Alan Mossman Waddell (24 July 1914 – 2 September 2008) was an Australian walker who received national and international media attention for walking every street in over 280 suburbs in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
.
Early life
Waddell was born on 24 July 1914, completed his schooling at
Sydney Boys High School
, motto_translation = With Truth and Courage
, established =
, location = Cleveland Street, Moore Park, Sydney, New South Wales
, country = Australia
, coordinates =
, pu ...
in 1931 and qualified as a
chartered accountant. He served in the
Citizen Military Forces during World War 2 and married Marjorie Eileen Hume on 30 May 1942.
Walking
When Marjorie died in 2002, Waddell took up walking as a pastime and to combat
aneurysm
An aneurysm is an outward bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also be a nidus (s ...
s in his legs.
After walking every street in his local suburb, he began to venture further in 2003. By 2004, he started to attract interest from the media. This led to further interest from radio and television. Over the next five years, he was a regular feature across print and electronic media. A list of all articles appears on his website.
By the time of his death in 2008, Waddell had walked 5000 kilometres and covered every street in 284 suburbs of Sydney. Over the years, his feat had been covered by media in many other countries, including China, South Africa, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Awards and honours
In 2007 Waddell was presented with the Live Life award by the
New South Wales government
The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governme ...
for promoting health and well-being. He was also an ambassador for the Heart Foundation and the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust.
References
External links
Book
*
Obituaries
''The Sydney Morning Herald''
''The Daily Telegraph''
Website
*
a similar undertaking by Yaz Kassisieh.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waddell, Alan
1914 births
2008 deaths
21st-century Australian writers
Australian accountants
People educated at Sydney Boys High School
Writers from Sydney