'Never standing still'

Dr. William Stanish. (Danny Abriel photo)

A surgeon who spent much of his life promoting equality of sports medicine in the province has been awarded the Order of Nova Scotia.

Dr. William Stanish is an orthopedic surgeon at the QE2 and a professor at Dalhousie University. He has worked with top athletes since the Montreal Olympics in 1976 and served as chief medical officer for the Canadian Olympic teams in 1984 and 1988.

Dr. Stanish, a top athlete while a student at Dalhousie in the 1960s, said his strong desire to innovate is his motivation.

"I'm a believer in never standing still with a technique. I've always tried to advance it, whether it is with better diagnosis or a softer treatment in the operating room," he told reporters after the ceremony on Wednesday.

The Order of Nova Scotia is the highest honour the province can bestow. Besides Dr. Stanish, the other recipients of the 2007 Order of Nova Scotia are Joyce Barkhouse, author of the Pit Pony and founding member of the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia; Peter Clarke, board chair of ACA Cooperative and resident of a fourth-generation farm in the Annapolis Valley; Tom Forrestall, one of Canada's foremost realist painters, and Flora MacDonald, former cabinet minister and humanitarian.