Bellarine Times
Tuesday 29 June 2010
VOL 3. No 26
www.bellarinetimes.com.au
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Banks Road Vineyard vignerons Will and Avanelle Derham celebrate the new season’s launch of the Bellarine Taste Trail with Bellarine Tourism chair Hugo Armstrong and Destination Bellarine marketing officer, Emma Keith. See full story Page 5.
MARK IT UP PHOTO: ALISON MARTIN
Plans to install distance markers on St Leonards walking tracks set to receive support
BY ALISON MARTIN
A PROPOSED ‘health and wellbeing’ initiative to introduce distance markers on St Leonards’ walking tracks is expected to gain Bellarine-wide support. St Leonards’ Progress Association has taken member Karen Reiter’s idea to introduce measurement markers on proposed and existing trails or paths as their project, benefitting the community and visitors to the town. Association president, Bob Hynes, said he was confident the low cost markers would be a great innovation on all walking trails across the Bellarine, including the Bellarine Rail Trail. “Measured paths and trails assist people of all ages and ability to set goals. Walking is a low impact
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exercise for all ages and levels of fitness,” he said. Hynes said the association had the support of a local doctor and would assist all health professionals to encourage “novice walkers or those recovering from illness or surgery to set goals to aid recovery”. “For others hoping to improve their fitness, aims may be higher and goals to achieve set distances, then time over those distances can be a real motivator to a regular exercise regime,” he said. Association secretary, Paul Sproule, is recovering from a knee operation and in supporting the initiative, has provided first-hand example of the need for the markers. “As part of the rehabilitation, I have been instructed to walk certain distances and increase that over time,” he explained.
“The measured distances would promote health and walking; and we do have an ageing demographic.” Hynes said the association proposed the distance markers be introduced initially on existing and proposed paths and trails in St Leonards, but was keen to encourage other community organisations across the Bellarine and Geelong to follow their lead. “The markers don’t have to cost much,” he said. “There are plenty of groups around that could take it on as a project – it would be an ideal one for the local men’s shed when it goes ahead; we could even look at community grants. “I’ve just got back from Queensland and they have them on the Gold Coast. They just a have
wooden markers and have used a router to put the distance on each one. “Some tracks have exercise bars along the way which could even be introduced along the tracks down here at a later date – there are plenty of addons once we get the initial support.” With overwhelming support from members, the association has written to the City of Greater Geelong, Bellarine Bayside and Parks Victoria asking them to support the proposal to introduce the measured walking distances in St Leonards. To show your support or find out more about the innovative health and wellbeing proposal, contact Bob Hynes on 0424 041 767, or email your thoughts to Letters to the Editor at editor@bellarinetimes. com.au
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