Frank Connors photoWalker Roland Melcher relaxes at People Plus following a walk at the Rec Center indoor track at Brunswick Landing. The walking stick, which he seldom uses when he walks at the track, belonged to his grandfather.
“I plan to be here several times each week,” explained Roland Melcher, 81, quick to add that his wife, Joan, joins him most days. “We just make it a part of our daily plan. Walking is the easy part.”
He said he expects to walk two miles each visit, and his wife often walks longer.
“Pacemaker,” he offered, pounding his chest. “The doctor wants me to take it easier.”
A Scarborough native, and a five-sport athlete in high school, Melcher graduated from the Maine Maritime Academy and was an officer in the United States Navy for 32 years.“I was an engineer, diesel and nuclear navy,” he explained. “More time in repair, retrofitting and redesign than the deep-water Navy.”
Married in Boston on April 1, 1961, he shipped to Scotland two days later for duty at an American submarine base. He was delighted to return to Maine after the military, working 10 years at Bath Iron Works, living on Juniper Lane in Brunswick.
Walking is a big part of Melcher’s life.
“You walk, you see things you would have missed if you were riding,” he said.
He and Joan are both active in the American Volkssport Association, the “local” sector of a worldwide volunteer group that promotes walking.
“We have been to walk in every state and every capital city in America,” he said. “We’ve done most of Canada the same way, plus Australia and New Zealand.”
He added that he and his wife are in a New England walkers group that meets Thursdays, “during better weather,” for some serious walks.
“That’s our walk and eat gang,” he said. “We meet in late October for a Christmas party, take the winter off and we’ll start again in the spring.”
It’s not uncommon for the group to do a 10K walk, he said.
Melcher laughed at the suggestion that he could be the “mascot” at the rec department’s indoor track at Brunswick Landing. Roughly one-ninth of a mile in length, the oval track is a great off-season resource, especially for seniors. The climate-controlled space provides an opportunity to consistently exercise without the worry of outside weather.
The track is open to the public Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m., the exception is from 10:30-11:30 a.m. weekdays, when the track is used by a preschool program. The facility, located at 220 Neptune Drive, is free for Brunswick residents. Just remember to bring your walking shoes.
“We like to start early in the morning,” Melcher said. “That’s when the walking is best. Some of the staff here have suggested we keep a key.”
Frank Connors is member services coordinator at People Plus Center in Brunswick.
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