By Connor Lynch
ORONO — On June 26, 67-year-old Ross Robinson was delivering a load of hay, much like he had done many times before. A beef farmer, who also worked for the Durham Farmer’s County Co-op’s Orono location, he was heading down Concession 8 hauling three full wagons. The wagons picked up speed, going faster than he was, and rammed him into a ditch. The tractor flipped over.
Robinson was taken to hospital, first at Bowmanville, then airlifted to Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto. He spent over a week there. The crash broke two vertebrae in his neck and took off two of his fingers, said Marny Thertell-Barrie, who worked with him at the co-op.
He’s doing well, though his recovery is by no means complete. He’s not yet back to work, but he visits the co-op a couple of times a week, Thertell-Barrie said.
To help him get back on his feet, Thertell-Barrie wanted to take up a donation. The co-op started with a counter-top donation jar. Then, they decided to have a silent auction, figuring local businesses might donate up to 20 items.
The co-op ended up receiving 68 items for auction, including a limousine service, and a box of meat donated by a local farmer. The auction and donation jar raised several thousand dollars for Robinson. “The church he goes to every Sunday brought a cheque and put it in the jar for him,” Thertell-Barrie said.
