He’s 66, was born in Austria, emigrated overseas and is a member of the International Bodybuilding Hall of Fame. Guesses? Arnold Schwarzenegger fits the build, but we’re talking about Canberra’s Harry Haureliuk, who is moving into semi-retirement after 15 years of dominating international masters competition. It’s not the only thing Haureliuk has in common with Arnie. “Back in 1974 he was here in Australia at the Sydney Opera House and I entered my first competition as a novice. He was a guest poser. He actually shared an orange with me back-stage,” Haureliuk says. “There’s only a couple of months age difference. He did [bodybuilding] when he was young, I did it when I was old. He achieved seven Mr Olympia titles, I’ve managed six [in Masters]. I’ve only got one to go, so I’ll be back ... maybe.” Haureliuk cast a bit of a ‘Conan the Barbarian’ pose for Locker Room, brandishing the broadsword he was awarded last year for international lifetime achievement in bodybuilding. Haureliuk, who came to Queanbeyan with his Austrian parents at age three, after World War II, took up weights in his early teens. He just missed out on qualifying for Australia in weightlifting for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, but turned to bodybuilding. Having given it up in the 80s, frustrated by the rampant use of steroids by other competitors, Haureliuk took it up again in the late-90s when natural bodybuilding competitions emerged. He’s won 12 world titles in the past 15 years and still trains five days a week, up to twice a day. “I’ve been in this game over 50 years, I’ve seen a lot of people come and go,” Haureliuk says. “Those sort of people [steroid-users] don’t last long in the game. Over time it creates an illness in later life. As you get older it’s hard to build muscle, but you can still maintain it and shape it. I’ll never retire from training, that’s part of my lifestyle.”