Courage Canada Trail Ride By Francois Biber, Vermilion Standard Photos courtesy of Willie Davie
In June 2002, Alberta cowboy Curtis Anderson was in Ponoka competing in a bull riding competition. The last thing he remembers is sitting on a 680-kilogram bull. He was struck in the head twice by the bull; and woke up three weeks later from a drug-induced coma. It has been a long journey of recovery, and Anderson has had to learn everything all over again.
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“I
had to learn how to walk again, put letters to words and words to sentences,� said Anderson. “Now I can do an hour and a half of exercise, I’ve regained my driver’s license and I have gone back to helping out on my uncle’s farm.� Since suffering his injury Anderson has been working with Courage Canada to support brain injury awareness. The Courage Canada Trail Ride began in 2004 and is held every year on the last Saturday in May with all proceeds going to local brain care centres. “This year we had 101 riders on horseback, 12 wagons carrying 74 riders and over 250 at supper. Numbers were pretty Curtis Anderson. Photo by Derek R Anderson. close to last year’s turnout. Plus we had a silent auction after supper and that was very successful. Because of the sponsorship dollars still coming in and all the items sold at auction, we’re not sure how much money in total we raised,� said Anderson. “Last year the event raised over $20,000.� 2012 proceeds will be split between local organizations such as FOCUS in Vermilion, Lloydminster Area Brain Injury Society (LABIS) and the Vegreville Association for Living in Dignity (VALID); as well as the Halvar Johnson Centre for Brain Injury, where Anderson spent eight months in rehabilitation after suffering his 2002 brain injury. “The money we raise will go to helping injured patients from day one and support them throughout their recovery,� said Anderson. Anderson had family, friends and former employers at this year’s trail ride who turned out to be major contributors to the ride’s success. “I’m not really a collector, I just like big knives,� said Michael Young, who purchased a knife for $2,700 at the trail ride’s auction in
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