B.C. veteran whose birthday tradition raised $460K for kids dies at 105

A centenarian and Canadian seasoned known for his unique yearly efforts to raise money for charity connected Vancouver Island has died.

John Hillman made headlines each twelvemonth erstwhile he would locomotion laps astir Carlton House successful Oak Bay complete a 10-day play to people his day and to fundraise.

Hillman would locomotion 1 thigh for each twelvemonth he’d been alive. In 2023, he circled nan spot 104 times.

All of nan money Hillman collected went to nan Save nan Children’s Emergency Fund. By nan clip of his last locomotion this year, Hillman had raised $460,000.

Staff astatine Carlton House confirmed that Hillman had passed distant peacefully connected Monday morning.

“We are each truthful grateful to person known John, and to person called him our friend. He had an unthinkable life, successful work of others, and being capable to thief him pinch that was genuinely nan honour of a lifetime,” Carlton House integer trading head Jacqueline Prewett said successful an email.

“He will beryllium missed by truthful galore people, but we cognize that his bequest will unrecorded connected done nan lives he touched and nan affirmative alteration he brought into nan world.”

HIllman moved to Veterans Memorial Lodge successful Victoria this year, owed to nan request for much care.

He wasn’t capable to complete his yearly project, but he did return 1 thigh astir nan spot for tradition’s sake.

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“My wellness is bully but my beingness abilities are not arsenic bully arsenic they utilized to be,” Hillman told Global News successful March.

“So I did 1 locomotion information arsenic a token of nan past. And I had, thing successful nan region of, 50 group travel and locomotion pinch me.”

Hillman was inspired to do nan walks by England’s Capt. Tom Moore, who was besides a Second World War veteran.

Moore became a viral sensation during nan COVID-19 pandemic for stepping laps astir his backyard during lockdown to raise money for Britain’s National Health Service. “Captain Tom” group retired to raise £1,000, but yet pulled in  £33 cardinal (C$40 million).

Prewett said Hillman’s fundraising page remains unfastened and active, and that nan veteran’s wish was that group proceed to support his run for Save nan Children beyond nan span of his lifetime.