
April 18, 2024 · 0 Comments
By Sam Odrowski
A charitable women’s group that’s existed in the community for over 115 years is working hard to replace a chainsaw-carved wooden statue that was vandalized a couple of years ago.
The Lord Dufferin IODE has been fundraising to replace “The Nurse” statue, which was commissioned by the group in 2007 to mark its 100th anniversary. The statue was located in front of the Lord Dufferin Retirement Residence for 15 years but was vandalized beyond repair in the summer of 2022.
The nurse statue is of particular significance to the women’s group since it founded the first hospital in Orangeville, the Lord Dufferin Hospital, on Oct. 12, 1912, and operated the facility with IODE nurses from 1922 to 1954. The nurse statue depicts those nurses who worked at the Lord Dufferin Hospital back when it first opened.
“It’s our heritage, it’s the town’s heritage,” said Dori Ebel of the Lord Dufferin IODE. “It’s the heritage of the ladies who went before us in 1907, who had the foresight to build the hospital.”
She added, “We’d like to think that the hospital up there on the hill [Headwaters] might not be here, had we not started [the Lord Dufferin Hospital].”
The artist of the wood sculpture, Jim Menken, has quoted the Lord Dufferin IODE $6,000 to replace the statue, and the group’s been setting money aside to make it happen, through its various fundraisers.
As well, the 10 and 10 Garden Centre has provided $1,000 and the Town of Orangeville is contributing $2,500 to help with the cost.
The sculpture is currently being carved and the Lord Dufferin IODE plans to hold an unveiling ceremony this summer. It will be held by the pergola outside of the Lord Dufferin Retirement Residence. An announcement with specific dates and times will be made once official plans are in place.
The nurse statue will include a plaque, highlighting the IODE’s history, and the Lord Dufferin Hospital’s history.
The new statue has a slightly modified design from the original. Instead of holding a towel over her arm, the nurse statue will sport an old-fashioned stethoscope.
A harder type of wood and improved base for the statue should provide greater longevity than the previous design and be harder to vandalize, Ebel noted.
The Lord Dufferin IODE supports many local charities in the community like the Orangeville Food Bank, Salvation Army, and Orangeville Public Library. They donate $5,000 each year to the Headwaters Health Care Foundation, as the IODE’s mission has always been to ensure there are adequate health care services in the community.
When Headwaters first opened in May of 1997, the Lord Dufferin IODE donated $100,000, as it was a larger group at that time and had spent years fundraising.
The group plans to continue with its support for the local hospital and other charitable initiatives in the community going forward.
Anyone interested in donating to the Lord Dufferin IODE to assist with the cost of replacing the nurse statue can email LordDufferinIODE@gmail.com.