As Scotland turns out in force to the polling booths today, The Courier discovers that some people are prepared to go the extra mile(s) to be in Scotland for the historic referendum.
While people from across Courier country won’t have to travel too far today to vote in the long-awaited referendum, it seems beyond the call of duty to fly all the way from Canada in honour of the occasion. But, for Garry Higgins, there’s method in his madness.
Garry, 39, grew up in Dundee but, in 1988, when he was 12, his parents decided to up sticks and move to Canada.
The family settled in a suburb outside Toronto and his parents quickly found jobs.
“Back in Dundee, dad had worked for BT and, after a short while, he started working with the Canadian equivalent Bell Canada. Mum was a nursery nurse back home and she got the same job once we moved, so they were very lucky,” he says.
Garry, though, wasn’t quite as fortunate.
“Initially, I hated it I was away from my friends, relatives and I really missed going to the football every Saturday with dad. It was very hard to adjust and I would say it took me seven or eight years until I felt Canada was home,” he admits.
Football and the upcoming Dundee derbies are another reason Garry is delighted to be back in the city for a 10-day break.
“I discovered the derby fell just a few days after the referendum, so I was doubly glad to be heading back to Scotland.
“I’m definitely feeling the buzz of being here at this time and following everything that’s going on. I’ve been speaking to people since I arrived but it’s hard to get an unbiased opinion.
“I’ve been reading dribs and drabs but there doesn’t seem to be any real concise, down-the-middle point of view. But if I could vote today, I would vote Yes, simply because it’s a chance for Scotland to be independent and fight for itself.”
Garry, who works as a plumber in Toronto, admits he’s disappointed he can’t vote.
“As soon as I heard about the referendum, I looked into it but discovered that as a non-resident I wasn’t eligible. I was gutted because, although Canada is home now, I still consider myself to be Scottish.”
He explains that while the referendum has been front-page news here for weeks on end, in Canada it hasn’t been getting a lot of press.
“I have British friends who have obviously tapped into it but, on the whole, not a lot of Canadians know much about it,” he says. “Most of my UK buddies are English and they think it’s going to be a No they hope so anyway because they say that England can’t survive without Scotland!”
It’s three years since Garry was last back in Dundee.
“My uncle took me to the waterfront yesterday and I was blown away by how much it’s changed since I was last here. But, you know what, the essence of the city is exactly the same as it always was. As soon as I step off the plane, all the familiar smells come rushing back.
“Nothing ever really changes I still go out with the guys every time I’m home and I’ve got so many good memories of Scotland.”
And Garry isn’t the only one to travel across the continents for the referendum. Trainspotting star Kevin McKidd jetted across the Atlantic and made an emotional return to his home town in Moray to battle for independence.
The Scots actor, who played Tommy in the 90s film, showed his disagreement with Renton’s notorious “It’s sh**e being Scottish” speech from the movie, as hundreds of Yes voters turned out in a sea of Saltires to meet the star.
And Kevin, also known for voicing Young MacGuffin in the Pixar film Brave and appearing in US hit show Grey’s Anatomy, said that he had always wanted independence for Scotland.
Kevin, 41, who now lives in Los Angeles, says: “I’ve always been a supporter of independence for Scotland and I think it’s going to create more equality for Scottish people.
“I don’t live in Scotland, so I don’t get to place a vote but I do feel it’s going to create a more democratic, equal Scotland.
“All my family are still here and all my friends. I very much trust their opinion and they are all Yes supporters I’ve been interested to hear what they’ve had to say from their individual perspective.”
Kevin, who sports a Yes logo as his Twitter profile picture, adds that the eyes of the world are on Scotland.
“Scotland feels very emotional just now but it’s exciting and a moment in all our lifetimes that we are going to look back and remember. I think everybody is going to be relieved when tomorrow comes, no matter what happens because we can get on with it.
“People are engaged just now and involved in the process and I think that’s inspirational.”
And four firefighters from Catalonia have driven more than 2,500km from Barcelona to Glasgow to show their support for Scottish independence in a 45-year-old Seat 600.
Fireman and driver Oriol Pallares said the journey had been uncomfortable but very important to them all.
“We wanted to give our support to the people of Scotland for their independence referendum and we are really hoping for there to be a Yes result.
“It’s very important to us and our families at home because we are wanting there to be a referendum in Catalonia for us to leave Spain and be on our own.
“We show our support in Scotland because at home the Spanish government doesn’t want us to have a referendum of our own.
“The Catalonian government is pushing for there to be a referendum on the ninth of November, so if Scotland gets its own independence, then it shows it can be done.”