Community
5 March, 2025
Gymnastics on the rebound
THE Mossman and District Gymnastics Club was founded over 55 years ago and started out as a small group of volunteers and students operating out of the local Shire hall.
The conception of the Mossman Indoor Community Sports Centre provided the club with the opportunity to have a more stable venue, as part of a community initiative from the Douglas Shire Council and Mossman State High School.
This became the club’s home for more than 20 years with local enthusiasts contributing funds towards the build.
Unfortunately, in 2016, the club was left devastated when they unexpectedly had to move out of the indoor sports centre and, with no permanent facility and no suitable venues in the Shire, they almost had to close their doors after more than 55 of history.
Fortunately, they were very thankful to secure a temporary month-to-month lease along Mill St in Mossman and continued working with the council to try and find land for a permanent facility for the club.
After finding no success, the club decided that the only viable way to secure their future and meet the demands of current and expanding membership was to own their own building.
As a result, they bought the building on Mill St and become one of the only non-profit sporting clubs in the Shire with a mortgage and their own facility.
Since buying the building, the support of infrastructure grants has allowed the club to undertake much-needed renovations to transform the space from offices, with low ceilings, to its original state of a large, open area with a high ceiling perfect for their gymnastics programs.
Unfortunately, just over a year ago, Cyclone Jasper caused significant damage at the club, with $400,000 of equipment perishing.
The facility was stripped down to its bare bones so a full interior rebuild could commence.
Since the horrific floods in Mossman it has been a long journey, with much emotion and a lot of hard work, thanks to the incredible support from local families, businesses and the club’s coaches.
Over the last few months, those concerned have made amazing progress in creating an even better space for local gymnasts, allowing them to continue pursuing their dreams in what is a specialised and empowering sport that has been a vital part of the community for many years.
After a year of closure, a grand opening day took place on February 8, attracting many existing and upcoming gymnasts.
The club is now in the final stages of renovations and refitting, providing new equipment so that it may open fully this month.
The club offers a range of programs from recreational ninja, aerial silks and gymnastics for beginners, right through to competitive pathways for those wanting to take their skills further.
They also run programs for toddlers, school-aged children, even adult classes, making their wide range of programs accessible to everyone.
A special mention must go to Hayley Bender, the club’s former manager of 10 years who played a pivotal role in getting the gym open again.
Being a not-for-profit club with many overheads, it relies heavily on grant funding, fundraising and sponsorship to keep the club running and ensuring it can continue to offer high-quality programs to participants.
For now, it is just great to see the Mossman and District Gymnastics Club back up and running.
I’m off to try a couple of backward rolls and a pike jump, so for now it’s Gazza signing out.
Send your stories to gazza@cairnslocalnews.com.au
