Terry Charles is determined to make his walking group the largest in Victoria.
The 51-year-old kick-started the exercise group in the northwestern Melbourne suburb of Taylors Lakes in July.
Starting with around 20 members, the group has now grown to 52 registered walkers.
“It’s just getting bigger and bigger. I want to see the program grow and I’m not going to give up,” Mr Charles said.
The biggest Victorian walking group is currently the Stockland The Pines Mall Walkers with 128 registered members.
Being actively involved in the Western Bulldogs program Sons of the West, Mr Charles took on the role of Watergardens Walkers organiser to spread the word of the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation.
With a background in fitness, the former aerobics champion hopes that expanding his group will allow him to promote health and fitness to a larger audience.
Mr Charles leads the walkers around the Watergardens Centre for half an hour of exercise every Thursday night. They cover around 3.4 kilometres, with improvised challenges such as lunges on the escalator.
The walking program combines socialising and fitness, and welcomes people from all different walks of life.
Watergardens Walker Melvyn Frost said, “it helped me get out the house and do a bit of exercising, because of strokes and other health problems it gets me out doing things and I quite enjoy coming”.
Watergardens shopping centre runs the program in partnership with the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation, Heart Foundation Walking and Heart Foundation Australia.
Mr Charles has been committed to the Watergardens Walkers since day one and is determined to walk the whole way through.
“I want to do this thing right till the very end, ” he said.
(Feature image: Watergardens Walkers. Photo: Taylah Borg)
