About Us
HELPING EARS TO HEAR
Our Story
Our story stretches back 4 generations to one Beachburg family’s experience with deafness. Andrea’s great-grandfather, pictured above with her grandfather outside of their harness shop in Beachburg, was profoundly hearing impaired. He was accidentally killed while walking along the train tracks. From the time her grandfather told her the story, she knew she wanted to educate people about hearing and the impact of hearing loss.
That desire became a profession and has further blossomed into a well-established, independent audiology clinic with highly experienced and knowledgeable audiologists and support staff who also have family roots in the Valley. It is our heritage to understand the need for excellent local hearing care, getting value for your dollar, flexibility in delivering service, and doing what it takes to improve the lives of our families.
Meet Our Staff
Our team has been growing over the years. Each one of us comes to our profession with a unique story. Get to know us better here.
Andrea has known that she wanted to work in the field of hearing impairment since she was seven years old, when her grandfather told her the story of how her great-grandfather was killed. W S Graham was a harness maker from Beachburg who was profoundly hearing impaired. He was visiting family in Blind River and had gone for a stroll along the train tracks. He must have mistaken the vibrations on the track as the out-going local, not an unscheduled freight train. As her grand-father told the story: “The engineer blew the whistle, and blew the whistle, but your great-grandfather didn’t get off the track.” As a little girl, she wanted to reassure the engineer that it wasn’t his fault that he had killed a man and resolved to educate people about hearing impairment.
Tamara McBurney has been an audiologist since 1994. She graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a Master’s in Communicative Disorders, specializing in Audiology. Her undergraduate studies were done at the University of Saskatchewan.
Our office manager, Faye Larocque, hails from Cornwall originally, but grew up in Renfrew — the town she calls home. She has worked in many sectors, but found her calling working in hearing healthcare. As a Hard of Hearing person herself, she understands the problems our clients face each day and she translates that life experience into helping others.
Rebecca Summers was born and raised in Renfrew County, mostly in the Beachburg area. She went to school in Pembroke at Our Lady of Lourdes and Bishop Smith Catholic High School. After high school she graduated from Carleton University with a degree in Linguistics. Wanting to apply her degree, she studied at St. Lawrence College in Kingston to become a Communicative Disorders Assistant (CDA).
Janice McKee was born and raised in Pembroke. She graduated from Bishop Smith Catholic High School where she also met the love of her life, Shane. They had been together for 25 years when Shane passed away unexpectedly in July 2018. They have a wonderful son named Cotie.Our Location
Heritage Hearing Care was founded in 1998 after the passing of Murray Fraser, a well-loved local hearing aid dispenser. Andrea Graham had been serving as an audiologist with Dr. Jeff Jones, the local ENT specialist. Faye Larocque had been working for Murray. We pooled our complementary skills and carried on Murray’s tradition of service.
Originally, we were located in the Lakeside Medical Centre, but soon outgrew our space. In 2005, we moved to “Dr. Munroe’s” former house on the corner of Pembroke and Agnes Streets. The building had seen better days, but we have been working on it, bit by bit, to restore some of its former glory. The stairway in the lobby is a beautiful example of the skills of the craftsmen of the 1800s. You must come to see it.
At the end of 2011, we finished renovating the former “taxi stand” to provide a second office, a larger test booth, as well as an education room. The timing could not have been better. When the Marianhill Audiology Clinic closed in 2012, we were able to welcome Audiologists, Tamara McBurney and Terri Selle. With the additional space and talent, we have been able to expand services into outreach clinics.
What Makes Us Different?
- We are local people. You are probably a relative, friend, neighbour, or one of the people we rely on for products and services in our area. We aim to treat you the way we want to be treated.
- We are not a chain. We are independent and locally owned. We are able to offer patient-focused, family-centred services to address your needs and those of your family. We are flexible and can source the best solutions available for your needs.
- We value hearing. We know that it contributes to your health and well-being. We want you to get value for your dollar from our services and the products you purchase from us. We strive to be honest about the benefits of our care and fair with our pricing.
- We believe in education for ourselves and our clients. Our audiologists have decades of experience assessing hearing and providing solutions for listening and communication needs. We are constantly learning new things and believe that it is important for you to acquire knowledge and skills to improve your quality of life.
- We are part of the community. We participate in the events that add lustre to lives like the Paddle Festival and Friends for Life International, a Pembroke based charity that has fostered a connection with the people of Yamasa, Dominican Republic for decades. One of our audiologists was awarded the Moneca Price Humanitarian Award for participation in the Audiology in Yamasa, a project which brings hearing assistance to local people where no services had previously existed. Your support of our work here brings joy to others.