Alan Waddell was a senior citizen in his 90s living in Sydney, Australia, when he walked every street in 292 of the 631 suburbs of Sydney, promoting an active lifestyle for every age. He was an ambassador for the National Heart Foundation and New South Wales Seniors' Week.
Alan's website has nearly 3,000 amusing and unusual photos of Sydney suburbs with witty captions and is regularly updated. It has recorded 1.5 million visitors.
Sadly, Alan died on 2nd September 2008. His son, Graham, maintains his website in his memory.
History
editAlan and his wife Marjorie often conducted short bush walks together for some years before her health failed. When his wife of 60 years died in November 2002, he started walking some streets in his home suburb, but soon found this a little boring and switched to neighbouring suburbs in January 2003.
Alan walked every day unless it was too hot or too wet, or his leg was misbehaving. His average walking time was 85 minutes, including a one-minute stop every 10 minutes or so to recover from a leg aneurysm.[1]
Media coverage
editDuring his six-year odyssey, Alan was the subject of 260 media items.
- "He's a legend, a terrific Sydneysider and a great Australian" - Radio Nova (Merrick & Rosso)
- "Extraordinary account: an old man mapping the city with his feet" - Adelaide Advertiser
- "Grandfather who has achieved cult fame" - St George and Sutherland Shire Leader
- "One of the best web sites I have ever seen" - Radio 702 ABC (Simon Marnie)
- "Inconceivable pioneering work" - Guang Ming Daily (Malaysia)
- "A popular web site" - San Francisco Chronicle
- "Fantastic web site" - Radio New Zealand
- "A cyber celebrity" - 9 TV network's Getaway
- "Australia's Forrest Gump" - 7 TV network's Today Tonight
- "The North Shore's most famous athlete" - Sydney Weekly Courier
- "Elderly Australian walks into stardom" - China Daily, People's Daily (China)
- "[He] has inspired thousands...an internet superstar" - Independent Times (Canada)
- "The senior citizen who is leading the fight against heart disease" - 10 TV Network news
- "A media darling Down Under and his fame is spreading fast across the globe" - Kitchener Record (Ontario, Canada)
- "You're a legend, Alan" - Hon. Tony Abbott, Australian Minister for Health (Heart Foundation Week speech)