HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2005-07-06, Page 11Wednesday,July 6, 2005
Exeter Times–Advocate
11
84 year old walling forWarAmps
By Scott Nixon
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
HURON COUNTY —
Four-month walks cover-
ing 1,500 kilometres are
usually the furthest thing
from the minds of most
84 year olds, but not for
Gordon Scott, who's walk-
ing to raise money and
awareness for the War
Amps Child Amputee pro-
gram.
"It's a great age for an
adventure," Scott says.
Scott, a veteran of the
Second World War, start-
ed his 1,500 kilometre
walk May 18 in
Peterborough County and
hopes to be done by the
end of September. He hit
the Exeter area last
weekend and spent
Thursday night at the
home of Joe and Nancy
Vink, about 15 minutes
east of Exeter.
Once through Exeter,
Scott hit Grand Bend,
then intends to walk
through Sarnia to
Windsor, and then along
the Talbot Trail on Lake
Erie's shoreline, where
he'll eventually make it to
Hamilton and the Toronto
area before returning
home. He says he's fol-
lowing the route he took
by bicycle as a 17 year
old.
Through all of this, Scott
is travelling alone and
pulling a 115 -pound cart
behind him, consisting of
personal items such as
extra clothes.
He's proudly flying the
Maple Leaf and the Red
Ensign, the flag he fought
for in the Second World
War. During the war,
Scott says he nearly lost
both his legs and, while
hospitalized, realized the
suffering experienced by
those who lose limbs
"I've always believed
that the cause the War
Amps espouse was a very
worthwhile cause," Scott
said in an interview last
week.
Scott said the walk was
going "pretty good" and,
while he gets tired every-
day, he gets a good
night's sleep, gets up
every morning and con-
tinues walking. He aver-
ages about 15 kilometres
a day, depending on the
countryside — the flat-
ness of the local area
made the walk easier.
And while walking
alongside a highway for
1,500 kilometres may
seem like a dangerous
idea, Scott says he's toler-
ant of short distances
between him and passing
cars. He says so far he's
pleased with the respect
drivers have shown him.
Scott started getting
ready for his walk about a
year ago by walking long
distances in a day and
seeing how well his body
handled it.
"I'm in fairly good shape
for the shape I'm in," he
says, adding that he still
farms beef cattle. Scott
was also a teacher for 33
years after serving in the
war.
One might think walk-
ing alone all day would be
lonely or boring, but Scott
disagrees.
"I don't even think
about loneliness," he
says. "There are too
many interesting things to
think about," such as the
ecology and noting the
interesting names of the
creeks and rivers he
comes across.
At first, Scott was
Gordon Scott of Peterborough County, 84, is walking
1,500 kilometres throughout southwestern Ontario to
raise money and awareness forWarAmps, in an effort
he calls "GrampsTramps for Champs" He was in the
Exeter area last weekend. (photo/Scott Nixon)
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Not only was Canada Day celebrated last Friday, but the official lighting of Alvin Willert
field was held to mark the new lights at the ballpark. South Huron Minor Baseball
Association co-chair Jeff Keller thanked all the organizations involved in helping raise
the $102,000 needed for the Tights, including the OntarioTrillium Foundation ($45,000),
the Exeter Lions ($10,000) and Exeter Economic Development ($25,000). Keller also
thanked the municipality for its assistance and the local businesses for buying signs in
the outfield. He also gave credit to local ballplayers, who volunteered numerous hours
to work on the ballpark. Keller said the generosity of the community "amazes" him. He
added the Tights have meant adult players have been able to come home from work,
spend time with their families and eat dinner before going to the ballpark instead of
having to rush off to the park right after work Being able to play at night also means
faraway teams like Port Dover can now travel to games in Exeter. Enrolment is up and
free pick-up games are held everyWednesday night at 9:30 p.m. Pictured above holding
the banner are Keller's daughters Aveleigh and Nei11a, while in back from left are past -
president of the Exeter Lions Glenn Kelis, Doug Fairbairn of the Exeter Express, South
Huron Mayor Rob Morley, Huron -Bruce MPP Carol Mitchell, Don Keenan of Musco
Lighting and Keller. (photo/Scott Nixon)
spending his nights sleep-
ing along the roadside.
Eventually, when word
got out about his walk,
people began opening
their homes for him to
have a meal, a shower
and a bed to sleep in.
People often stop and talk
to him along the road
while he's walking. He
also hands out informa-
tion sheets telling people
about his walk.
"Most people have been
quite positive," Scott says,
adding that he also
emphasizes other War
Amps programs like
Childsafe and Drive Safe.
Scott says he has no
fundraising goal, but esti-
mates he raised over
$1,000 in pledges during
the first week of his walk.
Those interested in
donating to War Amps
can send a cheque to 1
Maybrook Drive,
Scarborough, Ont., M1V
5C9. Place the number
"84.5" in the memo sec-
tion of your cheque. You
can also call 1-800-250-
3030.
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