MOUNT FOREST – When his delivery wagon broke due to a lot of hard work, Wellington Advertiser carrier Owen Wagner was surprised by a customer who gifted him a handmade replacement.
Owen has been delivering the local newspapers since June of 2020 with assistance from his mother Becky and younger sister Sarah.
In the summer of 2021, Owen took on a second route, which has since been taken over by Becky and Sarah.
Becky stated the three of them have learned that wagons and carts take quite a beating while delivering papers.
Owen says his family has gone through about four or five of them.
“They just don’t hold up to excessive use every week and (in) all weather,” said Becky. “We’re out there if it’s storming or raining or a blizzard.”
In the spring, the front axle of Owen’s wagon had rusted through, making his deliveries impossible.
“It was a $70 wagon,” explained Owen, who used his paper route money to buy the wagon. He was disappointed when he could no longer use it.
To make the most of what he had, Owen had the idea to re-purpose a furniture moving cart he got from a garage sale, and strapped on three boxes to hold his papers.
Becky learned later on that one of Owen’s customers, Norm Cooper, went out of his way to make the boy’s day.
He purchased all the supplies necessary to build Owen a new wagon from scratch.
“I decided just to make a manoeuvre,” said Cooper. “The kid needed something and I had a bit of spare time.”
Cooper has kept in contact with the Wagners, and informed them on June 7 that the final coat of paint was on, and the wagon was ready to assist on Owen’s paper route.
In between the first and second coat of paint, Owen was able to take the wagon out for a test drive.
He took it for its first trial run the week of May 28, and said it worked great.
“I am so impressed with the number of kind people on our paper route that love visiting with the kids, some leaving them little items once in a while or showing their appreciation at Christmas,” Becky stated.
“But this new wagon is very exciting!”
