Health Minister launches campaign with us at Ormond Park

Ormond Park the spotlight as Valley kids help launch a health and fitness campaign

Minister Pike with MVCC player/junior coach Steven Ball and his son Robbie at the Ormond Park launch.

New State Government figures have shown the number of Victorians considered either overweight or obese is rising by around percentage point a year, and is now rapidly approaching the point where half of all adults in the State have a weight problem.

The next phase of the Government's message is for kids to be active and healthy, and to take the message home to their parents.

It's a message we know all about at Moonee Valley Cricket Club, as our own Club's policies have encouraged Dads to come back and play cricket - particularly in our one-day grades. In the 2005/06 season, we had 14 Dads play one or more games for our Club.

Releasing the statistics during a visit to our Ormond Park home ground on October 1, Victorian Health Minister, Bronwyn Pike said they showed 47.9 per cent of Victorians are overweight or obese, compared to 45.5 per cent in 2002.

Ms Pike also launched a new television campaign featuring children driving home the message that people need to get healthy and active to avoid obesity.

And Moonee Valley Cricket Club was to the fore with the campaign, turning on an enthusiastic Valley crowd of more than 40 junior players, plus parents and younger brothers and sisters, to backdrop the TV news conference for Minister Pike.

As always, our Club spirit delivered, and our players featured prominently on Channel 10 news that night as a result - particularly junior coach/senior player Kevin Gardiner, who was a perfect example of the Government's message about adults returning to active sport. See the TV file.

Minister Pike said the new Go for your life advertisements spearhead an $87 million anti-obesity health and lifestyle campaign by the Bracks Government to help Victorians change their lifestyle for the better.

“These ads are targeting the community through the messages of children and will be a driving force behind a raft of Bracks Government programs changing lifestyles to help Victorians live healthier, happier and longer,” Ms Pike said.

Ms Pike the figures, taken from the latest Victorian Population Health Survey, showed the proportion of obese people has increased from 14.6 per cent to 15.6 per cent since 2002.

Ms Pike said the report, covering the 2005 year, also showed links between a decrease in vegetable consumption and an increase in people considered overweight and obese.

“These figures further reinforce the Bracks Government’s record investment of $87 million to fight the obesity epidemic and the new television messages will further support Victorians to make the best lifestyle decisions possible,” Ms Pike said.


Health Minister Bronwyn Pike with senior player/coach Kevin Gardiner with his sons John, Leo and Terry.