AT A GLANCE

Born in Penshurst on November 10, 1977.

Husband: Matthew. Children: Ruby, Eli and Nate.

Parents: Arthur and Gloria. Sibling: Scott.

Education: Penshurst Primary School before going to Hamilton Bainbridge College.

Sporting highlight: The long lasting friendships I've made through different sports I've competed in and the people that I've met while taking fitness classes.

What are your memories of growing up in Penshurst?

There wonderful memories. It was a very tight knit community in Penshurst in my younger years. I would spend the summer months with friends at the Penshurst swimming pool. We would go down to the fish shop and get 30 cents of chips and head back to the pool. I spent a lot of time at the pool. I can still remember going up in Mount Rouse with friends in a car and we would have the lights turned off. I often think about that how stupid we were to do that prank. My dad Arthur had a bit of land on the outskirts of Penshurst where he ran some livestock but we lived in town. Arthur used to work on the shire. I've still got friendships to this day with children I grew up with in Penshurst.

How old were you when you left Penshurst?

I would have been 18-years-old. I got a job with Val and Norm Twaites in a café in Liebig Street. It was a wonderful experience as it gave a young girl from Penshusrt the chance to meet lots of different people from Warrnambool. My next job was with Telstra which was for five years. I then got a job with Stringer and Clark lawyers. Matthew and I got married in 2000 and I ended up getting a job as a fitness instructor with Aquazone when it first opened in 2002. Sue Pettigrew and Janine Brookes and myself were the original members of the fitness class at Aquazone in 2002 and we are still there to this day.

That's incredibly to think Sue, Janine and yourself are the only three left from the original fitness instructors that worked at Aquazone in 2002. What was it like working there back in that era?

Sue and Janine are great people. It's hard to believe we've been there for more than 20 years. The time has gone really quick and I've enjoyed it. I can still remember having to go to fitness classes with Fiona Aulsebrook on Sundays to Ballarat in 1995 to get our certificate three for fitness. After I got my certificate I worked initially for the only ladies fitness centre which was based in the Ozone car park in 1995 taking classes. I worked there until it shut its doors and went to another place before we joined Aquazone in 2002. We used to do a lot of what are called step classes - we still do them today. We used to turn people away from the fitness classes because we were so busy back in 2002. All types of people would take part in the classes and they still do to this day. There would be about 13 classes a week and between 20 to 30 people in each class in 2002.

Natasha, how many fitness classes do you take now at Aquazone?

I take classes three days a week. I'm there on Mondays at 6pm, Thursdays at 5.15pm and Fridays at 6.10 am in the morning.

Do you still find it hard to motivate yourself to take the fitness classes after doing it for so many years?

Not at all. Fitness has played a massive part in my life. It has created long life friendships and connections and that's why I still love it today. Fitness is a great thing not only for the body but also for the mind. It's been proven that fitness can help your mental state whether it's just going for a five minute walk to doing a workout. It's all good for you. I often say to people it's not about winning or being the best it's all about taking part in a fitness activity. I've found over the years one of the key parts of fitness is based around getting into a routine and sticking to it. COVID changed the world and how we look at the world. We're all busy but it's important we take time to exercise, for self care and looking after our mental health. I've been very lucky that I've been able to manage my job at Aquazone around my full-time employment.

What's your full-time job?

I work at Warrnambool College. I've been there for four years and love my job working in well-being at the school. The job is all around seeing students are happy, comfortable and healthy. We live in an ever-changing world and it's important that we offer whatever support or assistance we can for people of all ages especially the young who are often vulnerable to things around them. It's through my job at Warrnambool College that I've just taken part in another Big Ride for Warrnambool's Big Life.

What's the Big Ride all about?

It's a fundraising ride for Big Life. The ride is from Melbourne to Warrnambool and it's the fourth time that I've taken part in the event earlier this month. The only one I've missed was when we had holidays in Adelaide. Big Life operates in eight local schools (Warrnambool College, Brauer College, Warrnambool West Primary School, Woolsthorpe Primary School, Grassmere Primary School, Koroit Primary School, Merrivale Primary School and Woodford Primary School) working to create strong minds to stop bad mental health outcomes in kids. Schools pay for half of the program and Warrnambool Students Wellbeing Association the other half. Big Life needs to raise at least $300,000 per year and are supported by the local generosity of individuals, philanthropic trusts, churches and the Big Ride is its main fundraiser.

Natasha, I take it you have to be pretty fit to take part in the Big Ride from Melbourne to Warrnambool. Do you do a lot of training?

It's fair to say your fitness has to be fairly good but there are support crews there to help you along the way in the Big Ride. I've taken part in various fitness events including triathlons, half-marathons, marathons, Murray to Moyne bike rides and Warrnambool Surf T Surfs over the years. I suppose the main thing that really keeps me fit is riding the bike with about 40 other local cyclists each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday morning. We start the ride at 6am from the top of the Mortlake Road hill and head out Wangoom Road. It's a wonderful way to start the day. The Warrnambool cycling community are a great bunch of people who are very competitive but also very caring.