Doc Leslie came to Melita sometime before 1900 and
moved with his wife
and daughter into the little house across the road from the United
Grain Growers Elevator. This remained his home until his death in the
early 1940's. Mrs. Leslie was a well
known teacher in Manitoba, becoming a member of the Senate of the
Agricultural College which later became the University of
Manitoba.
Doc found that the veterinary practice would not support him when
tractors and the depression both took their place in history. He then
became a farm inspector for Osler, Hamilton and Nanton, the Credit
Financier, and other firms that owned the farm land during the
depression. This was not always a popular job as he often had to deal
with the former
owners who now were renting their own farms back and had to answer to
the firms through Doc. However he traveled upwards to 200 miles a day
checking on farms and making needed arrangements so that farmers could
continue working the land. He had a gameleg and as a consequence he did
not like to walk out into fields so he and his model A Ford often were
seen going through the ditch, through a fence that Doc somehow never
seemed to notice in time, across the field and to the spot where the
farmer was working. Then with his conversation completed, he would
reverse his way back to the road, and the farmer would stand there
either purple with rage or shaking his head at the damage. He always
drove a model A
for this had a high wheel base thus allowing him to drive over the
grain etc. As a consequence he ran at least three model A's into the
ground and seemed to have the current car always in for repairs.
Doc told of the time that the bank was robbed and the robbers collected
at the United Grain Elevator just below his bedroom window. He
apparently stuck his head out to see what was wrong and gave one of his
famous bellows at the men making all the noise in the middle of the
night while Mrs. Leslie, with an equally strong voice shouted at him to
get his head in
or he would get it blown off. The Sure's store window on Main street
still had the bullet hole in it during the thirties that was the result
of the one and only shot that supposedly was fired during the robbery,
although how this could have been the case when shells were left near
the elevator office, was never ex-
plained.
Doc Leslie was one of the characters of the town that seemed to have
its fair share but he was good hearted, helping others where he could
and although he was often rough and gruff, the twinkle in his eye gave
him away.
Doc was also very active in the Curling Club and his name appears often
in connections with community activities.
Adapted from Our First Century, page 611
Veterinary Medicine in Manitoba
In 1874 with 24-year-old Dr. Wesley F. Lipsett travelled to the
newly created province of Manitoba as a recent graduate from the
Ontario Veterinary College. Dr. Lipsett purchased a farm in Meadow Lea
just west of Winnipeg where he began farming and established a
clientele for his veterinary services.
1879 - Manitoba’s First Animal Health Care Act
Dr. Lipsett’s interest in politics saw him elected to Manitoba’s fourth
Legislative Assembly in 1879 as the Woodlands representative. High on
his political agenda was advocating for improved care for the
province’s livestock. On June 25, 1879, the first Act regarding animal
health was passed in Manitoba. An Act Respecting Infectious and
Contagious Diseases of Domestic Animals encouraged people to identify
for inspection animals they suspected were suffering from a contagious
disease. Historically, this Act had additional significance since it
specified the appointment of a veterinary inspector licensed to
practice in Manitoba. At the time, no licensing body existed for
veterinarians so the Act effectively paved the way for creation of a
veterinary association.
1881 - Manitoba’s First Veterinary Association
Manitoba’s first veterinary inspector was Dr. Willet J. Hinman an
Ontario Veterinary College graduate from the class of 1875. Dr.
Hinman’s first annual report drove home the point that Manitoba needed
more veterinary inspectors. In a meeting with John Norquay, Manitoba’s
premier at the time, Drs Lipsett and Hinman and a few other
veterinarians in the province discussed the need for a veterinary
association. The outcome was the passing of An Act Respecting
Veterinary Surgeons on May 25, 1881. This Act stated that all people
practicing veterinary medicine as of June 1881 and licensed according
to the provisions of the Act were deemed to form the Veterinary
Association of the Province of Manitoba.
1890 – Two New Acts for Veterinarians
Unsatisfied with the state of affairs for the profession, Manitoba’s
veterinarians gathered on December 17, 1889, to reform the Veterinary
Association of Manitoba. Of first priority was the drafting of updated
legislation. On March 31, 1890, the Veterinary Association Act 1890 was
passed into law, providing the association with the authority to
oversee registration of veterinarians in the province once more. By
year’s end, 20 veterinarians were registered.
On the same day, legislature also passed An Act Respecting the Diseases
of Animals that established positions for district veterinarians who
would work for the government as required. In 1893, this Act
would be amended to include the appointment of a provincial
veterinarian who would administer the Act. Dr. J.S. Thompson was the
first to hold this position from the period of 1893 to 1904.
Adapted from the Manitoba Veterinary Medical
Association
http://www.mvma.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=153&Itemid=81
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