History . . . . . . continued
1978 – 1980
Despite the cave like equipment and leaky roof the club continued to grow and in 1979 a new group joined, previously associated with the National Fitness organization, namely General Gymnastics or Gym Fun as we know it today.
More and more parents were inquiring about the sport of gymnastics and started to arrive with very little and young ones, some of them could barely stand on their own little feet. The year was 1980 and saw the birth of the “Mickey Mouse” group or in today’s terms “Kindergym”.
1980 was the first year that members (plus eight fathers and Anna T) held the first DISPLAY NIGHT. Guests that combined with our club that very first night were, Gladstone PYC Gym, Gladstone Dance Academy (Patti GLEESON Dancers), Trevor DOWDELL, Jeena TAKAC
and Jennifer BECKETT acting as Announcer.
1981 – 1994
By 1981 the club had been operating for 4 years and it was expected that there would be no additional classes as the club was operating nearly daily and there were very few afternoons free. But how wrong they were! The almighty “TV” showed a young girl twirling around the screen with a ribbon and the following day in the gym children and parents were asking about this “NEW GYMNASTICS” for girls and before they knew a new discipline was started “RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS” (RSG).
In the same year, parents of young gymnasts started enquiring more and more about the sport it's self and Mrs T suggested, just for a joke that they themselves come and try. Before long there was class of grown ups trying tricks on beam, bars, boards, with ribbons and hoops ….. And a class for adults was born!
The groups slowly took over every spare afternoon in the old hall and it was thought that this would be the last of NEW groups. Wrong again. The boys from the Gym Fun groups wanted to do more that hopping and rolling and this once very small club took on yet another discipline “MENS ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS” (MAG). The only free time available was on Saturday and so from 1986 the boys were trying more and more tricks too….
1995 – 2002
The club then held classes 6 days a week, some days mornings and afternoons, with gymnasts bursting from the seams the little gym thought once again “Well that MUST BE IT” How wrong we were, in 1995 another discipline was added to an already overflowing program. “SPORTS ACROBATICS” (ACRO) along with a group that would cater for older or retired gymnasts “DISPLAY SQUAD”.
We now have two venues to help home our ever growing sport, and all gymnasts, coaches, trainee’s, committee members and families should feel proud because to this day we still train in poor conditions but, we train hard….. are still determined…..and together we make a strong team.
The club says a special thank you to a highly respected Coach, National Judge a lady known throughout Queensland for her unbridled passion for the improvement of her much loved sport. Mrs ANNA TURETSCHEK….. who is still on a mission for better training facilities!!!!
Thank you Mrs T.
To this day The Gladstone Gymnastic Clubs list of achievements and members still grow.
Gymnastic coach Mrs Anna Turetschek coaches her six year old daughter Silke on beam.