What is your private passion and how did it develop?
Walking and reading. I seem to be able to do two things at once, maybe neither one perfectly well, but there is some efficiency in it. I have been walking or riding my bike my whole life, and walking and reading to and from the university for many, many years. It's a long walk - about 35 minutes each way - and very hilly. I know the route well and I'm very careful. For all the kilometres I've walked, I've done pretty well to only suffer one injury. That was when I stepped into a hole and sprained my ankle; I still know where that hole is!
Mostly I read a magazine, and typically New Scientist, because it has short articles and I can keep looking up to process what's ahead of me.
How does this passion enrich your life?
For me, learning is entertainment, and if it's science material I'm reading I figure it's good for me and a good use of my time. It's reading that I may not ever get to otherwise. I do like to be efficient, plus the exercise is fantastic.
In the winter it can be very windy on the path I take, and holding up a book can make your hands very cold. So I don't tend to walk and read in the dead of the Armidale winter. But I do try to walk whenever it's a decent day. If it's a nice time of year and the trees and flowers are blooming, I take a break from reading and just enjoy the scenery. Armidale can be beautiful at different times of the year.
What (if anything) does this personal passion and your enjoyment of it bring to your working life?
I like to read outside my field of psychology and sometimes I get research ideas or develop a new interest.
It's good for a person's mental health to be out in nature and exercising. Walking lifts you up and improves your mood, although climbing some of the hills doesn't do much for my mood. When I get to the top, I'm happier.
I am reasonably fit and the walking is part of that. It is so convenient; you can do it for exactly the amount of time you want and, if you are lucky, you can do it going some place, which is what I do. That's the best kind of exercise. I actually get to work or I get home and there's a sense of accomplishment, plus it supports my physical and mental health.
Do you have other personal passions you would like to share?
I also cycle and work out at the UNE gym. I enjoy watching documentaries and I like playing sport, including playing doubles tennis. I also like running sprints; that keeps me from thinking I am old.
