George Freundlich

As everyone in Matheson knows, Dr. George is passionate about travel, visiting more than 100 countries, often presenting medical papers drawn from his varied medical work across Canada. Dr. George has traveled to all seven continents, including Antarctica. Today, he’s sharing his photos from the incredible Brazilian celebration called Carnaval — or Carnival, in the English spelling.  Carnaval is one of Dr. George’s favourite events — which is why he has attended the world-famous festival in Rio for several year now. These are some of Dr. George’s favourite photos from his visits to Brazil for what he calls “the greatest, most exciting and colourful show on the planet!”

In 2008, Dr. George Freundlich was honored with the prestigious Council Award by the College of Physicians and Surgeons for his absolutely outstanding care. There are only four other awards like this. It’s equivalent to Physician of the Year.

One of my favorite memories is of the 2000 “Orchestras Canada Conference,” held in Montreal, at which I was a guest speaker, delivering an address titled “The Value of Youth Orchestras Today: Achieving A Balance Between Education and Performance.” I had 2 other presentations directly related to educating and managing youth orchestras. I also moderated a fun panel discussion titled “Orchestras on the World Stage,” where my colleagues, managers, presidents, music directors of orchestras from around the world shared their opinions on the current (at that time) environment for classical music. It was a memorable experience, and one of many wonderful memories I have of working with the organization. I have also attended other conferences, with the most memorable being: 1998 Edmonton, 2003 Toronto, 2004 London Ontario, 2007 Montreal and 2006 Vancouver among others. To read more about this, check out this great article from The Mirror, which goes into more detail about the 2000 Orchestras Can...

It only took a few interesting photos from a magazine article about the High Arctic. I immediately fell in love. The year was 1994 and I suddenly knew I had to visit this place. The feeling came from my spirit of adventure.  For three years, 1995 to 1997, I visited the High Arctic several times. The experiences changed my life in ways I cannot fully describe.  At that time, I had just received my full portable licence, allowing me to practice medicine anywhere in Canada. I decided to visit in March, when the days and nights are more or less equal. I didn’t want to deal with only two hours of sunlight each day. Nor did I want to go in the summer months, when there is only daylight and you see the sun at 2 a.m.  I started inquiring about opportunities for short-term work, meaning I would take over for a doctor on sick leave or vacation. I also had to figure out how to get there. You can only fly to the High Arctic. There are no roads. These pilots are enormously skilled to ...

In 1989, I had already lived in Canada for more than three years — the typical length of residency required before you can receive citizenship.  I had emigrated from Romania in 1985, and was excited for my path toward citizenship. I also knew that the journey toward medical practice would be difficult, but I persevered..  At the time, I was working in the small mining community of Buchans in Newfoundland. It was there that I received the title of Senior Medical Officer, becoming the youngest doctor to receive that honor in Newfoundland, which is the highest qualification a physician can receive.  I was only 32 years old.  When I arrived in Buchans, I had already spent a year in St. Anthony working for Grenfell Regional Health Services. Before that, I worked in Ottawa and Montreal as a carpet cleaner (and lost my job because I couldn't afford a car), in a library and as an orderly in several nursing homes in Ottawa. In Montreal, I worked in different private clinics ...

I have been to many places in my life. In fact, I’ve been to more than 100 countries on all seven continents! When I was appointed medical director of a hospital in Ontario, I knew in that moment that God was rewarding me with the possibility of travel. And I knew that I wanted to take advantage of that opportunity. There are many beautiful countries in the world, especially the South Asian countries along the Himalayas. I had already visited extensively in India and Nepal, but I really wanted to visit Bhutan. Without a doubt, Bhutan was something special and I will never forget my time there. It’s a very difficult country to visit. Unlike Thailand, which is very commercial and open to many visitors from around the world, Bhutan has taken steps to preserve its culture. One of those steps has been to restrict international visitors to just 3,000 people each year. In 1998, I managed to get my visa, and I began preparations for this special trip. Bhutan, also known as “The Last Sh...