PRAIRIE WEST HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PRAIRIE WEST HISTORICAL SOCIETY: “The museum is a fixture in your community” - Dr. Charlotte Williams
By Verna Thompson
The importance of community and being part of a community was the theme of Elrose veterinarian Dr. Charlotte Williams when she addressed the Eston museum’s Christmas in November event recently.
She stressed the importance of museums in the life of a community. “The museum is a fixture in your community. “she said,. It provides a medium for family and future generations to reflect on the past, learn ideas and perspectives from the past to help shape ideas and creativity in the future, ultimately making the community a better place.”
She urged her audience to support the museum, by volunteering, taking families and friends to visit and give financially.
“These are all ways to support your museum, a vital part of your community” she said.
Dr. Williams opened her talk saying, “Tonight I want to talk about the fixtures or people in my life that were an example to me. Because of them when a door opened in front of me I saw it as an opportunity and that gave me the courage to walk through it.”
She traced her family from her great grandmother Mattie Mayes who was born a slave in the state of Georgia. Gaining freedom after the Civil war, Mattie, her husband Joe and their 13 children, with 10 other families, eventually made their way to Canada and Saskatchewan where they settled in the Eldon district near Maidstone in 1910.
They formed a community and built a church, the Shiloh Church, which as recently declared a heritage property.
Mattie was a mother and a leader in her community, a medicine woman and midwife loved and admired by all who knew her. “She was determined to leave the hate of discrimination and embrace the idea of community,” Williams said.
Raised in North Battleford, Williams said her parents did everything they could “to ensure we had the opportunity to take part and experience being part of a community. … Ultimately, I believe my parents were trying to help us think about community, how your seemingly small contribution can help a community thrive.”
Williams attained her veterinary medicine degree in 1994, married her husband, Earl, and 28 years ago the family, with the first two of their eventual three children in tow, moved to Elrose where Earl had found work with Mark and Suzanne Reed who were diversifying their farm into tissue culture and Williams would establish her veterinary practice.
Her practice moved quickly from mobile to a small animal clinic, she said, but “it wasn’t all easy.”
Hers was the first veterinary practice in Elrose, so she had to establish a clientele, she was female and most large animal producers were used to a male vet, and “I was obviously a different colour so everybody thought I was from a different country.
“Every door that has been opened to us provided new opportunities to help our community by providing a dependable service.
“For the past 28 years,” she said, we have worked toward becoming a fixture in Elrose to improve the health and vitality of our community.”
She also serves the wider veterinary community, having held several positions with the Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Association, ultimately becoming president of the organization in 2016.
As her practice has grown, she has mentored students, technicians and current and future veterinarians.
As museums are a vital part of any community, so her practice has become a vital part of Elrose and the wider West Central community.
Williams presentation was sponsored by Meridian Community Futures.
Dr. Charlotte Williams
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