By JARROD McALEESE
PAKENHAM resident John Van Vugt has been delivering the Pakenham News for nine years and speaks proudly about how it has improved his health.
“It gets me out to do my exercise. People tend to take me for someone in the middle of their 60s and I’m nearly 78,” he said with a laugh.
Though John has been trekking around the community as a walker for nearly a decade, he was first involved in delivering papers 30 years ago when he was co-ordinating his local round.
“They used to drop them all off at my place then I had about 15 walkers and I had to ring them up and get them to pick them up from my place, then I had to supervise them,” he said.
After having back surgery, John was advised to keep active, a directive he has embraced and taken great pleasure from.
“I had a back operation and I had to have my back fused. The doctor said to get out and walk so I rang up and got myself two rounds to do and now I’m a lot more involved because I do a lot of bulk drops.
“I deliver the real estate sections to the agents, I go to different shopping centres, all the retirement villages and YMCA, you name it, I’ll do the whole lot,” he said.
Living in the Cardinia Waters retirement village, John delivers the Pakenham News weekly and couples this with daily strolls to maintain his fitness.
“I’ll walk four to five kilometres, maybe more every Thursday delivering the papers.
“I live in Cardinia Waters which is a big retirement village, and I walk around that two to three times a day,” he said.
And after reaping the benefits of being active, John said he has no intention of slowing down.
“I’ll keep on going till my legs say no,” he said.
If you’d like to deliver papers, get fit and earn money at the same time contact Fermax on 1300 654 910 or visit www.fermax.com.au.
