Mr Melbourne builds a winning body

Narre Warren bodybuilder Simon Whateley is the new Mr Melbourne after winning the Melbourne Championships on the weekend. 29320 Picture: Meagan Rogers

By Stuart Teather
MEET Mr Melbourne.
His name is Simon Whateley, a 47-year-old Narre Warren resident and on Saturday he won the Australian Natural Bodybuilding Federation’s Melbourne Championships.
The bodybuilding veteran won the Master’s category early in the night and then went on to win the overall title, earning him the Mr Melbourne tag – despite being the oldest competitor in the field.
After years of competing at state titles, Whateley was over the moon with his breakthrough victory.
“I couldn’t believe it,” he said.
“I’ve never won a comp before; I’ve done six or seven previously, but I’ve never actually won, so this is fantastic.
“I’ve been dreaming of winning the Melbourne for years and years and it’s finally happened for me, which is great.
“I’m like a good bottle of wine – the older I get the better I get.”
On the Mr Melbourne title, Whateley said it had not made its way on to the business card just yet.
“I haven’t actually used it yet, maybe I will one day – no, I probably won’t.”
The win means Whateley will contest the Australian Championships in Queensland in October and will also form part of the Australian team for the Natural Olympia – an international competition – that is held on the same weekend.
“There’s 22 countries involved in the Natural Olympia, it’ll be an incredible experience just to rub shoulders with the best in the world and to be on stage with them, it’s just incredible,” he said.
With six months until that competition, Whateley has already planned a gruelling regime to get his body as fit as possible.
“I’ll step it up now, try and put a bit more mass on for the next three months, then start cutting it back and shaping it up three months prior to the show.
“All I can do is prepare myself to the best I can be and if that’s good enough, then great.”