Allan Brand
1927-2019
We are sad to announce the death of Alexander Allan Brand on
October 15th, 2019. He passed away peacefully
at Green Meadows, Antigonish County, aged 91.
Allan was born on December 7th, 1927
in Dundee, Scotland and was the eldest child of the late Alexander
(Sandy) and Christina Brand. He attended Morgan Academy in Dundee on
scholarship and was one of two students in his year to be accepted to
study medicine at St Andrews University, Scotland. He graduated in
1951.
As was the requirement in post war Britain, he completed
National Service and was assigned to the Coldstream Guards, an elite
British regiment, and certainly a step up from the backstreets of
Dundee. He was posted overseas, first to the Canal Zone in Egypt at
the time of the Suez Crisis. Then, after a disagreement with his
Commanding Officer about the rightful place of the Stone of Scone (not
in Westminster Abbey in London! It had recently been stolen by
Scottish university students and taken it back to Scotland where it
belonged!), he was posted to Malta as punishment. A note sent to his
new Commanding Officer said: « Here is Allan. Look after him, he
is a good person, although he might not seem so. He is still
young. » Years later he said that his Army days were the best days
of his life. His wife, Con, was NOT amused!
After 3 years of National Service, he worked as a General
Practitioner in Yorkshire, England, where he met Con, a nursing sister
at the local hospital. It was not love at first sight and it took
three attempts before she agreed to go out with him. « He was too
forward » she said. They were engaged three months later and
married within the year. Catriona was born 2 years later and Alison 15
months after that.
In 1967 the family emigrated to Antigonish. The plan was for
him to share family practice and anaesthetic practice with another
doctor. Within 6 weeks of arriving in Antigonish, the other doctor
left Antigonish and Allan became the sole anaesthetist in Antigonish-
a service he provided for 25 years. In those days, besides
administering anaesthetics, he was also responsible for the ICU. He
was also the medical examiner (coroner) for many years and very active
in promoting preventative health. He established a
well-woman’s clinic to encourage women to have pap smears,
proposed a geriatric assessment unit, and was a rabid anti-smoking
campaigner. It seems crazy today, but there was huge opposition to his
suggestion that patients not be allowed to smoke in the hospital. He
persevered and won. It was no different at home. If someone lit a
cigarette and then asked where the ashtray was (there were never any),
he just pointed outside- rain, shine or snow.
Being on call 24/7, certainly impacted family life. The
family was rarely more than 2 hours from Antigonish. There was never a
Christmas Day when he was not called out to do a case, manage a
patient in ICU or attend to a tragic death or accident as the
coroner.
Allan retired from medical practice at the age of 64 and for
the next 20 years, he and Con had a great retirement. They travelled
the world, visited friends, tended the garden, researched the family
tree, enjoyed their grandchildren and generally lived life to the
fullest.
In the last years of Con’s life, he became her
full-time care giver. He was devoted to her and resisted any
suggestions of additional help. He said « We both signed up for
better or worse, in sickness and in health, and that is what I will
do. » He never really recovered from her sudden death 2 years ago,
after 60 years of marriage.
Allan regarded medicine as a vocation, not a job. He was the
consummate professional. He wanted things done the right way, every
time. Patient care always came first. Being on call 24/7 meant he had
little time for leisure activities. Gardening was his passion, but it
had to be edible. He had little time for flowers or indeed anything
that he did not consider useful. He had an incredible memory
for detail and facts, which remained with him until then very
end.
Allan is survived by dearly loved daughters, Catriona (Peter)
Wilson, Cornwall, PEI; and Alison Brand (Andrew), Sydney, Australia;
devoted grandchildren, Jonathan (Gillian) and son Alexander, Middle
Sackville, NS; Mark (Bonnie), New Glasgow, NS; Matthew (Bree),
Whitehorse, Yukon; and Fiona and Alexander, both of Sydney,
Australia.
Allan was predeceased by his wife, Constance; sister, Janet;
and brothers, Bill and, in infancy, Douglas.
He will be dearly missed by his entire family, who are all
the better having been loved by him.
Cremation has taken place with a memorial service to be held
at a later date and burial to follow in England. In lieu of flowers,
donations to Parkinson’s Canada appreciated.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of C.L. Curry
Funeral Home, Antigonish. Online condolences: www.clcurry.com
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19272019
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Allan Brand 19272019..
Décès pour la Ville: Antigonish, Province: Nova Scotia