COVER STORY

Wildboy

An epic journey of transformation
by Mike Cooney

A JOURNEY OF MORE THAN 8,000 KILOMETRES. On foot. In just 600 days. Staggering stats – right? But add to that the number 19, and you get the age of the boy who decided to walk around the coastline of New Zealand!

Just a couple of years back, Brando Yelavich (aka ‘Wildboy’) was hanging with the wrong crowd and fast going off the rails. But, in moment of inspiration, he declared to those who would listen that he was heading off on a mission: to be the first person in the world to circumnavigate the country.

It was an outrageous idea – with plenty of naysayers – but he did it, regardless. Sleeping under the stars, living off the land and surviving several near-death experiences, Wildboy succeeded in his mission … and, in the process, transformed his life.

With his epic story now published, he’s off on a new mission to inspire others. So we grabbed the chance to catch up and ask him a few questions …

Issue 3 2015

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