News and Media

Meet the Team: Ben Wilkinson

5/10/2020

By Natasha Wells

1.How long have you been with Out Doors Inc?

I started with Out Doors Inc at the beginning of 2020 in January. It has been an interesting first twelve months!! Luckily I was able to get out on a few programs before we had to close things down.

2.Where does your love of nature, and the great outdoors come from?

I would probably credit this to my childhood. I grew up with a younger brother and sister in a country area, and we spent a lot of time outside, whether climbing trees or building cubby houses. We were also lucky enough to spend many of our Summer holidays at the beach where my appreciation of the ocean probably stems from. It wasn’t until my mid-20’s when I had the ‘lightbulb moment’ of being able to combine my work with an environment that I enjoyed spending time in and that was when I started working in the outdoors.

3.What is your favourite activity or thing to do in the outdoors?

This probably changes with where I have spent my time living. When I was in Hobart, it was a lot more rock climbing, when I was in Darwin it was avoiding crocodiles. The constant outdoor environment I have tried to stay in touch with has been the ocean. I have recently spent 7 years living on an island in the Bass Strait, which had me surrounded by water. Living here definitely meant I spent a lot more time surfing.

4.If you could live anywhere in the world where would you live?

I find this a difficult question to answer– maybe because I have moved around a bit. My dream response would be in my tent because it has taken me to so many amazing places over the years that I feel like it would always be an adventure. When I actually think about it, probably the one commonality with most of my dream locations to live is that they are all islands of different sizes. New Zealand, King Island, Corsica and parts of Australia. I am probably just keen to live where I have had some fun adventures!

5.What do you do when you feel like you’re having your own mental health challenges?

I feel like I have been able to get better at identifying when I am having challenging times and also coping strategies that work for me as I have gone through life. The first thing I do now is acknowledge that I need to do something for myself, and then I will usually do something physical and outdoors. Running has always been accessible for me and something that I enjoy doing, or if I can, I will head to the ocean and play with it in some form. I also have a few different people I will call if I feel like I need a chat.

6. What is the first thing you want to do when the restrictions are lifted?

Catch up with some family and friends – I imagine fairly similar to most people!

7. What is your favourite movie?

One that I always enjoy is Back To The Future. Most of Michael J Fox’s work from around that era are good!

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