"Send us a text about this episode!" Why You Should Listen to This Episode: Two Vancouver Island volunteers, two very different ways of showing up for Ukraine. Duck Paterson, a 75-year-old Ladysmith councillor with 38 years on council, explains why he is driving an ambulance from Munich to Kyiv this October, and Darrell McKay returns after eight trips with an update from the ground and the book he wrote about it. Both guests also share exactly how you can help. This Episode Features: (18:41) Darrell McKay, a retired engineer from Campbell River and author of My Time with Heroes, returns to the podcast after eight volunteer trips to Ukraine delivering humanitarian aid. A year on from our last conversation, he describes a country that is exhausted, with empty shelves starting to show in grocery stores, drones getting through in waves, and real fear that Russia will go after heat and water this winter. His fundraising has climbed to about $220,000, now going toward Starlink units, medical supplies and drone technology, and his book has sold close to 750 copies, with every dollar of profit going to Ukraine. Darrell talks about the evacuation crews and small volunteer groups he has worked alongside. He also shares personal news: he is marrying Olga Buhai followed by a visit with her family in Dnipro and Pavlograd. www.facebook.com/wingnutadventures (05:21) Ladysmith councillor Duck Paterson is 75, has stepped away from council after 38 years, and about to trade the council chamber for the driver’s seat of an ambulance. Duck explains how a newspaper story about a Chemainus volunteer led him to sign up with Ukraine Focus to drive a used ambulance roughly 2,000 kilometres from Munich through Prague, Kraków and Lviv to Kyiv. He walks through the logistics, including travelling in small groups so the convoy is a harder target, in ambulances that cost $10,000 to $15,000 each and arrive loaded with medical supplies, generators and 3D printers for prosthetics. Duck is paying his own way, and shares how you can donate through the Ladysmith and District Credit Union or directly to Ukraine Focus. He also looks back on 38 years on council, including the relationship he helped start with Stz’uminus First Nation, and what he hopes to do next. www.facebook.com/duck.paterson Episode Quotes: “It’s made me tougher and softer all at the same time. It makes me tough knowing sometimes you have to fight the enemy, but it makes me soft seeing the people that are hurting.” - Darrell McKay, Retired Engineer & Author of My Time with Heroes “After 38 years, if I haven’t screwed it up by now, somebody else better take a shot at it.” - Duck Paterson, Ladysmith Councillor & Ukraine Focus Volunteer Driver The PULSE Community Podcast is a weekly Vancouver Island podcast hosted by Peter McCully and Dave Graham, featuring conversations with musicians, authors, actors, athletes, business leaders and community builders from Vancouver Island, British Columbia and beyond. The PULSE Community Podcast is part of The PULSE Podcast Community. LISTEN: We have had the chance to talk to many authors from across Vancouver Island and beyond - explore more stories and interviews on our Vancouver Island Authors page. You’ll find all episodes of The PULSE Podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, TikTok, YouTube, and ThePulseCommunity.ca. Click here to learn how to Support the show. Episode Sponsors: Thrifty Foods, Tablet Pharmacy & Ian Lindsay & Associates Check out Skookum Kid’s Stories on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube. Sign up for our weekly newsletter and stay up to date on the latest podcasts, guests and contests. Check out the Vancouver Island Podcast Directory: Vancouver Island Podcast Directory is a free public resource curated by The PULSE Community, helping listeners discover podcasts produced on Vancouver Island and the surrounding coastal islands. #Ukraine #HumanitarianAid #UkraineFocus #Ladysmith #CampbellRiver #MyTimeWithHeroes #VancouverIsland #ParksvilleQualicum #VancouverIslandPodcasts #ThePulseCommunityPodcast Support the show
