PENSIONER Michael Faulkner has never forgotten the professionalism and quiet dignity of the Gurkha soldiers he served with when he did his military service in Malaya in the mid-1950s.

So when his 85th birth was looming, he resolved to combine his love of ice-skating with a mission to support the Gurkhas he so admires.

After recently rediscovering his ice-skating skills by skating on a flat area of land near his home in Abbeytown, Michael achieved – and then exceeded – his £850 fundraising target by completing an 8.5km sponsored skate.

He did it at Dumfries Ice Bowl – and thoroughly enjoyed it. The final total that he managed to raise for the Gurkha Welfare Trust was £1,320.

“I did my national service with the First King’s Dragoon Guards in Johore and shared a barracks with Gurkhas,” said Michael, who worked in advertising before his retirement.

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He recalled how his duties had included escorting military food convoys into the country’s more remote areas, providing protection of communist terrorists who were active at that time. 

Of the Gurkhas he served alongside, he said: “They’re super people; they don’t do flag-saving, or trumpet blowing but they are top quality people and I have huge admiration for them.”

Michael did his sponsored skate on May 5, with logistical support provided by his wife Sandy, 74, friends, and with support from the ice rink staff. “I’ve always been quite athletic,” he said.

“We once lived in Birmingham and there was an ice rink close by. I thought I’d give it a go and got bitten by the bug. They were very friendly and I used to go down there two or three times a week.”

When the couple left Birmingham, ice skating faded into the background because there was no facility close by. But in February, an area near Longtown known as “The Stanks” – flat land which was originally used by the local monks to house fish ponds – froze over.

“It’s about 50 yards across and a couple of hundred yards long,” said Michael. “When I went down there on February 13, I checked the ice and it seemed solid enough so I decided to give it a go.

“It was the first time I’d skated since the mid-1980s.”

Reflecting on his final fundraising total, Michael said: “The Gurkhas Welfare trust put it on their Facebook page and that gave it a bit of a boost. I was staggered when I saw how much was donated.”

You can find out more about the work of the Gurkha Welfare Trust at the charity's website on www.gwt.org.uk

Michael added a note of thanks to staff at the Dumfries Ice Bowl, saying they went above and beyond to help and support his fundraiser. 

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