It has been a year and a half since Lyle and I were in Sechelt, and a year almost to the day since I finished the walking segment of the White Cane Connections project on Cape Spear, the most easterly point of North America. The journey across Canada took us through eighty-two different communities and we met hundreds of people, all of whom were eager to promote an awareness of white canes and the challenges encountered by people who use them. It was an inspiring journey and it was good to go back to the beginning and revisit the friends we had made in Sechelt.
Bill Conway encouraged me from the very beginning. In fact,
it was his idea to begin my white cane journey in Sechelt. He said that
everyone began their marathon cross country journeys in the big cities and that
I should do something different by starting in a small town. It was an
excellent suggestion. Sechelt’s Mayor John Henderson declared the day of our
walk, White Cane Awareness Day, and
with over twenty others joined me for the inaugural walk. The date was March 23, 2012 and the day was a
total success.
Bill’s suggestion was beneficial in other ways. Across Canada, Lyle and I planned to stop and
walk in many smaller communities. As it turned out, it was a wise decision. For
the most part, it was in these centres that the project had the most support and
received the best media coverage.
It was good to meet up with Bill again. He is quite the marvel.
He is a passionate advocate on behalf of people who are blind. He is constantly
on the go, speaking with groups and assisting individuals. A few years ago,
Bill and his dog guide walked the entire length of the Sunshine Coast Highway
raising funds for Guide Dogs. Bill personifies the image of a blind person who is
both capable and independent.
Our meeting this past week had another nostalgic dimension. Standing beside Bill was Captain Midnight,
Bill’s faithful canine guide. The
Captain is nearing the end of his working life, and Bill has found a new home
for him. In another month or so Captain Midnight will begin his retirement with a seven year old girl and her family,
and Bill will be ready for a new pair of
eyes with a new guide dog – his eighth.
While we were in Sechelt I had been invited to speak with
the local White Cane Support Group. This group is affiliated with CCB, the
Canadian Council for the Blind. During the White Cane Walks, I had met other
groups and individuals who belonged to this association. Probably the most
memorable was my meeting with the national president, Louise Gillis. Louise lives in Sydney, Nova Scotia and when I
walked there she had gathered other Sydney CCB members to walk with us. It was
a great day. The group also belonged to a blind curling team and when we met,
they were wearing their special Sydney White Cane Curling t-shirts. Not only
that, we beat the hurricane weather by a good half day and managed to do the
walk in dry, almost sunny conditions.
In Sechelt, we met again with Margaret who is president of
the local group there. The group in Sechelt was similar in size and age
demographics to the one I lead in Alberta and it was good to exchange ideas
with Margaret. That night after the meeting, Lyle and I had supper with Bill,
Margaret and Trevor. We had stayed at Trevor’s home on our first visit to
Sechelt and I was delighted to see him again. Trevor is a WW II veteran, a
world traveller, and a great conversationalist. It was an excellent evening and
I can only hope that there will be an opportunity for a repeat visit at some
point in the future.
There are two pictures accompanying this post. The first is
of Bill and Captain Midnight. The Captain is a large black lab well suited to
Bill’s tall frame.
The second picture from left to right shows Margaret, Bill
and myself. The Captain is patiently sitting
in front of Bill.
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| Bill and Captain Midnight |
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| Margret, Bill, and Sue |
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