SYDNEY, Australia September 11, 2014 -
Air Canada General Manager Australia Paul McLean has taken the ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ to a new level by allowing a fully-laden Zamboni to bury him in snow (http://youtu.be/wCUIk8hgfSM).
The ice-resurfacing machine dumped its freshly-cut cargo onto McLean at Melbourne’s Icehouse at the end of the 2014 AIHL Finals presented by Air Canada, won this year by the Melbourne Mustangs.
Air Canada staff around the world are embracing the chilly Challenge after Vice President of Global Sales Duncan Bureau – along with 20 brave colleagues – recently took the plunge in front of a 787 Dreamliner in Toronto ((
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pq2_joVM4c) and dared each of the airline’s international stations to do the same.
For McLean, A native of Vancouver who moved with Air Canada to Sydney in 2011, the encounter with the Zamboni brought back plenty of memories.
“I spent a lot of time around ice rinks when I was younger, so I’m no stranger to cold,” he says. “However, the plane ride home was still a little uncomfortable.”
The Ice Bucket Challenge is a social media campaign initiated in the US and now sweeping the world. It is designed to raise funds and promote awareness of Motor Neurone Disease (also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS).
In recognition of Air Canada employees’ efforts around the globe, the Air Canada Foundation has donated $5000 to the ALS Society of Canada.
In Australia the Challenge has so far raised more than $700,000 for Motor Neurone Disease research and to support people living with the neurological disorder.
For more information on the MND Australia’s Ice Bucket Challenge please visit
http://www.mndaust.asn.au/Get-involved/Ice-Bucket-Challenge.aspx.