Tractor run marks tragic teenager’s 16th birthday

IT WAS an emotional, yet inspiring, day in Carrickmore yesterday (Sunday) as friends, family and fellow-farmers gathered for a tractor run to celebrate what would have been the 16th birthday of Matthew McCallan, who died in tragic circumstances at the start of December.

The only son of Frances and Peter McCallan, Matthew went missing after attending a country music festival in Fintona. The 15-year-old’s body was sadly found two days later, with a postmortem indicating that he died of hypothermia.

After his untimely death, Matthew’s family decided to organise what they hope will be the first of an annual charity tractor run to celebrate his birthday every year and raise funds for the Search and Rescue Dog Association (SARDA Ireland), who helped in the search for the teenager.

SARDA Ireland is a voluntary emergency search and rescue organisation concerned with the training, assessment and deployment of Air Scenting Search and Rescue Dogs to search for missing persons.

Their dog teams, which consist of the handler and their dog, search anywhere in Ireland and are effective in the mountains, woodlands, rural and urban areas, waterways and seashore, as well as in locating accident or disaster victims.

Ahead of Sundays tractor run, Matthew’s family had raised over £2,800 with further donations expected this week following the tractor run and a ‘Jive for Matthew McCallan’s Birthday’ event which is set to take place today (Monday) at St Patrick’s College in Dungannon.