The 5 ton, globe-shaped Cairn which is located at the front of the farm where Sir Frederick Banting was born on November 14 1891 will be illuminated by a blue ring of lights. The Cairn represents the impact of the discovery of insulin on world health. Other monuments in Canada lighting up in blue include the Banting Museum and Education Centre in London, Ontario, the Peace Tower in Ottawa, the World Trade and Convention Center in Halifax, the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, the CN Tower in Toronto, and Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Diabetes currently affects 246 million people globally, including nearly 2 million children and adults in Canada. For all of them and the many millions more at risk, November 14, 2007 is a highly significant date as it marks the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, first conceived the idea, which led to the discovery of insulin in 1921. With the passage of the United Nations' World Diabetes Day Resolution in December 2006, November 14 has now become a United Nations-observed day.
Celebrations begin at 6pm and we strongly urge the people of our community to come out, light a candle, honour in memory Sir Frederick Banting's 116th birthday and join the millions of people worldwide who will use the day to raise awareness of diabetes and its serious complications. If left untreated, diabetes can cause other diseases and complications like heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, lower-limb amputations, blindness, kidney disease, and nervous system disorders.
World Diabetes Day is the primary global awareness campaign of the diabetes world. It was introduced by International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization in response to concern over increasing numbers of people with diabetes around the world.
The Lions Club of Alliston, and the Nottawasaga Inn of New Tecumseth with cooperation from the Ontario Historical Society and the Banting family have also combined forces to organize an awareness of diabetes and to commemorate the birthday of such an important figure in Canadian history.
This first U.N.-observed day is a result of the landmark resolution recognizing that diabetes presents as great a threat to global health as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
Some dignitaries who have promised to appear include family descendant Bob Banting, Simcoe-Grey County MPP Jim Wilson, Alliston Mayor Mike MacEachern, with local musical entertainment provided by the Andy H Trio of Alliston.
Recently, Lion's Club of Alliston past-president Hart Holmstrom and the community of Alliston were instrumental in saving the Banting homestead. The Ontario Conservation Review Board has recommended that all 100 acres of the Banting Homestead be protected as heritage land. The Banting family owned the land until 1999 when Edward Banting willed the land to the Ontario Historical Society (OHS). During the recent hearing, the OHS admitted that it typically is not in the business of protecting land. When the property was willed to the society, a separate foundation - the OHSF - was created to hold the land. The Town of New Tecumseth passed a bylaw, on Monday November 12, 2007. The bylaw not only protects the property and buildings, but also puts in place minimum maintenance standards.
For more details on World Diabetes Day and events around Canada, please visit http://www.worlddiabetesday.org
Additional Information:
About Sir Frederick Banting
Frederick Grant Banting completed his medical studies at the University of Toronto and established a surgical practise in London, Ontario, supplementing his income as a medical demonstrator at the University of Western Ontario. In London he conceived a technique which might permit isolation of the anti-diabetic component of the pancreas. He returned to the University of Toronto in 1921 to conduct experiments on the pancreas at the labs of Dr. J.J.R. MacLeod. By the time the summer had ended, he and Charles Best had isolated insulin. Fame came quickly to the soft-spoken Banting who won the Nobel Prize for Medicine because of his discovery. Many honours followed, including knighthood, and Banting continued to work on further research and coordinated the National Wartime Medical Research effort. His efforts were cut short by a fatal crash in Newfoundland in 1941.
About the Banting Family
Frederick Banting’s father William Thompson Banting, was born in Canada in 1849 and raised in Thompsonville, Ontario. In January 1879, William married Margaret Grant, who was the daughter of millwright, Alexander Grant. He built and managed Fletchers Mill, the first flour and grist mill on the Boyne River in Alliston. Margaret was the first child of European descent born in Alliston in 1854. They went on to work the farm in Thompsonville, and on another farm nearby, before searching out their own homestead. William and Margaret (Maggie) lost one son, Alfred Grant, in his first year, but went on to raise four sons - Nelson, Thompson, Kenneth, and Frederick, as well as a daughter Essie. When Margaret was expecting the arrival of Frederick, their last born, the family moved to their new homestead near Alliston, Ontario, a village about 30 kilometers south-west of Barrie, Ontario.
About the Homestead
Frederick Grant Banting was born in the front downstairs bedroom of the old farmhouse on November 14, 1891. In the same year, the entire downtown section of Alliston burned right to the ground, leaving only what is now St. John's United Church. In the 50 feet by 80 feet, beam type barn, the Banting boys not only worked with all the animals, but also under William's encouragement, systematically investigated any animal death that occurred. There is no doubt that the knowledge gained here assisted Frederick in the discovery of insulin. (The idea to use four-month fetal calf pancreas came to Frederick during a walk past the abattoirs in Toronto).
About the Cairn
On September 14, 1975 a cairn was erected at the front of the farm. The South Simcoe Historical Association, with assistance from Essa Township, established the permanent memorial. The cairn, which is a huge, five-ton granite ball, symbolizing the enormous impact the discovery of insulin had on the world, holds a small bronze plaque which shows a picture of the old farm house.
About the Lion's Club of Alliston
The Alliston Lions Club celebrated 70 years of community service on February 24, 2007. Lions are an international network of 1.3 million men and women in 200 countries and geographic areas who work together to answer the needs that challenge communities around the world. Known for working to end preventable blindness, Lions participate in a vast variety of projects important to their communities. These projects range from cleaning up local parks to providing supplies to victims of natural disasters.
http://allistonlionsclubca.lionwap.org/
About the Nottawasaga Inn
Readers' Choice Gold Award - Favourite Ontario Hotel/Resort. The Nottawasaga has 269 guest rooms, including 34 deluxe suites with Jacuzzi and fireplace. The only resort in Ontario with 45 regulation holes of golf, also rated top 25 Golf Resort in Canada and Best Family Golf Resort in Ontario. With world-class recreation facilities, 70,000 sq.ft. Sports & LeisureDome featuring a 25 metre tropical pool, 100 ft. water slide, sauna, whirlpool, indoor tennis and much more. The Inn also offers over 60,000 sq.ft. of premier convention and banquet facilities, including a 21,000 sq.ft. Trade Centre, 2 amphitheatres and 33 meeting rooms.
http://www.nottawasagaresort.com
