Millarville, Alberta
Imagine the worst possible thing that could happen, short of death, …
… a scenario where you or a loved one is in mortal danger. It happens to someone every day.
Now, put yourself in a remote area. Time is running out and you need help. What are you going to do?
You call 911, but you are a long way from an ambulance or a hospital and your life, or the life of someone you love, is hanging in the balance. Hope is slipping away.
Then, as if by magic, a giant red aircraft lands nearby with highly trained medical personnel on board. They quickly and professionally attend to your crisis. The aircraft lifts off, transporting you and your trauma to a distant medical centre. Hope returns.
Scenarios similar to your imagined emergency played out 3365 times last year in the Prairie Provinces. The outcome was not always successful, but there are literally thousands of people walking the earth today who wouldn’t be, without Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS).
We have the guy in the fedora at our breakfast club to thank for that.
Chef Alicja and The Breakfast Boys
The Breakfast Boys are a rag-tag group of Millarville Racetrack volunteers who meet Saturday mornings for breakfast at Ranchers Corner Café, on Highway 22. Most of the group are (ex)business owners who take an interest in the community and donate some of their time to “the Track”.
Dr Greg Powell (second from the left) is a recent addition to the group. Greg fits the demographic; a septuagenarian who can sling BS, take a joke, or hand one out. He likes his coffee black, his eggs over-easy, and his bacon crispy.
Like the rest of the group, Greg has the ability to check his pretensions at the door. No small feat for a man who has as much to be proud of as Greg Powell.
Dr Greg is a physician specializing in Emergency care. He is also a trained pilot. Greg combined his two life-time passions by co-founding STARS in the mid ‘80s.
If you want to take a deeper dive into Dr. Greg’s accomplishments, there are several detailed articles about him, and STARS, on the web.
https://www.alberta.ca/aoe-greg-powell
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._Gregory_Powell?wprov=sfti1#
In a nutshell, our Breakfast Boys Buddy is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Award winner, a Marriott-Carlson Lifetime Achievement recipient, a Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame inductee, a recipient of the Alberta Order of Excellence, and much more.
Greg Powell has a helipad at the Foothills Medical Centre named after him in recognition of years of service to the medical community.
Dr Gregory Powell on the Powell Heli Pad
On Friday, Greg invited The Breakfast Boys to the STARS hangar and dispatch centre at Calgary Airport.
We had an opportunity to play with Greg’s big shiny toys and meet the people who keep them in the air.
It was a memorable event.
Truly, a trip to the STARS.
Our Saturday morning breakfasts (and the accompanying BS) often takes up to two hours. Greg usually brings a thin blue cushion with him; the café benches are hard.
As a thank you to Greg for all he has done for medicine in Canada, and for inviting us to visit the STARS facility he created, The Breakfast Boys are honouring Greg and his bony ass with a comfortable and permanent seat at the café.
Yet another, …
… Powell Pad.
TJelinski
Hi Russ,
What are great article about Greg Powell, the founder of STARS. My son was a critical care paramedic with STARS here in Saskatoon, and his wife is presently a talented critical care nurse with Saskatoon STARS. They do great work and have many VIP patients who are grateful for the STARS teams for saving their lives. What a fulfilling role. All thanks to Greg Powell.
Russ Paton
Thanks. I will pass your comments on to Greg. He and Linda have done a wonderful thing for humanity.
GG
Very cheeky article 🙂
Russ Paton
Pun intended I’m sure