Thomas Grindlay lives the dream of driving a steam train at Port Adelaide’s National Rail Museum. PHOTO: Supplied
ELIZABETH retirement village resident Thomas Grindlay, 86, lived out his lifelong dream earlier this month, driving one of Australia’s famous steam trains at the National Rail Museum in Port Adelaide.
Every Thursday, Mr Grindlay joins a social group at Resthaven Northern Community Services, where clients enjoy activities tailored to their own interests.
The organisation’s manager, Karen Hammond, said through these meetings, she had learned of Mr Grindlay’s wish to drive a locomotive.
“Tom and I have had many chats about his childhood dream to drive a steam train, and at his age, he thought that would remain an unfulfilled ambition,” she said.
“One day, Tom showed me his childhood journals from when he was around 10 years old. They were all about trains – I knew then that we had to try to fulfil this childhood dream for him.”
With the determination to make Mr Grindlay’s dream a reality, the team at the Elizabeth Resthaven contacted the railway museum.
It is home to four Peronne engines built towards the end of World War I.
They never made it to war, and all four came to Australia, with one still being fired up for the occasional “driver experience”, alongside the museum’s enthusiastic volunteers.
Ms Hammond said the volunteers at the museum explained it was possible for Tom to drive the Peronne.
“We were so excited to book it for him, and for his social group friends to join in the fun,” she said.
At 1pm on June 5, Mr Grindlay put on his engineer’s hat and climbed the steep stairs into the cabin of the Peronne, while his friends took their seats in the carriage.
He said it was an experience he would never forget and compared it to trains he grew up admiring.
“The smokestack on the Peronne is similar to those manufactured in Scotland, my birthplace,” he said.
“It was a wonderful experience – words cannot express how I feel. Thanks so much to the staff for organising it for me...it was truly a dream come true.”
Resthaven said its social group aimed to keep people socially active to help maintain mental health and wellbeing by meeting people, going on outings, and enjoying activities with like-minded people.
