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Changing the face of Canadian veterans
DIANE HUNTER diane.hunter@eap.on.ca
!e idea behind the ride is to tighten bonds between communities and veterans. Nichols came up with the idea to do this ride through a culmination of his own military experiences. “Returning to a community that doesn’t recognize a young man as a veteran is di"- cult,” said Nichols. “When I came home from the Balkans is when the war started for me.” Troops are deployed in a di%erent manner than they were a couple of generations ago. A military unit used to draw its members from its home town or region. !e boys went o% to war together, brothers and cousins and neighbours shared common experiences and then returned home together. Soldiers are now deployed from large central bases and troops scatter in ones and twos to home towns all over the country when they return. “We all know of a neighbour’s kid or a school friend that went o% to serve his country,” explained Nichols. “When you see him on the street, take a second, say hello and smile. Give his kids a #st bump and ask his wife how she is doing.” Nichols wants to bring awareness to vete- rans who su%er fromPost-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that end in results such as suicide and family breakups. Several news reports have suggested there have beenmore military deaths due to suicide than there was in Afghanistan.!e Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces have stated that close to 300,000 soldiers have died through suicide between 2010
and 2014. “We as soldiers have a code that says we look after our own,” said Nichols. “Somany of our Canadian veterans become invisible when they clear out of themilitary and some struggle to transition to civilian life. Canada loves its military. A timely thank you from a neighbour can change a life and we think it can be better than all the therapy in the world after a veteran has already lost his way. Help us to raise awareness to this real issue and help us to bring communities together. Come out and ride for the ones that can’t. We will supply lessons and horses.” In Clarence Creek Terry Nichols, a cer- ti#ed therapeutic riding instructor, talked about the bene#ts of horses and horse-riding in help veterans and others deal with their emotional problems. She and others gathe- red for the barbecue took part in an obstacle course ride as part of the day’s activities. During the cross-Canada ride, the Nichols are collecting stories about what veterans go through every day, how they cope or try to cope with their problems, and also about the bene#ts of horseback riding. Upon com- pletion of !e Ride, the rider stories will be brought to the public through the publica- tion of a book. “Join us in telling the stories of our contemporary veterans and give our country a look at who our veterans really are.” More information about the ride can be found at http://communitiesforveterans.ca. With notes from Gregg Chamberlain
Since the beginning of April, Paul Nichols and his entourage have ridden through Canada to bring recognition to Canadian veterans, and awareness of the issues they face on a daily basis. September saw their arrival in the Prescott-Russell region with stopovers at the Black Tai Ranch in L’Ori- gnal and Lucar Farm in Clarence Creek for rest and a few story sessions. !e 211-day ride was launched on April 13 fromVictoria, BC, and is expected to end in St. John’s, NL, in just over two months. !e ride isn’t meant to be about any one veteran, but about all of the veterans that have served the country, and the day-to-day challenges they face. “So far on this ride I have had 240 vete- rans ride along with us,” said Nichols. “But I have spoken to thousands of vets and tens of thousands of Canadians.” Champlain TownshipMayor Gary Barton was on hand at the Black Tai Ranch to o%er Nichols a plaque and a small donation for his e%orts. MP Pierre Lemieux was also at the ranch to welcome the riders and say a warm thank you. Veterans from the Hawkesbury Legion Branch 472 stood at attention and sa- luted Paul and Terry Nichols as they arrived. In Clarence Creek, Kim and Pat Robitaille, who run a horse-and-rider training program at their ranch, welcomed the Nichols, along with their daughter, Kristen, to the area for
a barbecue fundraiser over the Labour Day weekend which amounted tomore than $700 collected on Saturday withmore expected by Sept. 11 when the Robitaille family presents the #nal donation pledge to the Community for Veterans Foundation. Paul Nichols enjoys a quiet moment o! of the road with his horse.
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