An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 9 by SGT WAyNE FITzGERALD J immy Scott a visually impaired civilian employee in Custume barracks, Athlone, published a book last December, titled 'A Long Journey Travelled', telling the story of his life so far. Jimmy grew up in Elphin, Co Roscommon, and when he qualified as a civil engineer in the late '80s, he went to London to work. In 1989, Jimmy, then aged 22, travelled to Australia in search of work and adventure. While working there as a labourer on a large, rural sheep farm, Jimmy was travelling with a friend, and fellow Irishman, when their vehicle ca- reered off a dirt-track, mounted a verge, and tumbled over. What happened next changed Jimmy's life forever. His friend was thrown from the vehicle and found not long af- ter by some fishermen who were driving by and who took him to hospital where he spent a number of days suffering with back injuries and double vision. However, Jimmy lay in the crashed vehicle for approximately six hours before be- ing discovered. He was airlifted to a hospital where he lay in a coma for six weeks – the family were told to expect the worst as he was not expected to survive. However, Jimmy defied all the odds by coming out of the coma, although he was left severely visually impaired and is registered as blind. He spent six months in hospital relearning how to walk with his new disability and undergoing numerous operations on his eyes. Jimmy jokes: "Two of my friends married nurses from the hospital; I must have been matchmaking while I was asleep." In 1995 Jimmy joined the Defence Forces as a civilian employee, working on the telephone switchboard in Cus- tume Bks, Athlone. Now 50, Jimmy has been working on the switch for over 20 years, and everyone in the barracks knows him. His passion and pastime is hill-walking and he undertakes hiking expeditions around the world, raising much needed funds for the National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI) in the process. Jimmy went on his first foreign mountain trek in 2002 in Majorca with the Terracotta Ramblers, who organise and fundraise treks abroad. So far he has travelled the seven continents and hiked in places like Vietnam, Argentina, South Africa and Antarctica. He has also revisited the hos- pital in Australia where he was treated after the accident. It is said 'there's a book in everyone', so Jimmy decided to tell his life experiences in his. A Long Journey Travelled (launched by Comdt Ray Kenny in Custume Bks, Athlone, last December) covers Jimmy's accident in Australia and his travels around the world. He looks back on his highs and lows, including meeting and later marrying his Polish wife, Patrycja, who he met while waiting for the bus to Bal- lina in 2010. He jokes: "I've travelled around the world and I meet Patrycja in Busáras in Dublin!" The birth of their first- born, Seán, four years ago is another special moment in his book. (Patrycja has recently given birth to their second child, a little girl, and Jimmy says "I now have a gentleman's family - a boy and a girl.") Jimmy hopes his book will benefit others who have to go through a life-changing event and show them there can be a silver lining. Jimmy has sold 300 books so far, and will print more if there is enough interest. His email is jimmy.scott@de- fenceforces.ie. Copies of the book can still be purchased for €10 from the NCBI shop in Athlone, with all proceeds going to the NCBI. 'A Long Journey Travelled'

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