I was born March 18, 1919, in Newport Mon South Wales. I was first British but recently became a Canadian and have been living in Canada for the past 23 years to be close to family. I intend to continue living here for the rest of my days.
At 104 years old, I am a veteran of World War II, having served as a Wireless Operator with the Royal Air Force from 1937 to 1949, earning medals of recognition for service in four wartime campaign areas as well as two years in Great Britain, namely: France 1939/40; North Africa 1942/43; Italy 1943/44; and Burma 1944/46.
In 2020, in Victoria British Columbia, while the world was wrestling with the ravages of COVID-19, I was inspired by my comrade-in-arms of the UK, Captain Sir Thomas Moore (a fellow Burma Star holder), walking the length of his garden until he reached his 100th birthday to raise money for charity. This inspired me to follow suit and walk 101 laps around the courtyard of Carlton House, the seniors’ residence where I live, to raise $101,000 (CAD) for Save the Children. I chose to walk five laps per day until the goal was reached or the number of laps surpassed.
Amazingly, I underestimated the generosity of the Canadian people, and the target was reached at about 35 laps. I continued walking until I completed my personal goal of 101 laps, and this resulted in a total count of $167,000. An amount far beyond my expectations.
I also accumulated a countrywide reputation through the offices of the local and national media, the management and staff of my residence Carlton House of Oak Bay, local business organizations, and in no short measure veterans’ organizations and province-wide political associations.
Come the following year, having marked my 102nd birthday in March and recognizing my previous success, continued fitness, and joy in walking, I decided to repeat the appeal increasing the target to 102 laps and setting the target figure at $102,000. Due to the persistence of the pandemic and the prevalence of an oppressive heatwave, I increased the number of laps per day to 10. Sadly, when the date for starting arrived my wife of more than 70 years fell seriously ill, and she passed during the fundraising campaign. These impediments caused me to fall short of my target, however $48,000 was still raised bringing an overall total of almost $215,000 to the fund in just over one year.
In 2022 at 103, I watched the conflict unfold in Ukraine. From a distance I saw the dire situation faced by so many families and children, including even family members of Carlton House staff. So, I decided to repeat my fundraiser again, this time supporting Save the Children’s humanitarian response in and near Ukraine. Again, the generosity of the Canadian people far exceeded my expectations. $118,000 was raised which went to providing food, water, clothing, and blankets to displaced Ukrainians and ensuring protective services for unaccompanied minors fleeing the country.
Today, when I look at the figures, I’m astonished at what I see. One in six children in the world live in a conflict zone. And almost 200 million children live in the world’s most lethal war zones, which is the highest number in over a decade. It is critical that we do what we can to protect these children from the physical and emotional wounds of war.
In light of this and having just passed my 104th birthday, planning is underway for my fourth collection in a row. I have practiced diligently, weather permitting, walking 10 laps around my residence courtyard per time, and when that has not been possible, I have used our indoor cycling machine to maintain a level of fitness with the fourth walk in mind.
Commencing on May 1st, I will walk 10 laps per day to reach a minimum of 104 laps with a goal of raising $104,000. All funds will help Save the Children respond quickly to humanitarian crises across the globe that are threatening children’s lives.
It is my considered opinion to be a very worthy cause as there are currently millions of children to protect, and they need as much help as we can possibly afford to give them. I therefore humbly pass my appeal for your consideration.
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