A long-time Athabasca doctor recently retired and the community are invited to come and celebrate his service to the region.
On Dec. 5, a retirement appreciation celebration will be held for Dr. Brian Oldale, who officially retired from practice at the end of September. The celebration will be held in the Ruth King Room at the Athabasca Hospital from 1 to 3 p.m.
Oldale studied to be a doctor at St. Mary’s Hospital in London, England. After he got his full license, he trained for a year at a family practice in Wye Valley that was run by Dr. J. Eskell.
“Dr. Eskell, a noted family practitioner, was the subject of a book on family practice which was published at the time,” said Oldale.
After this, Oldale immigrated to Canada and began working in downtown Toronto as an emergency physician. Next, he did residency training in London, Ontario on orthopedics.
“Realizing that (my) inclination was for family practice, (I) moved initially to Innisfail and subsequently to Athabasca 42 years ago,” he said.
While here, he preformed the first c-section in the area, followed by quite a few more over the years.
He has also been a member of the pool board, the chair of the Edmonton Regional Mental Health Council and been involved in the local regional health boards.
A few years ago, he cut back his practice hours and has retired completely now.
“(I) wish to thank (my) patients for the trust and affections that they have given (me) over the years,” he added.
