The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
In honour of the Royal Weekend, we'd like to reflect on one of Flin Flon's royal connections. The following article was first published in The Reminder in November 2002. * * * Flin Flon has produced a lot of people who have gone on to do some truly amazing things, but Ron De Witt might very well top the list. Earlier this year, De Witt was appointed the CEO of the health authority in London Ñ a remarkable feat in itself. But just months later, he received some even more impressive Ñ and stunning Ñ news: he would be knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in recognition of his work in health care. 'It was the biggest honour of my life and the highlight of my career,' said Sir De Witt, who has picked up a thick English accent, in a phone interview. 'Of course I felt a bit nervous during the ceremony. You have to stand there and wait, and you see your whole life flash before you and you think, 'Gosh, what if I trip?' or 'What will the Queen ask me? Will I get the words right when I answer?'' On October 29, in front of 300 guests at Buckingham Palace, the former Flin Flonner bowed before Her Majesty as she rested the Knights Bachelor Insignia medal around his neck. 'It was just amazing,' expressed De Witt, who enjoyed a brief, formal conversation with the Queen. 'It makes you remember the many people who have supported you over the years.' The CEO was nominated for the honour by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, whom he had met but was not closely acquainted. It was surprising enough for De Witt, 54, to see a letter in his mailbox one day from Blair. But nothing could prepare him for the news inside the envelope. The letter informed him that the Prime Minister was going to nominate the CEO for the Knighthood. 'I had to look down and read it for a few minutes to make sure I was understanding it correctly,' said the Hapnot Collegiate graduate. 'It was quite a stunning moment, really.' After graciously accepting the nomination, De Witt, like the rest of England, had to follow the media to hear who would be invited to Buckingham Palace to be bestowed the honour. The waiting game seemed to take forever, but finally ended one morning when he picked up a newspaper and saw he was among a dozen men who would receive the Knighthood. De Witt admitted the butterflies in his stomach continued to flutter for days. 'I was quite speechless,' he recalled. A similar reaction came when he phoned his parents, James (better known as Goldie) and Una, now residents of Saskatoon. Never imagined Growing up in Flin Flon, De Witt never could have imagined adding 'Sir' to his name. Who could? He led a normal childhood, delivering The Reminder as a boy and performing in Glee Club productions as a teen. It was during a summer in the late 1960s, after accepting a position as an orderly at the Flin Flon General Hospital, that De Witt discovered his true calling. He left to train to become a nurse in Winnipeg in 1967, at the age of 19. After completing his training at Misericordia Health Centre in 1970, he was off to England _ the birthplace of his mother _ to work for six years. A move in 1976 landed him in New Zealand, where De Witt worked his way up the health care field until returning to England in 1990. 'I'm proud to call London my home,' he commented. Still, the mining town with an odd name where he was born holds Ñ and always will hold Ñ a special place in his heart. 'I loved Flin Flon,' said De Witt, who was most recently back home for the Homecoming 2000 celebrations.
