Fraser Hall will be filled with the crafts from the Morrisburg and District Show. 

November 25 will once again be barbecue night and on November 26, Zone cribbage will take place with 160 guests expected. There is one Saturday left open in Fraser Hall before Christmas.

There will be a New Year’s party at Branch #48. More details on that later. 

On a sadder note, Branch #48 offers our sympathy to the family of Ladies Auxiliary member Elva Baker. Yes, we do remember.

[…]