CLEVELAND, February 16 — Joe Walsh, a 39-year locomotive engineer with Canadian Pacific Railway, is having the time of his life as a volunteer at the Vancouver Olympic Games.
A native of New York, Brother Walsh was chosen, along with Jonathan Kayes, a fellow engineer, to be part of the 50-person crew of volunteers from CP to help out at the games. Both Kayes and Walsh are members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen Division 263 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., which is part of the Teamsters Rail Conference.
Joe Walsh
Walsh couldn’t be happier as a volunteer at the games. “It is such an honor to be here,” Walsh said. “Vancouver is a beautiful part of the country. The mountains are right here and people from all over the world are streaming in.”
As a load-zone attendant, Walsh will make sure the buses, cars and trams filled with athletes and dignitaries flow through the entrance in a timely manner. Kayes, also from BLET Division 263, will be performing a similar task. Walsh and the rest of the volunteers will be working in Vancouver through the end of the games on February 28.
“I think that part of the reason I was chosen to help out here was that I have been volunteering with my local fire department for the past several years,” Walsh said. “The Olympic organizers seem to place a high priority on volunteerism. My son will be visiting me during the games which coincide with his 14th birthday. I hope this trip will serve as an impetus for him to do some volunteering, too.”
BLET National Division headquarters supplied Walsh and Kayes with a supply of union lapel pins and pens, which Walsh has enthusiastically been passing out to all of the CP volunteers. “Every time I pass out a BLET item I explain who we are as, ‘We are the guys who move the trains and blow the whistle.’”
Part of the excitement of the games is the preparation for the opening ceremonies, which Walsh received a preview of on Wednesday. “We have already been through the dress rehearsal for the Opening Ceremonies,” Walsh said. “That is something no one should miss.”