Prairie Thousand rolls through Westman again

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This article was published 16/08/2023 (1002 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CFB Shilo soldier Rob Nederlof has done two tours in Afghanistan and one in Bosnia, and he has almost finished his latest tour — of the Prairies on his bicycle.

This is the third summer in a row that Nederlof is cycling 1,000 kilometres to raise awareness and money for a program that helps people who are struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Nederlof and his wife have called this year’s trek, “To the Shield,” referring to the landscape — the rocks of the Canadian Shield, as well as the badges worn by those who serve and protect the public.

“The money will go to the Wounded Warrior PTSD Service Dogs program that pairs service animals with military members and first responders who are dealing with PTSD,” Nederlof said.

There is no dog training program in Manitoba or Saskatchewan, but there is one in Alberta, as well as Ontario. So that’s why, Nederlof said, he chose the route that started in Saskatoon four days ago and will end in Kenora, Ont., on Sunday.

“If somebody needs a support dog, they go through Wounded Warriors, of course, which will train the dog, but only in Alberta or Ontario,” Nederlof said.

“So, my ride is to get more awareness out and hopefully with donations to Wounded Warriors we can get that training program in Manitoba so people don’t have to travel so far to get their dogs.”

Supporting Nederlof on the Brandon to Shilo portion of his trip were four members of the Brandon Police Service — three who rode alongside on bicycles and one in a police cruiser to alert other drivers they needed to slow down as they approached the group heading east on the Trans-Canada Highway.

Partners who patrol in the downtown area, Const. Meghan Puteran and Const. Selena Samagalski are “on bikes and on foot a lot, so we thought, why not put them to good use?” Samagalski said.

“Wounded Warriors is very important to us, very close to our hearts. A lot of our members came from the military, so we want to do what we can, to show our support for these guys,” she added.

Wounded Warriors provides programs for people who work in professions where they are exposed to traumatic events as part of their regular job duties.

Professions include the military, police officer, firefighter, paramedic, corrections and security officer, and health-care worker.

The two main programs offered by Wounded Warriors are recovery and resiliency with education, counselling and training for individuals, groups and families.

Cycling helps, said Nederlof, who added: “After a long bike ride, I don’t get so angry anymore.”

Nederlof has been diagnosed with PTSD and said the symptoms are different for each person.

“It’s all over the map. Certain people get angry, and other people may cower after they hear fireworks because that would remind them of something, and they’ll hide in the corner, or they’ll break down. And some people will feel anxiety just by being in a crowd. So, it’s a broad range,” Nederlof said.

A service dog trained for PTSD can help distract its handler if a stressful situation is building, it can block its handler in public if people are getting too close, and even wake the person up during a nightmare, bringing a sense of calm afterwards.

Since 2012, Wounded Warriors has contributed more than $3 million to training and then pairing PTSD service dogs to veterans and first responders.

But the demand has now surpassed the funding, according to the Wounded Warriors website, which is why Nederlof said he’s more determined than ever.

His first fundraising ride in 2021 was from Neepawa to Lethbridge, Alta., and last year it was Edmonton to Minnedosa. So far, he has raised more than $53,000, with the goal to add “at least $10,000 more.”

For more information on Wounded Warriors, and to donate to Nederlof’s 1,000-kilometre trek “To the Shield,” visit prairiethousand.com/

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

» X: @enviromichele