Sandy Mitchel: Reaching for the Wind

Many of us go through life taking much for granted, yet others face challenges the rest of us do not even think about. One such individual was Sandy Mitchell, founder of WindReach Farm in the southwest corner of Scugog. The man behind the dream was as amazing as the accomplishments he created, now in its 31st year.

Sandy (his real name is Alexander) was born in Edinburgh, Scotland toward the end of the second World War. His family was in the coal mining business in Scotland and Western Canada, but when the British Government nationalized the industry, Sandy’s father moved to Bermuda to operate the business from there.

Sandy, the youngest of 4 children and the only boy, was born with Cerebral Palsy, a crippling disease, which had never held him back from accomplishing what he wanted out of life.

When Sandy was four he was sent to a special needs school in Philadelphia. For the first three years, he was not allowed to return home. It was only when his parents divorced, eight years later, that Sandy was able to leave the school, and went back to Edinburgh to live with his mother.

Making up for lost time, his mother hired a private tutor to keep Sandy as close to her as possible. Sandy would help at his uncle’s farm whenever he could, and developed a keen interest in agriculture.

After Sandy’s father passed away, his stepmother invited him to Bermuda. It was an opportunity to travel and see some of his early roots. Sandy loved the island and wanted to stay. He had a longing to further his formal education, and applied to the University of New York, where he was accepted. He commuted from Bermuda for the five years that he went to college.

Sandy, undecided