George was a designer of big bridges. Now 93, he regularly reflects on the ‘incredible responsibilities’ he had in civil engineering. An early peak was when Dr Fairhurst of WA Fairhurst and Partners, designed the concept for the Tay Road Bridge as a two-lane road bridge over the River Tay. George was DR Fairhurst’s detail designer for the bridge, the longest in Europe at that time.
The bridge was opened in 1966 by the Queen Mother – George and his wife were the first to be presented to Her Majesty at the opening. By that time George had become a partner in the firm and moved to Edinburgh. Retiring as a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Fellow of the Institute of Structural Engineers and a Fellow of the Institution of Highways and Transportation. He travelled the world to learn about different bridge designs, but now he tends to stay more local. That’s driving his car carefully, but he knows not forever. So, to keep going, exploring, learning, as he’s done all his life, his family said a mobility scooter was needed sooner rather than later. The Breeze Midi from TGA was engineered for his kind of life.
Balerno, east of Edinburgh is his home. George gets onboard the Breeze once or twice a week to go shopping. Loading up the stuff he buys in the box on the back. And then drives the mile or so home without needing to use his car. Further away still means the car but when the time comes to hang up his keys, his scooter is ready and waiting. Ready for action along the disused Caledonian railway to Currie and Juniper Green. This is called ‘futureproofing’ –when we protect a way of doing something now, so in the future we can carry on with it. In George’s case it’s being mobile.
“The family were looking ahead for when I become less mobile, especially with two replacement knees” says George. “They encouraged me to get a scooter and learn to use it before I need one fulltime. There were local people I saw driving TGA scooters and so we looked at them on the internet. We contacted TGA and they sent very good information and their Scottish representative Harry came out to see me. The conclusion we came to was that the Breeze Midi was the best one. It’s the right size for me on the pavement and around the shops.”
“Harry from TGA was very helpful. He advised me to get solid tyres as the potholes are so bad around here and lots of places have been dug up. If the holes are full of water you never know if you’re going to hit the edge. I’m so pleased with Harry’s suggestion to go for these as no risk of punctures. I also went for the largest diameter wheels which I think is a valuable decision as well. The overall design of the scooter is very good and the Midi size is more suited for where I want to go.”
“At the beginning it was so handy for one of my family to be walking with me, it just gave me confidence. I got them to go ahead to make sure nothing was around the corner which might cause a problem. Now I feel confident to go out on my own. When I stop driving, I will use the bus for further journeys and continue using the scooter for getting to the villages along the old railway line. When I come up the steep slope from driving on the resurfaced track bed, I find putting my scooter into maximum power means I can get up with no problem at all.
George has lived independently for five years. He’s got four middle-aged children who can get him around, but he’ll always aim to do it himself. With civil engineering in the past, it’s painting classes, photography and model railways that are his passions these days. Whatever the future holds he now has the wheels to keep getting outdoors for inspiration.
George sums up: “As my balance and walking aren’t as good as they used to be, my family were right to encourage me to get a scooter now. I know I’m going to become less mobile so the scooter will keep my freedom in the local area which is so important when I live on my own. I’m keen on photography and take pictures on the scooter and paint pictures of where I have been. Now I will be able to carry on adding to my numerous photo albums.”
