| Ray Everitt
and his faithful white Camargue pony Black (known to his English
friends as Dobbin) set off on a musical journey to raise money
for autistic people. In the end, together they raised just over
6,000 euros.
On May 4 2002, Ray left the tiny village
of Gabian in the South of France, where he has made his home
for more than 25 years, and to ride the 1,000 km to Berne in
Switzerland.
He plans several
fundraising musical evenings along the way, with guest musicians,
and there will be a grand finale concert in Berne. The object
of the exercise is both to raise money and to make people more
aware of autism in France. The idea first arose when Ray saw
a performance by Buffo the clown, otherwise known as clinical
psychologist Howard Buten, who is himself involved in the care
of autistic children and young people in Paris.
Ray, who celebrated his 60th birthday in January 2002, explains:
"It's my last big adventure. Soon I'll be getting past
it, and so will Black. It's always been a dream of mine, setting
out alone on a journey, on horseback, and making music along
the way. But I don't want to do it just for me."
Although Ray will be making the ride solo,
a neighbour with a Land Rover has agreed to stand by as back-up
in case of emergencies, and to bring 'Dobbin' home again at
the end of the adventure.
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