Only fair to give credit when it's due

Nova Scotia lost one heck of an advocate for the disabled when Chuck Richardson died suddenly last week.

In his motorized wheelchair, Richardson was a familiar figure on the sidewalks of Wolfville. His working life had been cut short dramatically by Lyme disease, but, while he could no long be a self-employed entrepreneur, he could at 62 stop his progress and take the time to chat intelligently about a wide range of local issues.

An outspoken defender of accessibility for the disabled, the former Wolfville town councillor had volunteered for many organizations from youth camps to para-transit. He believed in serving others and giving back to the community.

When he couldn't get out and improve the world, Richardson was on the telephone. He asked probing questions and while many in authority didn't want to have to answer him, he never let bureaucracy stifle him.

Recently, Richardson was in the columns of this newspaper bemoaning the fact he couldn’t maneuver his wheelchair into businesses in Wolfville.

“It’s tight getting in the liquor commission, but I can get in," he said. "There’s probably 30 to 40 per cent of the downtown I can’t get in.�

He was proud to serve on the Disabled Persons Commission of Nova Scotia and he wanted to do more than just sit at the table. Since he had been extremely active physically as a young man and then was laid low 31 years ago by a deer tick, Richardson knew both worlds intimately. He always viewed the disabled as a huge pool of underutilized talent.

His last public concern was for others. He was worried about how the province would be able to manage the burden of an aging population.

Nova Scotia has a significant retirement population already. He asked, “will we have the medical services to care for a growing percentage of retired people? The requirement could be out of proportion with what we can afford.�

Richardson's years of deep involvement are over. His suffering, too, has ended. Now it’s time to acknowledge that, despite his medical challenges, he tried hard to make this a better community. For this we can pay tribute to Chuck.