Yorkton This Week | www.YorktonThisWeek.com | Wednesday, September 29, 2021
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SENIORS Our Monthly Feature
...For Seniors and about Seniors
Lifetime passion for model airplanes By Calvin Daniels Staff Writer Often the interests of youth resurface in later life. Certainly the hobby of building model airplanes has stuck with Will Woods. “It started a couple of times, the first time I’d have been about 11,” he said. Woods said he found he had a little cash and like all kids wanted to spend it, so he bought an airplane, or at least he thought it was a toy airplane. “It had a really cool picture on the front. They always do that to grab you,” he said. But, when he got it home and opened the box it was not a toy but rather a model in pieces, that he had to put together. He wasn’t thrilled by the prospect initially, but he got some glue and went to work. Little did he know at age 11, but he was taking the first step on a more than 60-year journey of modelling. “In my early teens I started doing it a lot,” said Woods. It was in his teens Woods began reading about aircraft, specifically those of the Second World War, in particular finding fascination with pilot Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader thanks to the book ‘Reach For the Sky’. He was a Royal Air Force flying ace during the war, who was credited with 22 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probable’s, one shared probable and 11 enemy aircraft damaged. Woods was becoming hooked on aircraft, and then fate gave him a final push into the hobby. He got a job at The Variety Shop in Yorkton owned by John Kominko. The store lasted only a couple of years, but in its time it sold model kits, and Kominko was a skilled builder himself. “It was the first job
I ever had other than delivering The LeaderPost,” he said. With models on the shelves to buy with his wages and a mentor to help, Woods was set. “I really got hooked into it,” he said. Woods said thinking back his early models were typically Mosquitos and Spitfires “Second World War stuff.” “Most of it was hanging from the ceiling in my room. I’d lay there and look up and dream I was in one of the planes.” But those models are long gone to multiple lifetime moves, marriage, family and career. Interestingly, Woods never did take up flying. “I think at one time I wanted to, but then again life kind of got in the way,” he said, adding the expense was also daunting. Woods did however hold onto his love of modelling. “In my 20s I sort of delved back into it,” he said, recalling one plane he built that he later donated to the local ANAVETs. The family and work took over and Woods stepped back from modelling for years. But when he retired a few years ago he was eager to step back to the modelling table. Over the years he had ‘accumulated’ a few models stored away awaiting construction in what Woods terms his ‘stash’. There were maybe 30 he said, a pile that has been added to more actively since retirement. “Now it’s up to about 40,” he said. Of course there is no local source for models today, but there is something called the Internet and through that Woods has found stores in several Canadian cities quite willing to ship him models and paint and glue, and when he buys enough it’s free shipping -- the incentive to add to the stash. The online access to
Will Woods has been building model airplanes on and off since he was a pre-teen. models is just one way the hobby has changed. Woods pointed to bound copies on modelling magazines, noting he now gets those in eformat online. And, in his younger days it was all painting with a brush, which made dealing with certain colours – white and yellow in particular – quite difficult. Today Woods is learning to use an air brush which is a big step forward in making a finished model look more like the box top art. Woods’ interest has also refined somewhat. Of course there remains a connection to the models of his youth. “If I see a kit I remember doing as a kid I’ve got to have it,” he said. Continued on Page A14
Will Woods with one of the nice model box covers for a Spitfire.
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PASSION Continued from Page A13 But, beyond that he is more targeted today. The planes of the Great War are many, so he is trying to focus on ones that have a tie to Yorkton, in particular those which would have flown at the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) facility at the airport. In 1939, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand and Australia signed an
agreement creating the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). The plan was located at airfields in Canada, several in Saskatchewan, including Yorkton. The plan’s mandate was to train Allied aircrews for the Second World War, including pilots, navigators, bomb aimers, wireless operators, air gunners, and flight engineers. More than 130,000 crewmen
and women were trained between 1939 and 1945. So a priority are Harvards – he has three waiting to construct – Tiger Moths and Cornells. And then there is an interest in airplanes that have flown into the local airport, which broadens the hobby for Woods to everything from a C130 Hawk out of Moose Jaw to Hercules search and rescue out of Winnipeg to Snowbird CT0-114 Tutors to vintage Lancaster bombers. Considering with preparation, building and painting a model may take weeks to complete, Woods, now 65, has a hobby that will keep him busy for years to come, but that is the way it has always been, he reflects. “It’s always been there (the interest). I don’t know if it ever left really,” he said.
A Hawker Hurricane MkI that would have flown in the Battle of Britain.
A Harvard Mk IV that would have flown at Penhold, AB.
Will Woods will be converting this model to a Cessna Crane. The Spitfire Mk VB flown by Douglas Bader.
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Harvard Mk II which would have been used for World War II training in Yorkton 1941
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Yorkton This Week | www.YorktonThisWeek.com | Wednesday, September 29, 2021
September 2021
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What fully vaccinated seniors should know about travel The efforts of researchers and public health officials in developing safe and successful COVID-19 vaccines was nothing short of historic. Vaccines typically take years to develop, but a combination of factors enabled researchers to make COVID-19 vaccines available to vulnerable populations by December 2020, or roughly nine months after the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic. Researchers had already conducted years’ worth of vaccine research on human coronaviruses, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes were first identified in the mid-1960s. That research proved invaluable as pharmaceutical companies raced to produce COVID-19 vaccines. In addition, a less linear approach to testing and vetting vaccines than was traditionally applied in past outbreaks enabled the vaccine to be rolled out more quickly, potentially saving millions of lives. Men and women over the age of 65 were among the first groups to be given the COVID-19 vaccine. Many people within that group are retired and had looked forward to traveling, only to have those plans interrupted by the pandemic. Now that they’re fully vaccinated, seniors are setting their sights on travel once again. Though the COVID-19 vaccines have made
vulnerable groups like seniors less likely to suffer severe illness from the virus, there’s still a few things adults over 65 should know when making travel plans.
Proposals suggested such travel could be allowed by late June, but it’s important that seniors learn of any potential restrictions before booking trips.
The virus
Attractions
Data from the CDC indicated that more than 87 million people in the United States had been fully or partially vaccinated as of April 20, 2021. Among those, just 7,157 had become infected with COVID-19, and only 331 of those required hospitalization. That’s an encouraging figure that illustrates just how effective the vaccines are at preventing infection and serious illness. Recognizing that efficacy may help calm any concerns fully vaccinated seniors have about traveling.
Restrictions
Though a significant portion of the eligible populations in the United States and Canada had been fully or partially vaccinated by mid-spring, overseas travel restrictions may still be in place. Some countries, such as India, continued to confront devastating waves of the virus and may not be allowing overseas visitors anytime soon. In addition, in mid-spring the European Union was still devising a strategy to allow fully vaccinated foreign tourists to visit the continent.
What causes cataracts? When a brand new car is driven off a dealership lot, its plastic headlight lenses are clear and pristine. Over time, due to contaminants in the environment and oxidation from ultraviolet rays, those same lenses can become cloudy, yellow and opaque. Cloudy headlights can decrease visibility and potentially put drivers at risk. Similar scenarios sometimes unfold involving the human eye. Starting around age 40, proteins in the eye may begin to break down and cause lenses to become cloudy. UV rays can be damaging to the eyes and contribute to this natural protein degradation. While pronounced vision problems may not occur immediately, vision can be impaired later in life. Cataracts are the most common cause of vision loss in people over age 40 and also are the principal cause of blindness in the world. Unprotected exposure to the sun is just one contributor to cataracts. Certain medical problems, such as diabetes, also can cause cataracts. An eye injury, eye surgery or radiation treatments on the upper body also can cause cataracts, as can corticosteroids. Congenital cataracts, which occur when infants are born with cataracts, may be caused by infection, injury or poor development in the womb; otherwise, they
can form in childhood. Cataracts form in various regions depending on the cause. · Subcapsular cataract: A subcapsular cataract occurs at the back of the lens. People with diabetes or those who take high doses of steroid medications have a greater risk of developing this type of cataract. · Nuclear cataract: This cataract forms in the central zone of the lens and is often associated with aging. ·Cortical cataract: This
cataract is characterized by opacities that are white and wedgelike, which form on the periphery of the lens. Eventually they work to the center in a spokelike fashion. Cortical cataracts can result from aging. Symptoms of cataracts often can be slow to form, so people may not even notice they have cataracts until they start to block light, while others may learn of their presence during vision exams. Cataracts may cause vision that is filmy, blurry or foggy. In older adults, nearsightedness may be attributed to cataracts. Glare, both during the day and at night, also may affect vision due to
cataracts. Double vision or changes in the way one sees color can be symptoms of cataracts as well. Eye professionals can diagnose cataracts and make recommendations on the course of treatment. Cataract removal surgery is highly effective. More than 95 percent of people who have undergone the surgery experience improvements. Such surgeries are often performed on an outpatient basis.
When planning a trip, seniors may want to look for areas with plenty of outdoor attractions. The CDC continues to recommend that people, even those who are fully vaccinated, gather outdoors, where the virus is less likely to be transmitted. When traveling, seniors may be spending time around people who have not yet been vaccinated, and despite the efficacy of the vaccines, that might make some travelers nervous. So choosing locales with plenty of outdoor attractions can be a great way to quell any travel-related concerns seniors may have. The remarkable achievements of researchers involved in developing COVID-19 vaccines has helped seniors return to something resembling normal life. Seniors with their eyes on travel can safely book trips after doing some research about their destination and giving careful consideration to their comfort levels.
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