Gary’s new home
It would have been difficult to wipe the smile off the face of Drouin identity Gary Hart last week.
He’d just found a new place to live in Drouin ending a previously fruitless two-month search after being told the unit he had lived in for several years was to be sold and he’d have to vacate.
Mr Hart was due to move out this week and didn’t know where he would be going until an article detailing his predicament appeared in The Gazette on February 5.
A neighbour where he has been living saw the article and told Mr Hart he knew of a unit that was coming up for rent.
The owner that lived there was moving to another property.
One thing led to another and the weekend before last Mr Hart inspected the unit and said it was just about perfect for him, especially with a disability that severely restricts his ability to walk.
“The doors are wide enough to fit my mobility scooter through and even my smaller motorised scooter/chair can comfortably get into the large bathroom where the shower is large enough to easily fit my shower chair,” he said.
And it is also just a few minutes from the centre of town.
Well known in Drouin through sitting in his scooter at the corner of Hope St and Princes Way in the main shopping area and waving or saying hello to passers-by, Mr Hart has also made many friends on Facebook.
Quite a few of those friends have come forward to help him shift into his new rental unit over the next few days.
Mr Hart can’t thank enough the help of the community and the The Gazette’s article in getting him a new place to live.
He said he wanted to give back to the community what he could.
Mr Hart also was delighted to take up an invitation to ride his motorised scooter in last weekend’s Ficifolia Festival at Drouin, drawing plenty of cheers as he passed them and gave them a “toot” with the scooter’s horn.