Communities throughout Australia will be encouraged to take up some form of regular physical activity as part of Active Australia Day which will be held on Sunday 27 October. Councils throughout Australia have developed a range of events for Active Australia Day to get their communities into some form of regular physical activity, yielding both health and social benefits.
Bayside City Council in Victoria will be encouraging its residents to join a sporting club and focus on having fun. Using the theme, ‘Play in the Park’, Elsternwick Park will host a huge variety of recreation organisations and clubs, showing residents what is on offer in Bayside. From gardening to organised sport to walking the dog, all residents will be urged to ‘move off the sidelines and into the game’.
“On the day itself, residents will have access to a vast range of events and information to link them with sporting clubs and facilities in the area,” said Bayside Mayor, Councillor Terry O’Brian. “It is a positive way to promote sport and will encourage people who are currently inactive to come and try different activities in a relaxed and friendly environment.”
Manly Council in New South Wales is focusing on young people aged five to 14 years and aims to encourage the 40 per cent of people in their community who do no regular physical activity to take up a sport. Council will be asking its local residents to register at its Active Australia Day information stall that will be set up on Ocean Beach.
“When residents try a participating Manly Active Australia Day organisation’s sport or enquire about joining a participating club, they will receive a Passport stamp,” said Manly Mayor, Councillor Jean Hay. “When they have two stamps in their Passport, they can return to the registration desk to receive a sample bag containing products supplied by Active Australia Day sponsors and enter in the running for the major prize – a Daihatsu Cuore 2 door hatch!”
For further information visit www.activeaustralia.org