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29 Friday , O ctober 29, 2010 O A KVILLE BEA V ER w w w .o akvillebeaver .co m It was in the 1930s that the Taylor Nursing Home, a red brick, two storey building on the corner of Eighth Line (Chartwell Road) and MacDonald Road, was operated by Jane Taylor and her husband Frank. There were six bedrooms for maternity cases and convalescents. Anyone requiring sur- gery had to be rushed to Toronto, an hours trip away. At the time, the Lions Club of Oakville had been chartered, in 1925, (following the establishment of Lions International in 1917) but the local club disbanded in the Great Depression, according to Gamble. Historical Society records indicate throughout the war years, and imme- diately after, there was much talk about a hospital for Oakville. The Lions club was back in 1935, and in 1944 a group of civic-minded citizens banded together to form the Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital Association and raised more than $100,000 to build a new hospital. However, it was felt that construction costs might come down. Faced with the delay, the Lions Club of Oakville spearheaded the growth of hospitalization for the area by forming a committee to establish and run a temporary hospital. Leaders in this project included Sydney G. Fearman and Dr. E.P. Soanes, a Lions club member. Today, OTMH hands out the annu- al Dr. E.P. Soapy Soanes Award. The Lions purchased the former home of Mr. Christie Armstrong a partner in Marlatt & Armstrong Leather Company on First Street. They installed an elevator to get sup- plies from the basement warehouse to Early Lions club members spearheaded healthcare front in Oakville the third-floor surgery and operated the 14-bed hospital for almost two years and it was constantly over- flowing. Although a significant benefit for the community, the elevator was con- stantly breaking down, whimpers from the nursery at feeding time could be heard throughout the build- ing and there were no oxygen tents available. And so, in 1948, the Lions club donated the property to the recently formed hospital board as the board set about raising an additional $125,000. By 1949, the sod-turning and con- struction came for OTMH, which offi- cially opened on Feb. 14, 1950 with 50 beds, 13 staff doctors and 13 nurs- es. Eight patients and six babies were moved into OTMH. Tickets to the 75th gala cost $50, contact Gamble at 905-319- 7451/egamble@sympatico.ca, Allison at 905-827-7219/board6chair@yahoo.ca or Michael Geske at 905-849- 1362/michael.geske@merit.ca) Continued from page 29