Harmony Week Heroes - Kana Nathan

To celebrate Harmony Week this year, we caught up with some of our volunteers from varying backgrounds who are doing their part to make the City of Burnside a better place to live. Harmony Week is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values.

At the age of 83, Kana Nathan is committed to ensuring aging Burnside residents remain healthy and independent for as long as possible.

As the instructor of the City of Burnside’s Senior’s Fit and Fab classes every Monday for the last 14 years, Kana said his background in education has proven useful.

“I was a teacher from 1958 until I eventually became a chiropractor. But being a teacher, I can’t help but try to educate,” Kana said.

Having migrated from Malaysia in 1973 and becoming a chiropractor later that decade, Kana said his goal now is to prevent seniors from falling.

“From the age of 60 the risk of falling rises, and so for me and my team it’s our responsibility to teach our participants how to balance and how to get up if they do fall,” he said.

“Resistance training is key and aims to build muscle and bone density to keep them strong. They can also continue to train with ‘sit and stand’ exercises at home when they aren’t here.”

Kana is supported by Sandy Holmes, Buddy Ng and Helen Wang, who also help to host a second class on Thursdays due to popular demand. The Monday sessions continue to reach maximum capacity, which has been limited by COVID-19 restrictions.

When he isn’t running the Senior’s Fit and Fab Class, Kana continues to operate as a chiropractor one day a week and as a Justice of the Peace one day a week.

“I have represented Australia and Malaysia as an athlete in several Masters Games and I love to stay active,” he said. “It’s important for me stay active and it’s important for the community as well.”

Harmony Week runs from Monday 21 March to Sunday 27 March. To find out more, go to www.harmony.gov.au.