Michael Orelli, Lorraine Woodman and Stan Belcher belong to the Victorian Masters Athletic Club’s Altona branch. 88763 Picture: DAMJAN JANEVSKI
By ALESHA CAPONE
AN ALTONA athletic club for people aged over 30 has put a call out to attract some new members.
The Victorian Masters Athletic Club’s Altona (VMACA) branch will hold a ‘Come and Try’ night and BYO barbecue this evening Tuesday 30 October at 6.30pm for people of any age to try sports activities.
The event will be on at the G.K. Nevitt Athletics Facility, off Sugargum Drive in Altona.
The VMACA was established more than three decades ago and the group’s members still meet up every Tuesday night in summer.
Some of the group’s long-serving members include the sprightly 75-year-old Lorraine Woodman, 68-year-old assistant manager Michael Orelli and venue manager Peter Buissink.
Ms Woodman came second in the 65-year-old category of the 400m and 800m races at the Masters World Championships during 2002.
“People are afraid it’s competitive but it’s really about having fun which is what we do,” she said.
“We have been known as an eating club which likes running.”
Mr Bussink said he enjoyed competing against other VMAC chapters from across Melbourne.
“We have no standards in regards to ability, it’s just a social thing where fitness us a by-product,” he said.
Mr Orelli has been a VMACA member for 25 years and over that time has become a multi-medallist at the VMAC state competitions.
The Laverton resident enjoys running anything from a 200m sprint to a 42-kilometre cross-country event.
“You really have to push yourself when you get to the 35km mark and hit the wall, you have just got to keep yourself going,” he said.
Contact Mr Bussink on 0419 357705 or see the club’s Facebook page for more information.
