78-year-old Saanich globetrotter inspired to give back at home
Don Munroe is in the midst of a journey that’s led him around the world. It began when he was a Tom Sawyer-type kid, looking for adventure that often led to trouble.
“I was always looking for excitement,” Don says. “Excitement that sometimes required stealing cars.”
Eventually Don was forced to refocus his relentless energy towards a productive pursuit, and found sports.
“Instead of just being by myself,” Don says. “I had to consider the team [and] working together.”
Don says he excelled at athletics, was fuelled by the competition and became a professional lacrosse player.
But then he met a young woman who’d travelled around the globe.
“Hearing [her] stories, I felt like I was missing out,” Don recalls. “I hate to miss out.”
So Don decided to take on the world and give up everything he had accomplished.
“That was the toughest part,” Don says. “Leave that type of security with friends and just go off on your own.”
Don says he began his world travels by hitchhiking across Canada, before spending years doing the same in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. All solo.
“It felt good that I had accomplished something that other people hadn’t done,” Don says.
During the following decades, Don regularly took extended leaves from work to canoe across Canada, and pursue his goal of travelling to as many countries as he can on every continent.
It inspired him to write his recently published memoir, Most Adventures Wins?
“I feel like I’m a citizen of the world now,” Don says.
After experiencing both good and bad around the world, Don felt compelled to make things better back home.
“And combine adventure with giving back to society,” Don smiles.
Don says he’s volunteered with various community groups, including 27 years being “instrumental” in organizing a rigorous annual canoe relay that’s raised almost $300,000 to send kids with disabilities to camp.
“It made me feel good,” Don says. “And inspired me to keep going.”
The now 78-year-old says his volunteer work also felt like a way to redeem the mistakes of his wayward youth.
Because Don’s learned that no matter where you are on your journey, you always have a choice with how it will unfold.
“Life has a lot to offer. We only go around once,” Don says. “You got to make the best of it.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.