On Wednesday June 5th, 41 members and guests of the Eurobodalla Walking for Pleasure group gathered at the Region Botanic Gardens to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the founding of the group with a garden walk followed by a shared lunch with the traditional sausage sizzle, a beautifully decorated Anniversary cake, and lots of sweets to follow.
The Walking for Pleasure activity was initially started in Sydney as a NSW government initiative for Senior Citizens week in 1983, and spread throughout the state and the ACT. In May 1989, the Community Health Centre at the Moruya hospital advertised for volunteers to start the Moruya Walking for Pleasure group, espousing the many health benefits of walking - including aerobic, heart, circulatory, muscle toning and weight control.
Wednesday June 7th the group kicked off with a full program of events with an introductory talk from Charis Tyrell (the coordinator) followed by the official opening by Doctors Fens, Crawford and Murray. Dr Lloyd spoke on understanding your pulse rate, podiatrist Judy Rayburn about caring for your feet and Physiotherapist Penny Bannister conducted warm up exercises before the group walked did a return walk to the riverside park in Shore Street. Our parent body is now the Southern Regional Office of NSW Sport & Recreation, which is based in Wagga Wagga.
Since then we have continued to grow, and is now known as the Eurobodalla Walking for Pleasure group. We currently have about 90 members, with an average attendance of about 30 members at each walk. Our group is run on a very informal basis, the emphasis being on social interaction and enjoyment as much as exercise.
After each walk we enjoy a Bring-Your-Own picnic lunch, and a good chat. We provide a range of enjoyable and scenic weekly walks at venues between Narooma and North Durras. The group meets at the walk venue each Wednesday between February and mid-December. We arrive at the venue by 10.50am, ready to start the walk at 11am. Walks typically take 1 to 1 1/2 hours, but there is absolutely NO obligation or pressure to complete the full walk.
