November 2002

Staff step out for lunchtime walk and talk

John Lacey of the Department of Human Services’ Northern Metropolitan Region was one of thousands who took part in Walk to Work Day.

John, the Region’s Disability Services Manager, walked from Richmond through Yarra Park past the MCG, down Clarendon Street beside the Fitzroy Gardens, then down Victoria Street to Smith Street and the office.

The picturesque walk—at a brisk rate, in the rain, without an umbrella—took John about 25 minutes.

Undeterred by the continued threatening cloud John joined his colleagues for another walk at lunchtime.

The lunch walk was led by Regional Director Richard Deyell and was one of several by Department staff across the state.

The Northern Region group took in some of the local charm and colour of Fitzroy and Collingwood, walking backstreets and lanes, past shops and houses and through local parks.

The intermittent rain only served to heighten the sights and smells of the Fitzroy and Treasury Gardens and encouraged shared umbrella conversation.

First-time walker Lesley Kingston enjoyed the walk and the chance to talk to colleagues she usually just encountered on the stairs at work.

Lesley and her co-workers are hoping for more lunchtime walks and John is determined to walk to work more often.

Walk to Work Day is an initiative of the Pedestrian Council of Australia aiming to:

• Promote walking as an important transport mode and healthy activity;

• Reduce reliance on private motor vehicles;

• Promote and increase the use of public transport;

• Improve air quality by reducing unnecessary vehicle emissions.

It encourages Australians to unblock some arteries, relieve traffic congestion and walk more by leaving their cars at home and combining walking and public transport to travel to and from work.