Spirit of Adventure
To the memory of my young brother - Kevin John Irvine - who died on this day last year (29 March 2012) while living his dream.
I think of you most days, but on this one above all - so thanks for all the memories, Kevin, and especially your great company and good cheer.
Play - http://youtu.be/nKgUq5dziEk
Spirit of Adventure
Born: 12 August 1967
Died: 29 March 2012
Kevin John Irvine died on his beloved Buell motorbike in Bolivia on Thursday 29 March 2012 while undertaking a dream trip from Whistler in Canada to Tierra del Fuego, the archipelago off the southernmost tip of South America.
Kevin left Scotland in 1989 on a family sponsorship scheme following in the footsteps of his parents (Adam and Sheila Irvine) who emigrated to Canada in 1952 before returning to Glasgow some years later, where the Irvine family grew up.
Kevin went to the Glasgow Nautical College with dreams of travelling the world, but after two tours of duty he decided that a seafaring life was not for him, not what he expected, because he got to see so little of the exotic ports and locations where his ship dropped anchor.
So being a resourceful, flexible young man, Kevin changed direction completely and after working in Bishopbriggs Sports Centre for two years to save up the money he needed, Kevin made the jump to Canada, where he lived in Toronto for six months before heading further west to Whistler, a fast growing ski resort in British Columbia.
Whistler turned out to be the place where Kevin found his true spiritual home; where he became a first-class skier who loved nothing better than being dropped off by helicopter in some remote location before making his way back off piste, often with friends, but sometimes with clients as a tour guide.
Like so many people in Whistler, Kevin had to turn his hand to a variety of jobs to make a living and he soon became one of Whistler's best known bar staff with regular customers and locals referring to him as 'Scottish' Kev. Over the years Kevin worked in lots of different bars and restaurants where his charm, good looks and easy manner won him many lifelong friends.
Kevin later added another string to his bow, by becoming a highly skilled masseur who was proficient in a wide range of massage techniques, such as Thai and Sports Massage, which helped to soothe the aches and pains of the many skiers and visitors to Whistler, including the odd famous name such as the Hollywood actress Halle Berry.
In short Kevin became something of an institution in Whistler, a highly popular and well-known local figure, so much so that it was impossible to walk through the Whistler village or any of its ski centres without a journey being interrupted several times, by people keen to stop, say hello and shoot the breeze with Scottish Kev.
Another defining aspect of Kevin's life was his passion for motorbikes and the great outdoors; he became renowned for his epic journeys: across Canada and America, Australia and the Far East, Scotland and Ireland (where his great grandparents came from), the rest of Britain and latterly much of Europe including Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland and Croatia - where he biked along some of the most spectacular touring routes on the planet.
Kevin revelled in the wonderful scenery, the many incredible sights to be seen on his journeys but, most of all, in the companionship of the people that he would meet on the road, often other bikers, whom he would stay in touch with via Facebook by posting wonderful pictures and scenes for others to share.
Kevin's last great adventure took him to South America where he was heading to the bottom of the world, Tierra del Fuego, which would have been his journey's end. En route through Bolivia and heading south outside the town of Potosi, Kevin was stuck by a 'volqueta' (a large mining truck) and died from his injuries at the scene on Thursday 29 March 2012.
Kevin was the 'baby' of the Irvine family, the youngest of five sons, but he was the one in whom the spirit of adventure burned most brightly.
Kevin will be missed terribly by his four brothers - Paul, Brian, Mark and Ian - also by his 'family' in Whistler, British Columbia where he lived and worked for over 20 years - and by his many close friends back in Scotland where he was born.
