Walker House Digital Museum

The online home of the Walker House Museum in Kincardine, Ontario. Our first exhibit is a history of the Kincardine Hospital.

Kincardine Hospital: A Legacy of Community Health Care

Madame Gualco: Founder of the Kincardine Hospital

The Opening of the Hospital

Before the hospital and its nurse training school were established, Kincardine had only two to four doctors with their own practices, including Dr. McCrimmon and Dr. Ferguson.

Madame Josephine Gualco, a wealthy international philanthropist from Poland who fell in love with Kincardine, became one of the community’s most generous supporters. In 1908, she purchased the Grant home, now the site of Kincardine Hospital, and bequeathed $2,500 annually toward its development. The hospital was initially managed by Dr. McCrimmon and Dr. Ferguson. Her generosity laid the foundation for a lasting legacy of giving back to the community.

The hospital opened in June 1909 in the home itself, becoming the second hospital in Bruce County. Primarily serving major emergencies, it provided new opportunities for medical care, knowledge, and training. For other medical needs, doctors continued to make house calls, providing diagnoses and performing minor surgeries. The hospital brought improved health care to Kincardine and the surrounding area, and this spirit of generosity and community care continues to shape its development today.

Kincardine Nurses Training School

Nurses, Caretakers, Community Aides

When Kincardine General Hospital opened in 1909, nurses were ready for duty under Superintendent Miss Stanley. In 1910, the hospital advertised for a “surgical nurse as Assistant Lady Superintendent,” highlighting the importance of nursing leadership and patient care.

The hospital operated a nursing school that combined formal training with hands-on experience. The first class graduated in 1912, and the final class in 1932. For several years, local Kincardine High School graduates entering the program received a small bursary when they earned their nursing caps, encouraging them to pursue nursing and remain at the hospital as nurses.

Rural nurses did much more than care for patients. They assisted doctors, helped maintain the hospital, managed supplies, helped budget, and prepared meals. In the early years, some nursing and dietary staff lived on the hospital’s third floor. In the early 1950s, a nearby house became a nurses’ residence, allowing nurses to stay close by and remain readily available when needed. This building is now the Women’s House Serving Bruce and Grey.

Beyond their daily responsibilities as caregivers, nurses also worked alongside community members to raise funds and provide the supplies and resources needed to keep the hospital operating. Their dedication, combined with the generosity of the community, was essential to sustaining health care in Kincardine and the surrounding area.

How the Community Helps the Hospital

A Community Effort

The Kincardine Hospital Ladies’ Auxiliary was formed in 1909, the same year Kincardine Hospital opened. Although it operated under several names, generations of women and later men continued its work for more than a century. Members handmade sheets, pajamas, hospital gowns, and other supplies, while raising funds through bazaars, dinners, and raffles to help cover wages and equipment.

Before universal healthcare was introduced in the 1960’s, government assistance was limited, and patients paid for treatment. Many could not afford hospital care and delayed or avoided treatment, even for serious conditions, making community fundraising essential. A 1933 financial statement shows patient fees covered $7,080.33 of the hospital’s $12,954.90 operating costs. A provincial grant provided $645.54, a county grant provided $3,200, while the Ladies’ Aid raised $100. The same statement records 111 patients receiving care free of charge that year.

Community fundraising helped provide the supplies, equipment, and resources needed to care for patients. More than a century later, the Hospital Auxiliary, Kincardine Clothes Hamper, Kincardine Lions Club, Kincardine Rotary Club, Kincardine and Community Health Care Foundation, and individual donors continue this tradition of community support.

A Century of Changing Care

From House Calls to Advanced Medical Technology

Before modern technology, doctors made house calls, relying on their senses to diagnose patients. They listened to heart and lung sounds and used touch to feel for swelling, tenderness, and internal injuries that could not be seen. When Kincardine Hospital opened in 1909, doctors continued house calls while the hospital focused on major emergencies.

With no ambulance service, the community stepped in. Ross MacLennon used his station wagon to transport patients, followed by the Linklater Funeral Home hearse, which served as an ambulance until a dedicated service arrived in the mid-1970s. Medical technology changed what doctors could see and diagnose. X-ray was being used in Kincardine by 1933, and in 2018, digital X-ray replaced film and the darkroom.

Community fundraising has helped make these advances possible. After years of planning and fundraising, Kincardine Hospital’s first CT scanner began operating on March 20, 2023. Today, ongoing hospital development continues to expand access to advanced technology, including MRI.

From a station wagon and a hearse to CT and MRI, community support remains a constant—helping bring new technology and better healthcare closer to home.

Doctors and Medical Staff

Dr. Milne

And His Doctor’s Bag

Dr. Donald Arthur Douglas Milne was a beloved family physician who practiced in Kincardine from 1955 to 1981. A 1951 graduate of the University of Toronto Medical School, he helped establish the Kincardine General Hospital laboratory in the 1960s.

“My bag was a graduation gift from my Dad in 1951. Family doctors all had their bags for house calls. After I graduated and finished my internship, I joined my uncle’s practice in Paisley for two years. We made house calls day and night—at once in an emergency, in the morning before office hours, and after hospital visits.
The purpose of the house call was to diagnose a problem and, if necessary, call an ambulance. If a hospital destination wasn’t called for, we dispensed medication to treat the problem and make the patient comfortable.
One trip with my bag is clear in my mind. The Kincardine Ambulance Service was from the Linklater Funeral Home. The hearse was used as an ambulance for some years.
One weekend, I was called by police to go with Ken Linklater to a three-car accident about halfway between here and Port Elgin. When we arrived, we were met by Dr. Fraser of Port Elgin who said,
‘We don’t need you, Don, but we need your ambulance. I have everything under control.’
Ken had to carry out Dr. Fraser’s orders since he was first at the scene and a ‘take charge’ character. My bag and I hitch-hiked home!
“I carried my bag for twenty years. By then most patients went directly to the doctor’s clinic or to the hospital by car or ambulance.”
Dr. D.A.D Milne

Madame Josephine Gualco

Founder of Kincardine’s Hospital

In 1906 Madame Josephine Gualco, a wealthy, widely travelled lady of Polish extraction, arrived in Kincardine as a guest of Sir Alexander MacKenzie. She had met him in Brazil, where MacKenzie and Josephine’s husband were partners in Brazilian Light and Traction, later known as Brascan.

Madame Gualco became so delighted with the friendly people and beautiful town on the shore of Lake Huron that she purchased a local mansion, now known as Malcolm Place.

In addition to her many social activities, including founding the Kincardine Golf Club, she had an interest in the well-being of Kincardine’s citizens.

In 1908, she purchased the Grant property on Queen Street North and donated it, along with an annual grant of $2,500, to the Town of Kincardine and surrounding district for the establishment of a hospital. Her generosity helped lay the foundation for what would become Kincardine General Hospital.

More than a century later, her spirit of community giving continues. The hospital has grown and evolved through generations of improvements, expansions, and advances in medical care, made possible in large part by the continued support and generosity of the community.

Today, Kincardine and surrounding communities continue Madame Gualco’s tradition, coming together to support the hospital, bring new technology and services to the area, and ensure quality local health care.

“There is no selfishness in Mrs. Gualco’s philanthropy. Her sympathetic nature and love for all humankind have inspired all her gifts.”
The Canadian Nurse, c. 1909–1910

Marie Inkster

A Career in Care & Medical Imaging

Marie Inkster began working at Kincardine General Hospital on September 1, 1944, joining the domestic staff. She cleaned the hospital, worked in the kitchen, and helped care for the day-to-day needs of patients and staff.

At the time, the hospital had 35 beds, all located in the original 1908 building. Marie and the other domestic staff lived on the top floor and worked long days, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

In 1953–54, Marie took courses to become a Registered Nurse’s Assistant (RNA). Six weeks after completing her training, she returned to Kincardine Hospital. She later lived in the nearby nurses’ residence until moving into her own home in 1968.

In 1958, Marie moved to work in the hospital’s X-ray department. She remained there for the rest of her career, eventually becoming a senior X-ray technician.

At a time when X-rays were captured on photographic film, Marie developed and processed images before they could be viewed. Over the course of her career, she witnessed major changes in medical technology and diagnostic imaging.

Marie retired in 1984 after 40 years of service to Kincardine Hospital. Her career spanned a remarkable period of change—from a small country hospital in the 1940s to an increasingly modern centre of health care. Through four decades of dedication, Marie was not only part of that transformation; she helped make it possible.

“The hospital has been good to me.”
Marie Inkster

Dr. Gary Gurbin

60 Years of Medicine & Community

Dr. Gary Gurbin served Kincardine’s medical community for 60 years before retiring in 2026. He came to Kincardine in 1966 after graduating from the University of Western Ontario’s medical school, choosing Kincardine as the place to establish his practice.

His early years were exceptionally busy. With a particular interest in obstetrics and surgery, he delivered babies, worked in the emergency department, responded to emergencies, and maintained his own office practice. When Dr. Gurbin arrived, there were only four physicians in the community, and he was one of just two under the age of 70.

Although house calls were becoming less common, Dr. Gurbin continued to visit patients in their homes and respond to emergency calls, including injuries on local farms.

During his six decades of practice, Dr. Gurbin witnessed remarkable advances in medicine and technology. When he began, treatments were only beginning to become more specialized, and hospital X-rays were developed on film in the basement. These changes transformed the way medicine was practised in Kincardine and beyond.

Dr. Gurbin’s commitment to Kincardine extended beyond medicine.

From 1979 to 1988, he served as the elected representative for the electoral district, extending his commitment to Kincardine from medicine into public service.

“Technology has dramatically changed from just simple, plain X-rays to CAT scans and now MRIs. Just a tremendous evolution and improvement in what we have available.”
Dr. Gary Gurbin

Dr. Albert Edward Hessey Couch

A Legacy of Care & Generosity

Dr. Albert Edward Hessey Couch was one of Kincardine’s longest-serving and most dedicated physicians. After completing his residency at Hamilton General Hospital, he began practising at Kincardine General Hospital in 1919, beginning a 66-year career.

Dr. Couch cared for the community through everyday illnesses and major emergencies, including the victims of the 1947 train crash.

He became known not only for his medical dedication, but also for his generosity. He charged only what he needed to support himself and often accepted little or no payment from patients, sometimes refusing cash or cheques altogether. His generosity even caused difficulties during an audit, but he continued to put his patients first.

The community returned his kindness by coming together to purchase a new car for their beloved physician in appreciation of his years of service. Dr. Couch continued making house calls well into his later years. At age 91, he was described as one of Canada’s oldest practising physicians. His 66 years of service left a lasting legacy of compassion, generosity, and devotion to the people of Kincardine.

“I’m the world’s worst bookkeeper and bill collector.”
Dr. Albert Couch

“In the winter of 1945, I took convulsions, and a neighbour brought the doctor here by horse and sleigh. He was dressed in a long fur coat with a big fur cap, fur gauntlets, and high buckle-up galoches. He took all this stuff off, sat in the rocking chair, and before we knew it he had fallen fast asleep. He worked till he couldn’t work any longer and would fall asleep wherever he was.”
Mrs. Hida Downey of Tiverton

Dr. Maurice R. Helliwell

A Lifetime of Medicine & Military Service

Coming from a metropolitan background, Dr. Maurice R. Helliwell made Kincardine his home and became a respected physician at Kincardine General Hospital, while also serving his country during both World Wars.

After graduating from the University of Toronto’s Medical School in 1915, Dr. Helliwell, along with many of his classmates, immediately enlisted to serve in the First World War.

In 1921, he came to Kincardine, where he began practising at the hospital while also operating his own medical clinic. He worked alongside several of Kincardine’s prominent physicians, including Dr. A.E.H. Couch And Dr. D.A.D. Milne.

With the outbreak of the Second World War, Dr. Helliwell once again enlisted, joining the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps around 1939–1940. In total, he spent approximately 10 years serving in the military.

Dr. Helliwell continued practising at Kincardine General Hospital for more than 50 years before retiring in 1971. He passed away in his hometown of Toronto in 1978, leaving behind a remarkable legacy of medical and military service.

His microscope, now preserved at the Walker House Museum, serves as a tangible reminder of his career and his lasting contribution to generations of physicians in Kincardine.

“Cheerfulness is an offshoot of goodness and wisdom.”
Dr. M.R. Helliwell

Dr. Susan Boron

Kincardine’s First Female Physician

After graduating from the University of Toronto’s medical school in 1974, Dr. Susan Boron was one of approximately 25 women in a graduating class of 200.

In 1978, Dr. Boron moved from Hamilton to Kincardine after an interview with Dr. Gary Gurbin. She was warmly welcomed into the community and became the first female doctor to practise at Kincardine General Hospital.

Her arrival was met with strong community support. For many local women, having a female physician meant they could receive mammograms and other intimate medical procedures from a woman doctor for the first time.

Dr. Boron quickly became an important part of the community, and women’s groups frequently invited her to speak.

Throughout her career, Dr. Boron was particularly drawn to what she described as the two ends of life’s spectrum: birth and death. She looks fondly upon her memories of delivering many babies, while also valuing her work caring for patients receiving palliative care.

Dr. Boron retired from Kincardine General Hospital in 2010 and later returned to medical practice in Hanover. She officially retired from medicine in 2019.

In 2022, Dr. Boron published a book exploring tokothanatology, the theoretical study of the parallels between birth and death. She continues to write and share her work through her blog.

“Bringing people together was an important part of my job.”
Dr. Boron

Dr. Jack Blair Tindall

Building Healthcare in Kincardine

Dr. Jack Blair Tindall was a long-serving Kincardine physician who played an important role in the development of Kincardine Hospital.

After graduating from the University of Western Ontario in 1938, Dr. Tindall served during the Second World War with the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, attaining the rank of Captain.

By the 1950s, he was working alongside Dr. D.A.D. Milne to improve the hospital and bring new medical equipment to Kincardine. The two doctors attended medical meetings, identified equipment that could benefit local patients, and purchased and donated it to the hospital.

In 1959, Dr. Tindall, Dr. Milne, and Dr. A.E.H. Couch helped lead a campaign to establish a laboratory at the hospital. At the time, many blood tests had to be sent to Wingham or even Toronto, with results taking days to return. The campaign raised approximately $25,000 from local clubs and individuals, allowing the hospital to equip the laboratory and hire a technician.

Dr. Tindall’s efforts reflected the changing role of the local physician, not only providing medical care, but also helping build the facilities, equipment, and services needed to bring modern healthcare to Kincardine.

For many in the community, however, his legacy was much more personal: he was the doctor who came to their homes, cared for their families, and welcomed their children into the world.

“In the 1950’s, Dr. Tindall and I tried to develop the hospital and upgrade the hospital equipment. Whenever we went to medical meetings and saw things that would be useful, we would buy them and bring them back and donate them to the hospital.”
Dr. D.A.D. Milne

Lexie Bell

A Nurse Through Life’s Big Moments

By 1954, Lexie Bell was a senior nurse at Kincardine Hospital, serving as assistant to Superintendent Miss Gladys Tanner. Her duties included working in the operating room, assisting with X-rays, and helping oversee the nursing staff.

Dr. D.A.D. Milne remembered Bell as a meticulous and resourceful nurse who helped keep the hospital running efficiently. As nursing supervisor, she kept a small black book recording patients, their operations, and the surgical fees collected by the hospital.

Lexie Bell also cared for local families during some of the most memorable moments of their lives. One such story was that of Paul Henderson, Canadian hockey player and hero of the 1972 Summit Series. Henderson was born unexpectedly when his mother went into labour while travelling by sleigh to Kincardine Hospital. Born on the Lake Huron ice, he was carried to safety in the sleigh.

Henderson later recalled that Bell was the nurse who picked him up from the straw in the sleigh after his birth and cared for him as a newborn.

For generations of local families, Lexie Bell was more than a hospital nurse. She was a familiar and trusted presence who cared for patients, helped train younger nurses, and supported families through some of the most important moments of their lives.

“Miss Bell was the operating nurse and would never let you throw away more than two inches of suture. There were no budget overruns then!”
Dr. D.A.D. Milne.

“I gave you your first bath.”
Lexie Bell, as recalled by Paul Henderson