I like people who remind me to give things a go, get out there, and not be limited in what I believe I can achieve.

The story of Les Whittle, about to embark on his 20^th walk along the 6 day Overland Track that starts from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair in central Tasmania, has to be one more inspiring example of a continuation to be physical despite maturing years.

In the past few weeks my 66 year old sister and 70 year old brother in law have made it a point of undertaking a decent bush, mountain or beach walk each day. My (ex) sister-in -law takes off for walks almost every day despite the relentless humidity of north Queensland. A couple of Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens fellow volunteers ramble with the Ramblers on medium and challenging walks around Tasmania. There are many opportunities and many people are taking these up, within the constraints imposed by Covid.

This story grabbed my attention for a second reason. I am a descendant from a Whittle family and I wondered if Les and I were related. However further research seems to indicate Les hailed from Western Australia originally, a long way from any of my known family members.