KEY POINTS:
Olympic athletics legend John Walker is about to spearhead a new campaign to turn the "mean streets" of Manukau City into safe streets.
Walker, the 1976 Olympic 1500 metres gold medallist, is in his fourth term as a Manukau City councillor.
He said during his career as an international athlete, he lined up "in a few tough races all around the world".
"Now I'm about to start what will almost certainly be my last race," said Walker, 56, who discovered in 1993 he had Parkinson's Disease. He said the "Find your Field of Dreams" project, which will be launched in conjunction with the Manukau City Council, was a bid to ensure every young person in the city had the opportunity to participate in an active, healthy lifestyle through sport.
"We are convinced it will not only turn what many regard as the `mean streets' of Manukau into safe streets.
"Equally we believe it will enable our young underachievers to maximise their potential for positive, fulfilling lives. And maybe it will even help some of them to realise a dream they never thought was achievable."
He said Manukau had produced some amazing sports stars, including Yvette Williams, Dick Quax, Scott Dixon, Frank Bunce, Valerie Vili, Barbara Kendall, Jonah Lomu, David Tua, Temepara George and Ruben Wiki - to name just a few.
He said they had found their "Field of Dreams" and some of those stars had pledged their support for the project. He said Manukau City was working on several initiatives to cater for all tastes.
- NZPA
