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At Work and Play With Dr. Ron Wallman
May 28, 2012
Stouffville Connects would like to introduce our newest sponsor, The Markham Institute of Plastic Surgery. The clinic is based out of Markham; with several Stouffville based clientele. The clinic is run by two certified and experienced plastic surgeons, Dr. Ron Wallman and Dr. John Kao.
Recently, Stouffville Connects had the pleasure of sitting down with Dr. Wallman to talk about his newly opened clinic, working at Markham-Stouffville hospital, his move to Stouffville, and his surprising new hobby.
Dr. Wallman is many things: a surgeon at his clinic, an on-call plastic surgeon at Markham-Stouffville hospital, a loving father and husband and… an apple farmer in Stouffville?
Yes it’s true! Last week Stouffville Connects was invited out to a late afternoon visit with the Wallmans at their home and apple farm, Apples of Glasgow.
Their lovely home sits nestled in the serenity that only Stouffville can provide, surrounded by nature at its finest. The Wallmans’ front yard is quite different from many others as 1300 apple trees adorn the site.
The trees make up a lovely orchard that sits in front of the Wallman residence. The trees are a stunning sight in the low hanging afternoon sun. The tree blooms have just finished their work and soon, hope the Wallmans, apples will begin to form; taking the place of the now wilted blooms.
I asked the Wallmans how this apple orchard came to be a part of their lives and Dawn Wallman, Dr. Wallman’s wife replied, “The trees came with the house, we said we would give the fruit farming two years and here we are, now in our third year.”
The Wallman farm produces: Empire, Red Delicious, and MacIntosh apples. During the months of September and October you can buy a six to eight pound bag of apples for five-dollars from the Wallman farm.
“The apple stand operates on the honour system,” says Dawn, “We set up an apple stand at the end of the driveway with a small collection box and the six to eight pound bags of apples. Then we leave it to the people. There are a lot of good people out there; it is rare that we don’t get our five-dollars per bag.”
She continues with a story affirming the claim, “On one occasion someone even left us an envelope filled with three dollars and a note. They said that they only had a toonie when they came by the stand the first time, so here was the balance of the payment for their apples.”
Speaking to Dr. Wallman you get a sense of what life is like wearing so many different hats. Time is in short supply but he sure does manage to make the best of it.
When I asked Dr.Wallman if it was hard to balance the farm, clinic and his work at Markham-Stouffville Hospital he seemed quite calm and confident. He confided that it has been a really busy time but he thoroughly enjoys what he is doing.
It seems as though the Doctor values the variety of environments that his life provides; relaxation and rejuvenation at the farm, the ability to pursue his passion at his clinic, learning, social ties and community at Markham-Stouffville Hospital.
Dr. Wallman tells me that the opening of the clinic and the Wallman’s move from Markham happened all at once, making for a hectic time.
“It took one year to start-up the clinic, everything we could do in the hospital we could now do in our clinic, said Dr.Wallman, “The clinic is one of the only free-standing clinics of its kind in the York Region. It provides people with an option outside of the Markham-Stouffville Hospital. Now they have a local option for cosmetic surgery, they don’t need to go all the way to downtown Toronto to have these procedures done.”
When I asked Dr. Wallman about the possibility of expanding Apples of Glasgow he said that they are only limited by time. When I asked if he would consider opening another clinic, possibly right here in Stouffville, he said, with a grin on his face, “it’s a good idea in theory.”
He and Dawn exchanged a look, “It only took us 18 years to get the Markham clinic going,” Dawn concludes.
You can even “like” the Markham Institute for Cosmetic Plastic Surgery on Facebook
For more about Apples of Glasgow Please “like” them on Facebook
