If he wanted, Rick Hansen could be Premier SPENDING AN afternoon with Rick Hansen recently, I was reminded of a com- ment made by a friend as the accomplished wheelchair athIicte headed out on the first leg of his miracle: **Ht's like Terry Fox all over again.”’ Rocked by the comparison, | barked at this chap: ‘No, it isn't!” It took some time before is could be explained that Terry was a mesmerizing phenomenon: a young man who seemed to be ina perpetual trance, obsessed by his mission. No one who embraced the Terry Fox experience survived intact. ht was Blair MacKenzie, then executive-director of the Canadian Cancer Society, who first tried to talk this sick teenager out of his punishing and ludicrous ambition. But it was MacKenzie who end- ed up co-ordinating the entire af- fair. In the end, he was as deepiy and profoundly affected as any- one. What assaulted the psyche was that Terry’s purity and determination cheapened just about everything else we held im- portant in life. Only the most superficial glance would suggest that Rick Hansen was copying anyching. One visit to Terry’s home bedroom would adequately ex- plain who the leader was, Where other kids had posters of rock stars, hockey players and artifacts of rebellion on their wall, Terry’s hero was Rick Hansen. The latter — older, wiser, and genuinely athletic — had inspired the cancer victim to regain mobility after amputation of a leg. One of Terry’s goals in his Marathon of Hope was to impress Rick Hansen. ee If the ‘‘Mazathon of Hope’’ had a messianic zeal about it, the ‘«Man in Motion World Tour’’ was professionally crafted. My last sight of Rick Hansen before he embarked on his journey was through the glass of my radio studio. I waved through the glass, smil- ed and gave him the kind of shrug usually reserved for intelligent friends who suddenly decide to climb Mount Everest. Rick smiled, shrugged his shoulders, and waved before wheeling out the door. Rick Hansen evolved a splendid strategy. He would raise funds for the usually neglected research into spinal injuries and disorders, but more important than that, he would raise consciousness. There is no doubt that people around the world are finding their lives just a little bit easier because of his extraordinary impact. Through the historic period in British Columbia, my only regret is that | had a mental block when it came to the ‘‘other’’ young man, Steve Fonyo. A phone interview | had with him from Kelowna was likely the first time he was ever on radio. But he followed too soon after Terry. And he seemed to have too many undesirables around him. No one, however, can begrudge Steve his genuine achievement. While deliberate and intcHligent, Rick's journey was still a supreme challenge, by no means certain. Early in the odyssey, depressed and in severe pain, he called his Vancouver physiotherapist. She flew to be with him and never returned to work. They saw Red Square. the Champs d’Elysees, the Great Wail of China and the Pal- ace of Westminster. In Rome, the Pope welcomed the Vancouver entourage to the Gary Bannerman OPEN LINES Vatican. With over 20,000 miles behind them, in a little town call- ed Petitcodiac, N.B., Rick Hansen proposed to Amanda Reid. eooe All these memories were rekindled in me a week ago at Cloverdale Raceway. Rick Hansen seems totally unaware of the im- pact he has on a crowd. They came from all directions, respect- fully asking him to autograph the race program that featured his photo. He was greeted not with starstruck eyes, but with a warm, genuine admiration. As the guests of Jim Keeling Jr. at Cloverdale, Rick Hansen demanded and received his usual performance fee: a worthwhile cause. The beneficiary of ihe day was a small charity, the Langley headquartered Pacific Riding for the Disabled Association. This group trains and caters to hun- dreds of handicapped pcople in horseback riding. But the Hansens also had time to enjoy the outing. They rode in the starter car, the track-wide retractable gate that is indispens- able to harness racing. And Rick’s wagering earned a piece of a $403 Triactor ticket (Ist, 2nd and 3rd in precise order.) They sat with horseman Jerome Bouvier, paralyzed since a 1984 boating accident. Bouvier, despite the wheelchair, demonstrates re- markable feats of horse handling. And there was a tiny wheelchair that frequently darted in and out around them, this one propelled by six-year-old Claire McGuire, a beneficiary of the Riding for the Disabled Association. eee Watching the Hansens in ac- tion, it’s impossible not to speculate on the future. Rick is professionally occupied with sports for the disabled, a frequent emissary of governments. This part of his life is headquartered at the University of British Colum- bia. He and Amanda have incor- porated a business for their other joint commercial pursuits. Shortly after their marriage, they found a brand new Rich- mond home built to accommodate a wheelchair. The handicapped individual who designed it had decided not to take possession. The Hansens’ seven-month-old daughter Emma proved to be an excellent traveller during a recent visit to Japan. So what is nest in this Walt Disney saga of tragedy, deter- mination, achievement and fairy tale endings? Rick Hansen could be premier of British Columbia. if he so desired. For either party, Just as his arms and hands gen- crated every turn of the wheel around the globe, his obvious in- tellect would have to focus on public affairs. Add a considerable dash of ex- peience, and stir. a Cash needed to Open new WV museum THE HOMPF of West) Van- couver’s new museum, che Gertrude Lawson House, was opened briefly at the end of October to celebrate the receipt of a $13,939.50 donation” raised by the young adult members of the North Shore Rotorac Club. By Maureen Curtis Contributing Writer The West Vancouver Museum and Archives Society is currently (rying (0 raise the $450,000 needed to renovate the historic $0-vear- old house for use as a museum and archives storaze and display facility. “At first it was hard to inipress upon people that to have facilities such as a museum, you have to start somewhere. Now people are really getting excited about Ger- trude Lawson House.”’ society vice-president Donatd Youngson told the News as people explored the rooms of the home which was purchased from the heirs of Ger- trude Lawson last year for just over $1 million. In addition to its convenient location across the street from the municipal hall, the house was valued for having been built by the daughter of West Vancouver founding father John Lawson. Gertrude Lawson was a longtime teacher in West Van- couver and a local patron of Scot- tish dancing. “Her house,” Youngson said, “was kind of a ‘welcome wagon’ in the community. Many people, especially women in some finan- cial difficulty, found shelter in the home of Gertrude Lawson.”’ The house, famous for its stone exterior, was built with the first mortgage ever granted a woman in British Columbia. Although the archives society is still raising funds, it hopes next spring to put to public tender the building improvements contract for Gertrude Lawson House and have the building ready to open to the public next fall. See Historical page 11 1990 - North Shore News - 9 A Place To Go When CANADIAN You're Pregnant And CLOSET Need Support: «| BIRTHRIGHT! _ BB6- 4263 § Call 987-7313 + Free Pregnancy Test « 229 Lonsdale In Vancouver Cail North Vancouver 687-7223 Sunday. November 18 . ARDAGH HUNTER TURNER Barristers & Solicitors IMPAIRED DRIVING FAX 986-9286 AFTER HOURS 645.8989 986-4366 300-1401 LONSDALE, NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. 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