Doctor receives
Order of Canada

Dr. Robert Haslam chats with Hanna Hamilton, centre, and Shaelyn Hamilton. Haslam will receive the Order of Canada. photo by Blair Braitenbach

By Blair Braitenbach
Staff reporter

An Okotoks pediatrician, Dr. Robert Haslam, has been awarded the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest honours, for his outstanding work in the field of child neurology, his community dedication and general service to Canada.
The award is the centerpiece in the country’s honour system which recognizes
people from all backgrounds and sectors of society who help to enrich and improve the lives of citizens of Canada.
Haslam said when he received the phone call from the office of the Governor General of Canada informing him that he was to be awarded the Order of Canada, he had to take a seat he was so astonished.
“I feel very honoured and still have to pinch myself to make sure it’s really me and not somebody else,” Haslam said.
Indeed Haslam has fulfilled the Order of Canada’s mandate in the work and research he has conducted over the past 47 years. Since receiving his medical degree in 1960 from the University of Saskatchewan, the long list of Haslam’s achievements and industry strides is more than impressive. As a child neurologist, Haslam has worked with children suffering from epilepsy, head injuries, severe behavioural problems, brain abnormalities and many mental
conditions.
Over the years Haslam has held several prestigious positions, including his first placement from 1970-1975 as director of John F. Kennedy Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, which is part of the Johns Hopkins Hospital. There he treated and researched children with cognitive and motor abnormalities.
From Baltimore Haslam was recruited to head the department of pediatrics at both the University of Calgary and Foothills Hospital in 1975. During his 11 years in those positions, Haslam made it his goal to recruit specialists from all over Canada and North America to improve the study of pediatrics.
“Subsequently (Foothills Hospital) has become one of the major pediatric centres in Canada,” Haslam said.
Haslam went on to direct the Alberta Children’s Hospital and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Haslam came back to Calgary and the Okotoks area in 2000 where he trained students to become child neurologists.
Just recently Haslam has been offered a position to be the interim head of the new Child Development Research Centre in Calgary that will be built directly beside the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
Haslam has committed himself to various associations, including the Down Syndrome Research Centre in Vancouver, the Cerebral Palsy Association and, closer to home, the Oilfields/Okotoks Health Foundation (OOHF).
According to Frances Dover, OOHF board of trustees member, there couldn’t be a more deserving recipient of the Order of Canada.
“He gives so much to the community, both professionally and spiritually,” Dover said. “He’s an extraordinary man and we’re very, very lucky to have him in this area.”
Throughout Haslam’s career, he said he feels fortunate to have made great strides in his profession. The good doctor takes pride in his thorough approach with the children he treats and their parents.
“It might sound corny, but what I really enjoy the most is when all is said and done a parent will say ‘thank you,’” Haslam said.
Throughout his life, Haslam’s profession has given him the opportunity to travel all over the world. As well , he has become acquainted with some extremely influential people, including the Kennedy family. He recalled a time when he attended a Kennedy conference at their home.
“The thing I remember most about that was every book in the world was scattered around in piles everywhere. It was like an ongoing library.”

Golf-ball size hail causes severe damage

Hail stones the size of golf balls pounded the High River area on Sunday night causing much damage. photo submitted

By Blair Braitenbach
Staff reporter

It was a night of reckoning on Sunday as hail the size of golf balls and bigger pounded the areas in and around High River.
One of the worst hail storms in recent history bombarded the area, amounting to substantial damage of houses, cars and gardens. Brenda Prestie, who lives five miles west of High River, said the amount of damage to her house and yard is devastating after the onslaught of “egg-sized” hail her area received. Prestie said she and her husband, Barry, have contacted their insurance provider to do an adjustment, but after initial inspection it appears the roof and siding on their house will need to be replaced. Further, Prestie said their garden is completely destroyed and tree branches are scattered throughout their yard.
“It was very devastating,” Prestie said. “It’s amazing when you put all that work in and it’s gone in
15 minutes.”
“I have never seen hail like that before. It was so frightening I was afraid to go near a window. But I guess it could have been worse, it could have been a tornado,” Prestie said in regards to the tornado warnings central Alberta received on the same night.
As of Monday, Carol Robinson, community services co-ordinator for the MD, said they did not receive any calls and it appears the situation did not reach disaster proportions. However, Robinson said she heard reports through her personal interactions that plenty of cars not parked in garages were so smashed it looked like vandals struck.
“My neighbour(s) had their headlights shattered on their vehicle and their windshield (was shattered),” Robinson said.
Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm watch on Sunday for the areas around Airdrie, Cochrane, Olds and Sundre, with tornado funnels developing around Olds.