Y Striders

A Warm, Wonderful Weekend
It’s not just the weather that contributed to the success of our recent Y Striders long weekend in Margaret River. It’s always the people. The fit, friendly, can-do attitude of the Y Strider members is a large part of the fun on our annual weekend away.
A lot of preliminary work goes into this as well, with our volunteer committee and helpers planning up to a year in advance. Where to go? What walks will be included? Is there enough suitable accommodation? Which venues can cater for our numbers for meals? What additional activities are in the area?
It all came together with so many stories and photos to share we may need to make this post into episodes 🙂

Thank you Macca and the Melville Council
Y Striders aren’t the only club using the Troy Park clubrooms and grounds – although the various clubs use different times and days. Councillor Michael (Macca) McGoldrick is also secretary of the Troy Park Association and on Saturday he organised a coffee and muffin morning at Troy Park for the clubs using the oval and clubrooms.
Mayor Katy Mair and Councillor Glynis Barber both gave updates on plans for the area and chatted to various members.
The weather was fine and although many of the junior sporting teams were busy playing away games, the groups that attended welcomed the opportunity to mix and meet others who enjoy our foreshore location for their club activities.

It’s that time of year.
The leaves are falling and the mornings are bright and fresh. Our Y Striders Autumn Off Site session is sometimes at Manning Park where last Saturday we gathered for warm up exercises with trainer Jack.
For some it was a pleasant walk around the lake, but for others it meant tackling the 192 steps in early preparation for the Bondi to Manly 80km walk planned for October, later this year. The Y Striders that went on the Bondi to Manly walk 2 years ago recall there were many, many steps, so practice steps will be vital.
We are also keeping in mind our annual Y Striders long weekend in Margaret River where there are several beautiful walks, plus wineries and cafes to explore – we have to keep our fitness levels up for that 🙂

Rain, Hail or Shine
Or should that be Thunder, Lightning and Rain? Because that’s what Y Striders faced on Wednesday morning for strength class.
But never to be deterred, 22 members came to the 6am class and 18 to the 7.45 class. A few carrying injuries walked but Deb our trainer soon had everyone moving under the verandah with exercises to strengthen and warm us so we were ready for the after-class coffee and chat.
Everyone knows that regular exercise is important. But did you know that socializing is equally important? Y Striders is the place for both, so why not join our friendly fitness club for running, walking and strength? Try our 4 week free trial. Go to; http://ystriders.org.au/membership/4-week-free-trial/

Be careful when driving to Troy Park, there may be quite a lot of trucks using the driveway and Burke Dr.

Foreshore re-grading will start shortly as part of work on the restoration of Point Waylen in Attadale.

Careful precautions are being taken to minimise disturbance to local wildlife and there should be limited inconvenience to park users, as the works will be contained within the site. There may however be an increase in truck traffic along Burke Drive.

For community safety, access will be prevented to the active construction site which will be fenced during the major works.

The re-grading is essential because this section of the foreshore is eroded and has an evident shelf, which is destabilising the surrounding edges as sand and vegetation is exposed to wind and water.

The work is being done by Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) and will reprofile the eroded shoreline edge to create a more gradual slope, allowing for sedge planting to stabilise it.

The restoration of Point Waylen is a joint Federal and State Government and City of Melville initiative using native flora to revegetate the area provide habitat to native fauna and passive recreation facilities.

You can accomplish a lot in just 12 weeks

If you have lost motivation or feel tired and low on energy, then now is the time to get off that couch and get your fitness back on track. The sweat, the time, the devotion pays off. If you are a person who has never exercised or it has been a very long time since you exercised, you can start a Y Striders beginner’s program TODAY and be walking 5kms in 12 weeks-time. Y Striders qualified trainers will see that you achieve that goal and you won’t be dissatisfied with the outcome.
For session times and more, visit www.ystriders.org.au
And to take advantage of the 4 Week Free Trial go to;
https://ystriders.org.au/membership/4-week-free-trial/

Adieu, Farewell….but hopefully not Goodbye forever.
Ali and Tom have been Y Strider members for 3 years since leaving their home in Melbourne for a little adventure out west in Perth. With flexible jobs and adult children in Perth it seemed a great opportunity to experience something new for a year or two. Everything seemed to fall into place when a friend in Melbourne (ex Y Strider Sandy) suggested they contact Ros at her old club when they got here. Another friend helped with their first rental and in no time they were embraced by the club, making new friends, going away for our down south weekends, coffee after the Monday and Wednesday 6am strength sessions and having little excursions of their own to different parts of WA.
The year has turned into three and they felt it was time to reclaim and renovate their Melbourne home and catch up with friends. We will miss them, but there will be visits back to Perth to see their daughter and their friends here and there are sure to be Y Striders dropping into share a meal or a wine when they are in or passing through Melbourne.
We asked Ali for her thoughts and memories. She said -
“It’s been wonderful. Ros was my introduction to Y Striders through a mutual friend in Melbourne. It’s been brilliant just as a place to meet people and do exercise, and those people have become friends and I’ve really loved it. Tom has come along and we’ve been to the club weekends away”.
“One of the nicest things, when I had not been here at all long, and didn’t really know anyone, there was a vacant cabin on the Yallingup weekend away and the group were kind enough to let me bring my daughter and her partner along. They have never forgotten it. They loved it and were so impressed by the agility, enthusiasm and energy of this more mature group.”
Asked for his thoughts, Tom said he “found the group to be very welcoming, warm and very inclusive”
Whether you come from far away or near, why not join Y Striders to enjoy exercise and friendship?

Australia Day Morning at Troy Park
Our Y Striders’ base at Troy Park in Attadale is a lovely location by the Swan River. We usually meet at 6am or 7.45am on Mondays for strength sessions, walking or running, but public holidays are holidays – right? This Australia Day public holiday was a little different, and all the more memorable for it. Thirty of our members met at 7am for a spirited and fun warm up with trainer Deb R and a short walk before coffee, breakfast and lively music at 8am, thanks to the President of the Troy Park Association’s kind invitation to join other local club users in an Australia Day breakfast.
Great weather, relaxing fun and a perfect way to celebrate the Aussie spirit come together by the river on Australia Day.

How Lucky Are We?
As over 30 Y Striders walked by the river around the Boorloo and Matagarup bridges they saw the sun set over our beautiful city.
To live in a place where we can walk and exercise year round in mostly warm weather near parks, trees and water is something we all enjoy. With our clubrooms at Troy Park in Attadale we have most of our exercise and walks along the Swan River from Applecross to Bicton. But sometimes, like last Wednesday evening, our social co-ordinator, Ann R, organises something somewhere different. So, after our 5km walk in light but warm breezes we happily arrived at the Camfield tavern for dinner and cooling refreshments.
Most of these Y Striders had already done a regular strength session on Wednesday morning but a bit of extra exercise and chatting with friends was a fun bonus.
Why not join our fitness and fun with a 4 week free trial. Go to; http://ystriders.org.au/membership/4-week-free-trial/

Ann is Our Queen of Social Activities
At our recent Christmas breakfast Ann R was the recipient of the prestigious Brian Cook Award for continued and significant contribution to our club.
Part of the fun and fabric of Y Striders is not just the shared belief in the benefits of health and exercise, but equally important are our social activities. Which is why we have been fortunate that Ann’s enthusiasm and organising has seen us going to movie and theatre nights, twilight and bush walks, paddle boarding, mini golf, bike rides and shared New Year’s Eves.
Ann’s back ground in musical entertainment has given us hilarious and memorable amateur performances at our annual club dinners. Coached by Ann, our member volunteers have given playful renditions of “Always the Bridesmaid, Never the Bride”, “If I Weren’t a Y Strider, a Snooker Player I Would Be”, “The Pheasant Pluckers”, “The Flight Attendant Fiasco” (sung to the tune of The Flower Duet from Lakme), and “Goodness, Gracious Me”.
Over the last 15 years since joining and volunteering for the position of social co-ordinator, Ann has provided members with a variety of activities that range from the cultured, the hilarious, the energetic and the delightful. We have been truly fortunate that Ann R, like many of our other volunteer committee members, has made Y Striders the unique club that it is.
Are you looking for fitness and friendship? Find out more at https://ystriders.org.au and sign up for a 4 week FREE trial.