By DAVE KOSONIC

 

If an ambulance is needed quickly my residence is the place to be. More than 300 ambulances are always on standby.

But there is just one glitch because all of these rescue vehicles are plastic or metal models that I have carefully collected and treasured for many years. They come in various sizes, shapes and colors and from different locations in the world.

My interest in ambulances developed when I was a boy. I often went to my dad’s business located near Bloor Street West and Islington Avenue. The base for Kingsway Ambulance Service was just across the road from father’s store.

I stood in his window and admired the red-and-white Cadillac Superior ambulance owned- and-operated by Kingsway that was parked by the curb unless the driver and attendant were on an emergency call.

Years later as an adult my ambulance collecting began. I have no plans to hit the brakes on my ‘boy toy’ hobby any time soon.

My first acquisition occurred in a gift shop. I went there to purchase a greeting card and before I left I saw a red model ambulance with white AMBULANCE lettering on sale for $12. I purchased it and thought that this model would be a one-time wonder.

Then I started regularly attending collector toy shows in Etobicoke and around the GTA including the Etobicoke Olympium, the Toronto International Centre and the Hansa Haus. I realized that most of the patrons were adults who were serious collectors of various toys from the past that had survived. Many of these collectors were quite willing to pay top dollar for an item that she or he craved. There was some bartering but many of the vendors dug in their heels on prices for items that were rare and hard-to-find.

Patrons came from all walks of life and I recognized an embalmer from a funeral home, a retired school vice principal and a writer from a large Toronto daily newspaper. A number of my model ambulances are displayed on stands and shelves at my place. Due to space limitations many are stored away in cardboard boxes and plastic bags.

Every so often I locate a bag or a box stashed away at home and upon opening it I find some abandoned model ambulances that I had purchased years before and had forgotten all about.

To a serious ambulance collector my ambulances would be worth a considerable amount of money. I have several rare ones including one smaller ambulance worth more than $400.

In memory of our valiant military veterans I am most proud of my collection of military ambulances that I have acquired over the years. When I look at these models I reflect on the bravery of those who sacrificed so much for the freedom that we enjoy.

Dr. Susanne Ottendorfer, and her husband, Sigi, who is a certified emergency medical technician, are credited with having the largest known model ambulance collection in the world that currently totals 13,000 pieces and continues growing.

This accomplishment earned the couple a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Now I must go and polish up one of my prized ambulances that is a model of the ones used by the Chicago Fire department from the late 1960s up to the mid 1970s.

And when the pandemic subsides and the collector toy shows re-open I plan to get to the front of the line to get in and buy some more ambulances. One vendor I enjoyed buying from was a semi-retired Baptist pastor. He sold me numerous model ambulances and he had a real knack for acquiring hard-to-find ones and selling them for a fair price.

I have never met an ambulance that I haven’t taken a shine too.