GORE BAY—Two members of the Gore Bay Volunteer Fire Department rode their bicycle 57 kilometres in the annual Wounded Warriors Ride for Mental Health on Saturday, August 19. The event is held to raise awareness about various mental health challenges, particularly experienced by military personnel and first responders related to the trauma they witness firsthand. Funds raised through the ride go toward programs to help them face these mental health challenges.
“My thought is people who risk their lives for strangers, every day, deserve our support,” stated Duncan Sinclair, deputy fire chief of the Gore Bay Fire Department.
“This is my fifth year taking part in the ride, the first ride I took part in was in 2019,” said Mr. Sinclair. “I persuaded (fellow Gore Bay firefighter) Jon Oliver to take part in it as well. He said he needed a bike to take part, and I had bought a new one recently so I donated my older bike to him. He jumped all over the chance to take part.”
“This was my first time in this event, and my first actual ride that long in length,” said Mr. Oliver. “Definitely, it is important to support our veterans, first responders, police. It was great biking alongside veterans who have served in action.”
“Duncan had brought this up, asking people to sponsor him for the ride,” said Mr. Oliver. “He put online a fire group chat and asked, ‘Jon are you in?’ I told him if he could lend me a bike so we could have practice rides I would take part. We practiced for a good month.”
Mr. Oliver pointed out some of the police officers in Sudbury, had taken part in a bike ride event earlier that morning, and then took part in the Wounded Warriors ride. He is hoping to take part in the Tour de Force ride (formerly the Marc Hovingh Memorial Ride) being held in September in Mindemoya
“We had a 73-year-old man riding along with us,” said Mr. Sinclair. He said he was “a little disappointed in the number of riders who actually took part (about 25), I know more people had signed up for the ride. We have to keep getting the word out about the ride.”
“I would say about 95 percent of the riders were police officers, EMS paramedics, firefighters and veterans, along with a few first responders,” said Mr. Sinclair. “It is important to support all the people in these professions and let them know they are not alone in the struggles some of these people have to go through,” he said, noting the organizer of the event, a friend of his, Dan Draper is a veteran.
Detective Constable Ryan Hutton is the Wounded Warriors Ambassador for the Greater Sudbury Police Service (GSPS) who told CTV News that this help is important to both the organizations and the individuals to let them know they are not alone, and help is out there. “There needs to be no stigma to this. They can’t fight it on their own and they are not alone.”
GSPS deputy Chief Natalie Hiltz said many people suffer with mental health issues in silence. “We really need to create more awareness,” she said. “We need to get more financial and community support in creating those programs that support the critical work that we do in public safety spaces.”
GSPS raised more than $1,750 for Wounded Warriors Canada. The Lockerby Legion Branch 564 hosted the ride and presented a cheque in the amount of $5,000 for the cause at the event.
“Our team, Team Bubba raised $4,940,” said Mr. Sinclair, pointing out not everyone on the ride was part of this team. However, as a group of riders “we are definitely over $18,000 in funds raised and donations are still coming in.”
