january 28 - february 3 | 2015
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circulating in wangaratta, myrtleford, bright, mt beauty, beechworth, yackandandah, rutherglen, chiltern and districts
Best foot forward By KYLIE WILSON
GOING BUSH:
Evan Willis enjoying a leisurely walk near Beechworth. PHOTO: Wendy Stephens
GARDENING WITH
DEBBI
RSPCA
WITH
CAPTAIN
FILM
THE THEORY OF
EVERYTHING
WINE TALK WITH
ANITA
FOR author, academic and dyed in the wool walking enthusiast Evan Willis, walking is literally a natural high. There is scarcely a spare moment where he doesn’t head out to the hills around his adopted home of Beechworth to soak in the area’s flora, fauna and history. Growing up on a farm in rural New Zealand, he was no stranger to the outdoors, and his interest grew even further when he met his wife Johanna, who came from an avid bushwalking family. And this love for both bushwalking and the local area has led to him researching, writing and publishing his own book, entitled 20 Walks around Beechworth. Describing himself as a ‘semi-retired’ academic, Mr Willis, now an adjunct professor of public health at La Trobe University, said his interest in walking, and in writing his book, was a natural extension of his interest in improving public health. “Walking is important for both physical and mental health,” he said. “According to Harvard Medical School, exercising about two and a half hours a week adds about seven years to your life. “Physical inactivity is a serious health hazard.” He explained that the continued page |
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