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Billy the Whizz When Billy Baxter contracted a rare eye virus after a stint in Bosnia, he was left blind. His 20 year career with with the 1st Regiment of the Royal Horse Guard Artillery was over. Three years ago he met up with an old friend, Paul. It was then, as he told Dave Battcock, that the 'Billy the Whizz Campaign' was started...  Billy's campaign |
Billy's reaction when he first went blind was anger. He found it very difficult to come to terms with it - he felt useless and depressed.
Apart from not being able to see his wife and children, he desperately missed personal things - he'd always loved seeing motorcycle races, and the thought of never seeing one again really hurt. So the idea of getting on a bike again was thrilling.  Billy and his mates |
St Dunstan's, a charity set up to care for blind ex-service men and women is where Billy met up with his old friend Paul Gower, who is Billy's out-rider. When he's not sitting behind him Paul is still in communication, directing him to left or right. Their friendship and camaraderie is paramount. As soldiers they had to trust each others ability and judgement.
Billy says he's now 'riding though Paul's eyes', just as Paul is putting his life in his hands when he rides behind Billy.  Billy |
Billy loves the feeling of speed - the pull of the wind on his helmet. He feels 'alive'. He thinks he's a better person having lost his sight. He takes more time with his family, he enjoys the little things in life, and he feels he's got a future. Billy is planning his solo Land Speed attempt on August the 2nd and 3rd, 2003 as part of the St Dunstan's Blind Ambition Campaign, which aims to raise £100,000 to enable more ex-servicemen to realise their ambitions.  and he's off! |
More information:
There's more information about St Dunstan's on it's website: St Dunstan's
Billy will be at the Edinburgh Truckfest on August 3rd and 4th: Truckfest
Disabled motorcycling Mailing List: Micapeak.com
For information about the Billy the Whizz Campaign, contact Anna Robinson on: 0207616 7627 or email: [email protected]
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