• Age: 12
• Grade: 7

"People go north for a variety of reasons, some stay for a lifetime, while others can't wait to leave at the end of whatever term they have signed on for. The north tends to be either loved or hated with equal passion." These are the words of Keith Billington, who with his wife Muriel, arrived in the Northwest Territories outpost of Fort McPherson, 1,700 miles north of Edmonton, in mid-September 1964. They were among those who loved the North and stayed for six years. Keith, a nurse, and Muriel, a midwife, were barely into their twenties and fresh from England when they arrived, eager to put their brand new skills to work. Their clients were the Gwich'in people, who taught them how to snowshoe, choose a dog team and live off the land.

These two young professionals were all the medical help available at the births of babies and the tragic deaths of other children, they were the first to tend gun-shot victims and deal with illnesses made worse by the isolation. Their story also tells of caribou hunts, fishing in summer lakes and travelling in winter by dog team, of sun-returning parties, and drum-dancing and New Year feasts. The book concludes with Keith leading a group who retrace the route of the tragic RCMP "Lost Patrol." This is a delightfully warm celebration of the north in the days just before skidoos and cell phones took the edge off the isolation.

A registered nurse from England, Keith Billington emigrated to Canada and worked in the Canadian Arctic for six years with his wife, Muriel, who is a nurse-midwife. Keith obtained his Public Health Nurse Diploma at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Since retiring, Keith and his wife continue to travel in winter by snowmobile and skis, and in the summertime they find adventure in their double seagoing kayak. His previous books are House Calls by Dogsled (Harbour Publishing, 2008) and Cold Land, Warm Hearts (Harbour Publishing, 2010).

Keith Billington's profile page

House Calls by Dogsled: Six Years in an Arctic Medical Outpost

A dynamic story of life in northern Canada, this heart-warming tale chronicles the adventures of two nurses in the Northwest Territories. This is the true story of Keith and Muriel Billington who moved from England to Fort McPherson in the 1960s. The book recalls the history of the Fort McPherson area, including information about the Gwich’in peoples, European contact and the Hudson’s Bay Company outpost. Uplifting and humorous stories are related about the first time using snowshoes, a dog sled team and getting to know the families who live in the community. There are also stories of medical emergencies and death, which demonstrate the hardships that the peoples who live up in northern NWT are faced with on a daily basis.

House Calls by Dogsled: Six Years in an Arctic Medical Outpost

A dynamic story of life in northern Canada, this heart-warming tale chronicles the adventures of two nurses in the Northwest Territories. This is the true story of Keith and Muriel Billington who moved from England to Fort McPherson in the 1960s. The book recalls the history of the Fort McPherson area, including information about the Gwich’in peoples, European contact and the Hudson’s Bay Company outpost. Uplifting and humorous stories are related about the first time using snowshoes, a dog sled team and getting to know the families who live in the community. There are also stories of medical emergencies and death, which really show the reader the hardships that the peoples who live up in northern NWT are faced with on a daily basis.