Dr. Giri´s mission

Dr. George Giri, the Bulletin's Rural Life columnist is swopping the quaint Majorcan village of Mancor del Valle for bustling city of Melbourne where he will be competing in the World Masters squash competition for veterans. Dr. Giri, 79, will be flying the flag for the Balearics playing squash and showing that age should never be a barrier in sport. This is the third such event he has taken part in and so far he has won the bronze and silver medals. No prizes for guessing which medal he would like to add to his collection this time. “I think one of the best ways to keep healthy once you reach 50 is to try and continue with everything that you've done before and that includes sport and sex. Okay, you may not be as fit but there is no need to abandon anything,” he said yesterday before heading to Palma airport. “I learnt to play squash by accident. I was at a party in London and I was talking to this New Zealander who was a heavy smoker. I told him that I would give him an entry into my club as long as he gave up cigarettes and taught me to play squash. The rest is history.” Dr. Giri said that the World Masters attracted more than 25'000 athletes from all over the world. He would be playing in the 75 to 80 category so he has plenty of competition from relative youngsters. In Majorca he plays squash relatively often and over recent weeks he has intensified ahead of the competition. But fans of his Sunday column do not need to be concerned, Dr. Giri is promising to give an insight into Rural Life Down Under although the Majorcan wisdom of the stonemason will be missing. “Everybody knows I'm going to Australia in Mancor and even the Mayor has wished me luck,” he said. He will spend just over two weeks in Australia.