n er o ng
it,
FREE
Friday, July 27 • 2012
354-4089
valhallapathrealty@telus.net www.valhallapathrealty.com
OPEN YEAR ROUND
REVISITED
A DENTIST OR A SWIMMER?
B
250.352.1157
Tues. - Sat. 9:00 - 4:00 601-D Front St. Emporium
People Caring for Pets VISIT US ON FACEBOOK
Twenty-sixth in a series of pioneer profiles GREG NESTEROFF Nelson Star Reporter
250-352-2999 info@selkirkvet.com www.selkirkvet.com SELKIRK VETERINARY HOSPITAL
orn in Winnipeg, Harrop’s family moved to Scotland to care for his grandparents when he was seven. His parents returned to Canada in early 1948 — but in doing so missed his Olympic swim. The first post-war Games were as low key as you could get, he says. They used only pre-existing venues, athletes stayed in military barracks, and food was still rationed. “Nobody really cared about the people who were going,” Harrop says. At Easter, Harry Koski, Britain’s swimming chief, began assembling potential participants. Most were gone a week or 10 days,
Home Owners helping home owners
lar
Sixty-four years after he swam for Great Britain at the Olympics, New Denver’s Dr. Trevor Harrop is a special guest at the 2012 London Games
but Harrop, a dental student, was only granted the weekend. “Swimming wasn’t exactly an important part of the dental curriculum,” he says. The trials were to be Story continues to ‘No Hero’s’ on Page 5 LEFT: New Denver’s Dr. Trevor Harrop holds up the swimsuit he wore in the 1948 Olympics. TOP: Harrop (bottom right) was one of seven swimmers Motherwell, Scotland sent to the Games.
Greg Nesteroff photo
Nelson 250-505-2101 Castlegar 250-365-2111 Nakusp 250-358-2347
T
he last time London hosted the Olympics, New Denver’s Dr. Trevor Harrop had a front-row seat. It was July 30, 1948, and he was swimming for Great Britain in the 100-metre freestyle, only a few weeks after qualifying. No one said anything to him as he entered Empire Pool (now known as Wembley Arena). No team official offered last-minute encouragement. The lone spectator with a vested interest in his performance was his future wife Sheila, who had come from northern Scotland and had no problem finding a last-minute ticket. “The whole thing,” he recalls, “was extremely relaxed.”
ok
Keep the Beat does just that at Lakeside See Page 2
LONDON
Lessons • Retail
ck yo ur sm
Vol. 5 • Issue 8
Kaslo senior nominated for Queen’s Medal See Page 11 280 Baker Street Nelson BC (250)
ea
ch e
m.
Put a
fi
NELSSON STAR Bre a k i ng n e w s at n e l s on s t a r. c om