I was delighted to be invited back to Belleville, Ontario to speak with several different audiences about their hometown hero DrJames Bertram Collip, co-discoverer of insulin. My visit started with a stop at the beautiful Collip Monument and Memorial Gardens on Bayshore Trail. I then had the pleasure of speaking with a great group of faculty and students in healthcare programmes at Loyalist College. Later in the afternoon, I was honoured to make a deputation to Mayor Neil Ellis and Belleville City Council. Finally, that evening I enjoyed presenting to a warm audience at a Belleville Public Library. It was a terrific action-packed day.
On my second day in Belleville, I had an engaging conversation with Lorne Brooker on CJBQ Radio first thing in the morning. Then, I had the pleasure of speaking to a bright young group of science students at Albert College who asked great questions about Dr Collip’s work. Before saying goodbye to Belleville, my hosts Linda and Roli Tipper took me to visit the site of the Collip family home in Thurlow Township. What a treat!
Thanks go to Roli and Linda Tipper for their warm welcome and for making this trip possible, and to Ian Sullivan and Richard Hughes of the Collip Memorial Committee as well as all the folks at Loyalist College, Belleville City Council, Belleville Public Library, CJBQ, and Albert College for making us welcome.
November 20 is Dr James Bertram Collip Day in Belleville