What is the Question – July

For July’s What is the Question Riland spoke with physiotherapist Simon Ellis.

What is your name?

Simon Ellis.

What is your occupation?

Physiotherapist – Ballarat Allied Health.

What brought you to Ballarat?

Whilst I grew up here, I attended University in Melbourne, and had secured a great position in Melbourne. At that point, we discovered my mum had terminal cancer. So, it was a no-brainer to return home and spend some quality time before her passing; and here I am, 25 years later.

What is your favourite spot in the city?

Undoubtedly, Lake Wendouree. I have ridden and run, literally, thousands of laps of it, and it never becomes tiresome. Recently, paddle boarding has provided a different but beautiful perspective – it’s exercise, but in an almost meditative way.

What is your earliest memory?

Discovering eels in our little wading pool. My Dad had put them there the night before. Terrific practical joke. That may explain my snake phobia.

What is the greatest love of your life – apart from friends and family?

I have a deep secretive passion for rally driving. It is like a drug of addiction. I know nothing about cars, but I love driving flat out through the forest. I am still sitting by the phone, waiting for a call to head over to Europe and become a world rally driver.

What inspires you?

Surfing, as irregular as it is now, provides me with one or two hours of reflection time. Without fail, I exit the water with an invigorated clarity and inspiration for life. Sometimes I also exit the water with an ear infection.

What is your favourite holiday destination?

Anywhere beachside. I grew up holidaying at the coast. Any time spent in or beside the ocean, is like time in slow motion. It’s my “happy place”.

What music and television do you like?

Life in the mid to late 1980s revolved around Australian music. To this day, my “go to” is still Australian acts. Watching Powderfinger live on YouTube recently was an undoubted highlight of 2020. Sad, but true!

What is your favourite quote?

“I am not impressed by money, social status, or job title. I am impressed by the way someone treats other human beings” – Unknown

What person – living or dead would invite to dinner party?

My mum (by a mile). I just want to talk with her. It would be a very, very long conversation.

What qualities do you admire in other people?

Honesty in life, is a critical “pillar” for me. Being an old High School boy, I learned to value the importance of treating others with respect, as well as having pride in, and taking responsibility for, everything you do.

What was your first job?

Working in a family friend’s catering business, selling doughnuts to festival goers. Hot, smelly, and frantically busy. You learn a lot about people (both good and bad) in these environments. In an ironic twist, my eldest son has followed in my footsteps, and is literally doing the same thing. The baton has passed to the next generation.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

I wanted to be an adult. Now, I really want to head back to childhood. Looking at my seven-year-old son, dressed in a onesie and roller blading around the house, actually looks like fun.

What scares you?

I have a fear of failure. And snakes. Definitely snakes.

What historical calamity would you choose to reverse?

When cancer appears, it is a true life altering calamity. To be able to reverse the mutation that silently occurs in thousands of people each and every day, would make me smile.

What do you wish someone had told you when you were starting out?

In my first year as a physiotherapist, a patient gave me a piece of incredibly valuable, professional advice.

He said: “Son, if you don’t take breaks, you’ll burn out. Take your holidays regularly. Take a minimum of two-week breaks. Less than two weeks is not long enough to freshen up. Every five years, take six weeks to get away.

If you do these things, you’ll never tire of what you do”. I, of course, didn’t take his advice. Now I’m a little tired, but I still love doing what I do.