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Dr. Dunnet

Dr. Henry Waters Dunnet was born in Ottawa on June 3rd 1886 to James and Barbara (Waters) Dunnet of Dunnet Head, Scotland. He attended school in Ottawa, graduated in medicine from McGill University in 1910. He interned at County of Carlton General Hospital and was superintendent of Lady Grey Sanatarium before taking post graduate study in Scotland obtaining LRCP&S in Edinburgh and LRFP&S in Glasgow. He came to practice in Lethbridge, Alberta before coming to Avonlea in 1912. He married Pearl Mills, a nurse who was often on hand to assist when he established his practice and home in Avonlea. They raised their three daughters in Avonlea, Barbara became a dispensing optician, Elsie a nurse, and Henrietta a lab technician.
Dr. Dunnet was the personification of a real country doctor. Personal hands on care to everyone, travelling by horse and buggy to visit town and country patients. He could diagnose, operate in an emergency, pull a tooth, deliver their babies and console the families of those he could not save. He was their friend as well as their doctor. He modernized to the automobile and did his best to keep abreast of medical knowledge.
He was always on call, he made his rounds in town, he checked at his maternity homes and held his office hours in his drugstore office and went to country patients if they could not come to him. He never sent a bill often using his own resources rather than desert the people.
He was a student of nature, a gardener, a bee keeper, a reader, a sports enthusiast, but above all a country doctor.
A picnic in 1947 brought approximately 300 of his 4532 "babies" to celebrate the affection the people of Avonlea and area held for their beloved Doctor.
In 1949, a northern Saskatchewan lake was named after him for his dedication and service. Our local park is named after him. He died in 1957 at age 71. Pearl Dunnet who was a real community activist died in 1980 at age 92.

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Dr. Dunnet Residence
1956
Avonlea, Saskatchewan, Canada