After 70 years of teaching fitness Mortdale Physical Culture Club is looking for a new home.
The club has been holding classes on Tuesdays in the Pensioners’ Hall at Mortdale for more than 50 years and at other venues for 20 years before that.
Girls and their mums, aunts, grandmothers and friends have all used the club.
But in 2017 the hall is being demolished and the club has nowhere to go.
“We have tried many of the local halls but they are either already booked or not being hired,” club secretary Janyne Walker said.
But soon the club will be homeless.
“Mortdale Physical Culture classes began in at least 1945; that is as early as have been able to discover,” Mrs Walker said.
“Mortdale Physie is affiliated with the Bjelke Petersen School of Physical Culture and we cater for girls from two years through to ladies of all ages and abilities.
“Physie is a great sport that all ages can participate in weekly classes that are age appropriate. physie is a social sport that fuses fun with a low impact dance and aerobics activity and because we are a non profit club, our fees are keep low.’’
Nola Hellyer, 73, has been an instructress with the club for 54 years.
During that time she has seen three generations of families, daughters, mothers and grandmothers, come to the club.
“One of the benefits , as well as the girls exercising, is that they build up strong bonds with each other,” Mrs Hellyer said.
“It’s a big physie family. We have had some members who have face serious illnesses such as breast cancer and we all draw in close together and give them support.
“A lovely side of teach physical culture is to see the family bonds.
“Young girls learn a bit of discipline which I feel is lacking in schools these days.
“They are also learn team work.
“And they learn the satisfaction of striving to do their best and to be proud of this.
“We say that winning is not the main thing.
“In my 54 years of teaching I’ve seen children overcoming through problems through doing physical education.
“I taught a girl who was profoundly deaf. All our work is done to music so she couldn’t hear it to follow with the others. I taught her to watch me and following my movements. She went on to compete. It was very inspirational.
“Another girl at nine suffers with arthritis. To see how much she has improved and how much more she can do since starting physical culture is wonderful.
“These children and their families all become part of my extended family.”
The club also holds classes on Thursdays at Oatley Public School Hall but wants to continue its Tuesday classes in 2017.
“But we need to find a hall,” Mrs Walker said.
“Does anyone know of a hidden hall in the Mortdale area? We need it to have a wooden floor and approximately 10 square metres or similar.
“We would love it to be in the Mortdale area, as our name suggests, and close to the station as we have girls catching the train from school and coming straight to class.”
If anyone knows of a hall that is available for Mortdale Physical Culture Club they can contact Janyne Walker on 0413 600 146.
