Story 14: The Konk Show with Colleen Good
-
COLLEEN GOOD
Part of the Staff Association back in the old days, they had what they called the Konk show. It was a takeoff on the old laugh-in, gong show. Well, once that got bong, you were off, right? At the very beginning, we didn't have any formal committees or formal associations or whatever. We just had sort of informal things. But then as the time grew, I became part of the Staff Association. Part of the Staff Association back in the old days, they had what they called the conk show. It was a takeoff on the old laugh-in gong show.
They'd have the Star Tools, which was a combination of doctors, and they played like the Elvis music and the rock and roll. And they would have events, so it would be, and they'd have a little judging group, and they'd have this. Dr. Taylor, who is the lab director later, but he was involved in the emergency department. They had him dressed up as a little grape And I'm telling you, when you saw these physicians and doctors and heads of departments and CEOs dressed up and acting silly, it just gave-- it gives me goosebumps. It just gave you that sense of, yeah, we all are the same. You know, we all put our shoes on, we all come in, and we all want to have some fun. I do remember that a lot of the skits were takeoffs on Laugh-In. They had one, and she was Lily Tomlin, and she used to be the operator. And she'd talk with a funny voice, and she'd say, Hello, hello.
LILY TOMLIN
One ring-a-ding-ding. Two ring-a-ding-ding. A gracious good afternoon.
COLLEEN GOOD
They would always have somebody that would start that with the gong, Konk show as well. So some of the skits that were there actually made their way to our side. But others were beautiful skits. Some people, you'd say, oh my God, she's got a beautiful voice. But usually they'd always add the humor in and bring somebody that couldn't sing anything at all. And they'd come right afterwards. And not with the big cane, but almost like, nope, you're gong. I was also involved with arranging the supervisory management retreats. That was the very first one was in 1991, and I coordinated them with the CEOs at the time. And it was a team building type of exercise, but it was mostly lots of fun. I love coordinating all of those things. So for me, it was a fun type of thing. I never thought of it as a job. So the very first one was at Stratmere, and that was just out north, North Goreway. And basically what it was, Olympics. So we kind of, because 1976 Olympics were sort of at the time of the Queensway opening, the first thing we thought we would do was do an Olympic. So A coordinated Olympic. We had cow pie contests, so they'd all wear little garbage bags. They'd have to wear their gloves and they'd pick up a big cow pie, and see who could throw it the furthest. We had a hammer nailing contest where we had a block of wood and we put a nail in, and who could hammer it with the least amount of strikes? Women always won that. Men always thought they could do it with one big blow and they'd miss it all the time and stuff. But we had another one at Pinto Valley, and it was a rodeo style, so we had watermelon eating contests, spitting out the seeds, rodeo where they put all their shoes into a pile. They had to ride on a goat and go and get their shoes. So we had all of that. As each year, as new supervisors came in, they just, their comments were that they just loved it because they got to see everybody because the hospital is starting to get bigger. and bigger, and it was growing, right? So it's harder to get to know everybody, and they just felt that was the part of, wow, this is the spirit
For 47 of the hospital’s 50-year history, the QCH Staff Association has helped build connection and community among QCH staff through events that include: dances and talent shows, trivia and paint nights, ski trips and boat cruises, BBQs and picnics, bowling and bed races, and much, much more.
A perusal of old staff newsletters shows some of the oldest and longest-lasting activities include the Staff Association golf tournament, the holiday party, BBQs and, interestingly, a broomball league. Some of the more unusual activities include the “Wacky Canoe Race” and the “Cowpie Toss.”
The official committee started in 1979, but the spark for it began one year earlier with the introduction of the “Konk Show." First held in the cafeteria in 1978, the Konk Show was a talent show modeled after the popular TV game show The Gong Show.
Colleen Good, a smiling woman with short grey hair wearing a red plaid vest. She is sitting in a boardroom with historical black-and-white photos of Hardhatters on easels behind her.
Staff Association Over the Years
A photo collages features photos from the 1970s and 80s, including the Winterlude bed races group in winter gear with a "Q.C.H. MAD" banner, the "OCH Blades" hockey team on the ice, staff playing volleyball, a man sitting on top a dunk tank, and QCH staff and their friends and family in 80s summer attire.
Features recent staff association photos including staff in neon costumes and 80s wigs, a group in Team Canada hockey jerseys, volunteers at a food drive and toy drive, a group at a baseball stadium, a large group standing in front of a long line of golf carts at a tournament, a Titans baseball suite group photo, and several boxes filled for the food drive and toy drive.
From the Konk Show to the many events held today, Staff Association has been at the heart of QCH’s community. Ian Judge, President of Staff Association, gives a behind-the-scenes look at how staff events come together.
A Conversation with Ian Judge, President of Staff Association Former Digital Media Supervisor of Printing Services & Mail Services
1. Can you briefly describe the role of Staff Association and the work that it does?
The Queensway Carleton Hospital Staff Association (QCH SA) is your designated social and recreational committee designed to enhance hospital life and culture.
The SA's goal is to be there for YOU, the QCH staff. From planning enjoyable, exciting, fun-filled outings to sponsoring numerous sports teams to fund the annual Holiday Dinner and Dance, the Staff Association is dedicated to ensuring QCH is more than just a place to come to work every day—it's a place where our unique culture shines through.
2. What’s something people might be surprised to learn about the work that goes into organizing Staff Association events? There’s a lot more that goes on behind the scenes than people realize. Everything is done on a volunteer basis—we meet during lunch hours and often do the planning after regular work hours.
Our committee is constantly working: negotiating venue rentals, managing ticket draws for football games and Sens games, organizing Halloween activities in the halls, and handling all the logistics.
We take on the stress of the planning because we believe staff deserve those moments to recharge and connect. It’s a lot of work, but seeing the impact on morale makes every hour worth it.
3. Are there any memorable moments that really stand out to you? Whether we’re at a hockey game in a suite or the Family Skate, it’s incredible to see people who usually only interact in high-stress hallways finally connecting as friends and families.
Seeing a team that’s had a brutal week actually laughing and having fun together outside the hospital—that’s the real win. It’s not about one big event; it’s about consistently seeing that shift in morale and knowing all our behind-the-scenes work made it happen.