MARTIN Fisk, the former-CEO of Menslink, says he first discovered the Canberra Centenary Trail while helping to organise an event with a Menslink sponsor.

“The sponsor wanted to do a bike ride or bush walk, and while bike rides are great, you have to worry more about road closures and safety,” he says.

“The Canberra Centenary Trail was suggested and that was the genesis, but I thought I can’t ask people to walk the trail without me having walked it, so I did it over Christmas 2020 and just fell in love with it.”

The 145-kilometre self-guided loop trail takes walkers and touring cyclists through urban and rural Canberra, as well as iconic sites.

“In its entirety, I’ve done it four times now, but some bits in particular have been walked countless times, closer to my home in Bonython.”

So, when the publisher of “Canberra’s Centenary Trail Guidebook” started asking around on who might be a good person to write up a second edition, all fingers pointed to Martin.

First published in 2015, the original authors Tallis Didcott and Nina Hvoslef wrote the guide while making the most of Tallis’ home town, but they have since moved to Norway, where Nina calls home.

“It took me about a month to write this second edition, I worked on it full-time, six days a week,” he says.

“I had to walk the trail, writing notes on the updated signage, any route changes, and marking parts that had closed like Telstra Tower, while also taking new photos along the way.

“I left Menslink in December, then I had a short contract with the ACT Human Rights Commission, which is amazing, but I’m between jobs at the moment, which has given me plenty of time to get out and do more walks, especially as the weather improves.”

But, Menslink still holds a very special place in Martin’s heart.

“When the publishers asked me to write this second edition, I asked if I could donate all of my proceeds to Menslink, and they were very happy to do that,” he says.

“I worked at Menslink for 11 years, and in that time I saw the amazing work they did to help young men to get a sense of purpose, to feel that they had a place in the world. There’s so many of them that are lost and just don’t have a sense of their own identity.

“What happens when young men feel like that is they will often cause a lot of damage to themselves and a lot of damage to those around them – high rates of family violence involving teenage boys, high rates of suicide, high rates of youth crime, and that’s something that Menslink has been able to turn around, to the benefit of all of our communities.

While Martin says he loves the whole of Canberra’s Centenary Trail, he has got a few truly stand-out favourites.

“It’s just fabulous. Cooleman Ridge is delightful, One Tree Hill in the north is beautiful with sweeping views, it’s the concept of moving around Canberra which is just really cool,” he says.

“Whether you do it in five days, or whether you do it in three months, it’s worth doing for the sense of knowing you’ve climbed that hill, you’ve walked over there, it is amazing.

“I feel, in Canberra, we stick to our own little area. I’ve lived here for 20 years and I had never climbed One Tree Hill, despite it being really iconic.”

Martin is encouraging anybody who can, whether it’s on a bike or it’s walking, to do as much of the walk as they can.

“It’s pretty amazing to actually have a book with your name on it, but more importantly, it really helps showcase this wonderful city we have in Canberra. It’s the bush capital, so go out and explore with your family. There’s activities for kids to do along the way, this gives you a perfect way to do it,” he says.

“And, there’s not really many days until Christmas, and this would be a fantastic gift with proceeds going to a good cause.”

“Canberra’s Centenary Trail Guidebook” second edition, Woodslane Press, available through bookshops and online retailers, rrp $32.99.