The Daysland Hospital Foundation and Town of Daysland held an appreciation night for Dr. Andries and Martha Niemann for their long-time service to the community.
The event, held in the Daysland Community Hall, saw around 120 people in attendance to honour this couple.
Master of Ceremonies for the evening was Laurie Melnyk of the Daysland Hospital Foundation, who started the program off by saying, “We pay tribute to Dr. Andries and Martha Niemann. They gave generously of their time and talent, for over 20 years to Daysland and the surrounding communities.
“They raised their family here after arriving in the year 2000 from South Africa.”
Melnyk read a message from Dr. Michelle Hart, who worked the longest with Dr. Niemann, but was unable to attend.
Hart related many personal stories of working with Dr. Niemann. She said as a young doctor, she learned a lot from two “formidable” doctors in Daysland at the time, which included Dr. Niemann. Dr. Hart also talked about Dr. Niemann’s thoroughness in consultation.
Dr. Hart told how she grew up in South Africa knowing Dr. Niemann very well, as her father and he were residents together at the same hospital in Cape Town in the late 1970s.
She spoke about Dr. Niemann’s habit of always going home for lunch to enjoy Martha’s renowned cooking, and about sharing some of those treats over the years. “They had a tradition of sitting together for birthdays and holidays, and of sharing their hospitality with many people.”
Dr. Hart talked about how Dr. Neimann always had good relationships with the nurses, and how he would tease them and help them and their families as needed, including delivering their babies.
Dr. Hart spoke of her gratitude when Dr. Niemann was able to work with her a few years in Calgary. “The patients that he saw also appreciated how you feel really heard when you are in a consultation with him, and that you have his full attention and compassion.
“I will join in the thank you to the Niemanns for their dedication and years of service to the Daysland community. Working and teaching; helping and leading, with a patient ear and a soft word – we appreciate you.”
Acting Mayor Dianne Roth spoke next, and said, “We all miss you so much. Thank you for all your years of service – you were always there for us.
“And Martha, you did so much for the community – thank you.”
Forestburg Mayor Blaise Young took the podium next, adding his thanks to the Niemanns.
“Rural doctors. There’s something about rural doctors, and, whether it be a husband or a wife, the people who keep a family together. Leaving at 3 a.m. for emergency calls; leaving during supper, leaving during celebrations, these are tough things to do. Most people do not have to do those types of things, and I think quite often we don’t show our appreciation. I would like to thank and congratulate the people who organized this evening, because this is how a community shows its appreciation.
“In Forestburg we had the clinic, manned by who we affectionately call ‘the Daysland doctors.’ Young also spoke of a long history that Forestburg has had with Daysland doctors, dating back to the early 1900s.
“The citizens of Forestburg and our surrounding areas have been well served by our Daysland doctors. The Forestburg clinic provides us with something that’s very important to our wellbeing, and that is accessibility. We have doctors in Forestburg because of the Daysland doctors and doctors like Dr. Niemann.”
Young added, “I would be remiss if I did not say that the Daysland doctors and Forestburg have a very powerful advocate, and that’s Laurie Melnyk.”
He finished with his thanks to Dr. and Martha Niemann, saying, “ I hope you appreciate this evening, because we sure appreciate you.”
Next Flagstaff County Reeve Don Kroetch expressed the gratitude of County Council to Dr. Niemann, “Whose dedicated medical service has profoundly impacted the Flagstaff region. His work has not only touched bodies, it’s also touched hearts. For more than two decades, Dr. Niemann has exemplified what it means to be a compassionate and skilled physician.
“Your tireless commitment to patient care, your ability to bring comfort in the most challenging times, and your unwavering dedication to the community has set a high standard for medical service in this area.
“My gratitude does not end there, however, it extends to your wife Martha, who worked at the Daysland Clinic and was active in countless activities in the Daysland area. Martha, your service of selfless volunteering has not only strengthened the community, but your example stands as a testament to the incredible human being that you are.
“Thank you both, Dr. Niemann and Martha Niemann, for all that you have done for our community.”
Mark Badry of the Daysland Pharmacy, who also sponsored the bar for the evening, spoke next. “I want to talk about family, and home. Dr. Niemann and Martha pulled up their home from as far away from Daysland as you can get 20 years ago, and for some reason chose our little town to come and live in. We sure were lucky for that decision.
“It wasn’t home when they first got here, it was just a place.” He says as he got to know and work with the Niemanns, a new family was developed, between the Badry family and the Niemanns. He said having the pharmacy so close to the clinic brought them even closer together, even where Suzanne Niemann worked at the pharmacy for a summer.
He proposed a toast to Dr. Andries and Martha to finish his talk.
Bev Rudosky talked about Martha. “Andries’ better half.” She talked about first meeting the Niemanns 23 years ago, and being so impressed that they would move their family all the way from South Africa to have a better life for themselves and their girls.
She talked about she and Martha car pooling their girls to music lessons in Camrose, and having a lot of fun, and leaving Andries to cook.
“Your faith and family as well as friends has always been important to you. You can see the love that Martha and Andries have for each other – being a doctor’s wife is not always easy.”
Rudosky said she and Martha talked often about the challenges in running the clinic, having a lot of fun in the process.
She said, “A sad day came when you moved to Calgary. I felt the loss in our community, but now you have your girls close by, as well as your grandchildren.
“Martha you are a wonderful person,” Rudosky said between tears, closing her speech with heartfelt wishes for the couple.
Next up were nurses Denise Miller, Mary Anne Schneider, and Dawn Knodel, talking about their time as surgical nurses with Dr. Niemann. “We are the long-time OR girls, or part of the A-Team.”
Miller said, “I’d like to thank you for serving our community and hospital for years. I feel like you are the end of the era that’s been lost. The family doctor who moved his family across the ocean has become part of our community.
“Both you and Martha became such important community members. Thank you for being a part of my work family. We all appreciated that you were always in our corner.”
Knodel said, “The difference between a workplace and a nice place to work are the people who make it so – you’re one of those people. Your dedication to our hospital and the way you acted in difficult situations helped us to learn and grow as professionals. A kind-hearted man who listened to staff and patients with compassion and understanding, you supported and mentored co-workers and staff, and we were all better for the wisdom you shared.”
Schneider said, “A doctor is a professional where knowledge, heart, and power come together. Observation, reason and human understanding made you a physician, and Dr. Niemann, you displayed all these qualities.
“I never did see you get angry; you always kept calm in the most stressful situations. We will always be grateful to you, and I was fortunate to be able to work with you at the hospital and the clinic, where I witnessed your, and Martha’s, continued dedication to the patients and the community. We are all grateful for all that you’ve done, and we appreciate you both.
Dr. Makiwanee then spoke a few words about her experiences working with Dr. Niemann and Martha at the Daysland Clinic and in the hospital.
She met Dr. Niemann and Martha in 2015, when she decided to make a change for her family and move to the community. “When I came to meet you that day, you were very calm, very kind, and very patient.”
She talked about Dr. Niemann being very humble, but being a very strong person.
Dr. Makiwanee told a story of her first day, rolling into Daysland from a 10-hr drive from Saskatchewan, and meeting Dr. Niemann at the hospital.
She also said she was struck at his humility in dealing with the clinic issues, and that he never raised his voice. “There was something about your fatherly way to approach things; you always wanted to maintain peace at the clinic, and you always wanted to protect everybody. You always had a way of peacefully cleaning up the mess and moving on. Thanks so much.
“Martha, I will never forget when we moved to our new home, Martha moved ahead with four or five women and cleaned up our new house. Martha always served and with such leadership. She would cook for us, and was so transparent and clear, and expressed herself so well, as well as your motherly love, and your kindness.
“The Niemanns were not just friends and colleagues to us, you were also mentoring me. I remember when we were leaving, you and Martha sat me down when we were moving, and said, ‘Don’t leave.’ She spoke about hearing that message in subsequent conversations, and how the Niemanns continued to urge her to ‘come home to Daysland.’
Dr. Olson took the podium and talked about being part of the committee who recruited Dr. Niemann. “He was always very open, as was Martha; I couldn’t believe how he acted like he’d known me forever. There are two kinds of physicians – there are physicians and there are medical businessmen. Luckily, Andries is a physician.
“We were so lucky to live in a time when there were many rural physicians, real physicians, and Andries was one of them.”
Some final words came from a message from Dr. Corrie Van Vuuren, who was unable to attend as he was away. He said he’s known the Niemanns for 20 years as friends, and Dr. Niemann as a colleague, “He is a knowledgeable diagnostician and very compassionate physician. He is highly appreciated and loved by his patients, who he served with wisdom, love, and diligence. As to Martha, she played a very important and valuable role in the social and humanitarian life in Daysland, The Niemanns will be severely missed by Daysland and surrounding communities, we wish them all happiness in Calgary.”
Dr. Niemann asked to address those gathered, saying, “I just want to thank you, very much for coming tonight to this evening. It is, to me, a big surprise, I certainly am very happy to see a lot of faces that I know. I wish to express my gratitude towards the community here for accepting us as immigrants from South Africa, and also accepting my girls at school. It was a wonderful 20-plus years, and we really miss Daysland. I want to thank the hospital board for putting on this evening.
“I came here in 2000 and never wanted to leave, I was just quite happy to do what I was doing, and I would like to thank the community for the beautiful clinic that we had to work in.
“When I talk about community I think of the girls. Each one and every one is special to me, I respected you, and I just wish the ones who moved on, all the best. I tried to treat you fairly and you paid us back with faithful service, so to the girls in the clinic – thank you very much.
“The hospital is unique. You only have to be in a city hospital for a few days to realize what you have here. It is a unique hospital, manned by fabulous nursing staff, and it was a pleasure to work with the nurses. They were all smart, they were all up-to-date, and of course, no hospital can survive without those who keep the wheels oiled.
“I just want to thank my family for their support over the years, without that, I would not have been able to do what I did, and especially my wife Martha, who is a true angel. Thank you, my dear, you’ve been with me since the beginning of my medical career and you always supported me. Something which I love very dearly. I also want to thank the community for coming tonight, and for all the good experiences I had. I can honestly say that I did not have a difficult patient or one that was rude to me in all my years here. Thank you very much.”
Martha added her thanks at the end, saying, “This wonderful community will always have my heart.”
Leslie Cholowsky
Editor