Altona Meadows resident Ian Watson never imagined he could start a walking group.
Mr Watson was just an ordinary guy in his 60’s who worked as a retail manager and barracked for the Western Bulldogs when a health crisis forced him to retire.
With no ready-made solutions to improving his health, Mr Watson found the courage to step outside his comfort zone and start a walking group under the Heart Foundation’s umbrella.
The Mighty West Heart Foundation Walking Group began in 2019, with only three walkers joining Mr Watson in his morning treks around Hobsons Bay.
Even while numbers remained low, Mr Watson maintained his commitment to keeping the group going, heading out for walkers every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Slowly the number of walkers grew to the point where Mighty West is now the largest Heart Foundation walking group in the western suburbs, with 297 members.
Such is the success of the group, that Mr Watson was approached by the Jean Hailes Foundation to hold a series of walks to promote Women’s Health Week from September 1-5.
After weeks organising the three walks and promoting them across social media, local libraries and community centres, Mr Watson was joined by hundreds of women as well as many men for the walks last Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
For the final walk of Women’s Health Week on September 5, Mr Watson was joined by a group including Hobsons Bay councillors and Heart Foundation representatives for a morning stroll around the Williamstown Botanical Gardens.
