By Martina Simos
Adelaide great-grandmother Angela Mastroyannis, 82, has always enjoyed keeping fit from an early age.
Whether it was walking to her school in Greece as a youngster, to picking peas or fruit picking in the Riverland town of Renmark or participating in an over-55s fitness class, Angela believes in moving to stay fit.
Since 2016, Angela has been running a fitness session for people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) at the Reynella Neighbourhood Centre.
MS is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system).
Recently the MS Society SA & NT awarded her the 2023 Renee Thonard Award and thanked her on their Facebook page for her ‘hard work and dedication.’
“The MS Society SA & NT is proud to present the 2023 Renee Thonard Award to a dedicated and deserving member of the MS community, Angela Mastroyannis,” the post read.
“Participants say Angela’s classes have become much more than health and exercises for the participants – they are a highlight on the social calendar for all her attendees.
“And, under Angela’s stewardship, the class has become a tight-knit support for each other, playing a vital role in keeping them connected and positive on their MS journey.”
Despite the accolades, the mother-of-two, grandmother-of-five and great-grandmother-of-four, was very surprised to learn she was the recipient and told them they had the wrong person.
Angela had started an exercise class for over-55s at the Reynella Neighbourhood Centre when the MS group asked her to take over their class because they didn’t have a fitness leader.
“Even though I was not that familiar with MS, I decided to run the program and I learnt a lot about their needs,” Angela told The Greek Herald.
“I researched exercises to assist them, chatted with MS physiotherapists, went to physio lectures to gain insight and to develop/ modify the program to suit.”
Despite only completing four years of primary school in Greece, Angela has a work history that highlights her enthusiasm to learn new skills. Leaving her hometown of Markopoulo, Attikis (near Athens), she arrived in Australia on the Toscana in 1957.
From there, Angela lived in Renmark and some of her first jobs were picking peas, fruit picking, pruning, digging trenches and even driving a tractor. After moving to Adelaide with her family, she worked in a car parts factory for a few years, learnt to drive a forklift, and then worked for a spa/pool manufacturer where she was sanding fiberglass.
Eventually Angela started working in aged care, where she began to see how the elderly struggled with various disabilities.
At the age of 70, Angela left the aged care industry and began to exercise locally before gaining a certificate in EASY Moves for Active Ageing and completing a TAFE SA course on exercise physiology and a course on Water Exercise with the Australian Institute of Fitness.
This eventually led to Angela teaching a group of 15 people with MS at the Reynella Neighbourhood Centre. Here she guides the group to participate in stretching, cardio, weights, balancing and ball exercises – all done with music in the background.
Angela was presented with a trophy and flowers by the MS Society SA & NT for her dedication to improving the health and well-being of people living with MS.
Her motto is ‘move it or lose it.’
“It is important to keep active and if you can’t do this yourself, then find a group to join,” she said.
“Not only will you increase your flexibility and fitness, but you will connect with others and find like-minded friends in an encouraging community atmosphere.”
