Rob Olifiers is not local to Brimbank, but after spending more than a year walking every single street in the municipality, he is perhaps more familiar with the area than most.
Several years ago, Mr Olifiers separated from his wife and found himself on his own, feeling a little flat.
“Life was a little hard to cope with and so I thought I would fight myself out of it. I wrote short and long term goals, and part of that was to get fitter,” he said.
Mr Olifiers first started walking around his local streets in Mitcham, before covering all of Whitehall council and marking his trips on the Melways.
“After I covered the entire area, the Whitehall SES congratulated me and I loved it so much I ended up doing other councils,” he said.
Mr Olifiers mission recently landed himself in Brimbank, making it the 20th metropolitan council that he has completed in the past eight years.
Mr Olifiers, who has been a volunteer at Whitehorse State Emergency Service (SES) for over 18 years, said he hopes to raise awareness of the SES as he treks across municipalities.
Part of Mr Olifiers mission is to improve both his own mental and physical wellbeing as well as others.
“I am a very community minded person and love chatting to people along the way,” he said.
“Before this, I knew nothing about Brimbank, but it really opened my eyes to what it’s like, with a diverse population and vibrant communities.”
Melbourne city stands as the last remaining council for Mr Olifiers to march across, which he plans to begin soon.
Hannah Hammoud
