february 18 - 24 | 2015
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inside page 7
Harnessing nature
circulating in wangaratta, myrtleford, bright, mt beauty, beechworth, yackandandah, rutherglen, chiltern and districts
By KYLIE WILSON
UP AND AWAY:
Mark Bland has had a passion for flight since he was a boy. PHOTO: Alex Craig
GARDENING WITH
TONY
RSPCA WITH
PRUDENCE
FILM
WINE TALK WITH
FOX
CATCHER
ANITA
SINCE the dawn of time, man has envied the freedom that birds have to take to the skies and fly far and free. And for men like Mark Bland and Andrew Evans, of Mt Beauty Gliding Club, harnessing that freedom in their gliders has given them some of the most memorable moments of their lives. Mark, who is chief instructor at the club, first tried gliding in the Melbourne suburb of Laverton in 1977, after being given the opportunity while working in the Air Force. “I’ve just always loved aircraft,” he said. He has visited Mt Beauty regularly for gliding since the late 1980s, and eventually moved to the town a few years ago. Such is his passion for the pastime that he lives right next to the Mt Beauty airstrip, which gives him the freedom to get airborne regularly. He said the feeling of gliding, of harnessing thermals and the wind to stay airborne, was simply unforgettable. “You’re looking down on the world, you feel like a king,” he exclaimed. “Flying is a passion.” Mark said gliding in alpine areas has its own singular appeal, and of course presents its own challenges, as opposed to gliding over flat terrain. continued page |
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