AC/DC fan plans marathon skating session to raise cash for Alzheimer Society

(Image credit: Larry Hulst/Michael Ochs Archives - Getty)

Toronto postman Steve McNeil is planning a marathon ice skating session later this month to raise cash for charity – and he’ll be listening to AC/DC non-stop while he does it.

The Montreal Gazette report that McNeil is planning on being on the ice for 19 hours and 26 minutes to pay tribute to his mother Eunice, who was born in 1926 but died in 2013 after suffering from Alzheimer’s for 20 years.

He’ll be raising funds for the Alzheimer Society and he’s also doing the endurance test in memory of late AC/DC guitarist Malcolm Young, who passed away in 2017 after being diagnosed with dementia in 2014.

McNeil tells the website: “When the public first heard that he was diagnosed with dementia, he was still touring at the time, and that’s when I started only listening to AC/DC while I’m skating.

“I play a lot of air guitar while I’m skating through the night because I’m usually by myself.”

This will be the seventh straight year that McNeil has skated, but rather than stay on the rink in front of Toronto’s City Hall, he’ll visit Montreal this weekend, before heading to Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver later in the year.

As for how he can keep going for such a long time on the ice, McNeil adds: “It’s mind over matter. I just love what I do. I love to skate. I love my music. And I love my mom. So I’m able to combine all of it.”

For further information and to make a donation, visit the event’s website.

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.