Gunyama Park

How
Grant
found
his
happy
place

In this new series, we profile some of our loyal members who have made the City of Sydney's fitness and aquatic centres their place to swim, train and connect.

360 member Grant in his happy place having coffee at Gunyama Park Cafe at Gunyama Park Aquatic and Recreation Centre

Published Sat, 3 Feb 2024

Meet Grant, a retiree who lives in Waterloo and has been training at Gunyama Park since it opened over three years ago.

We sat down with Grant to chat about his experience and fitness journey since becoming a member.

How often do you visit the centre?

G: I come Monday to Friday morning, and do two to three training sessions per day.

What facilities do you use each visit?

G: I love all the Gold classes – strength, yoga, Pilates. I also like to do Reformer Pilates, Mat Pilates and Step. I also do a few laps on my own in the pool.

What makes Gunyama Park your happy place?

G: Before I joined, I was training on my own (just weights) so I really wanted to find a place which had a strong sense of community and where I could meet other people.

This is what makes Gunyama Park stand out – the community – feeling a sense of belonging. It is something I have never felt to the same extent at other fitness centres.

I started participating in classes for the first time when I came to Gunyama – I found them so motivating and encouraging – the friendly competitiveness helps me go that little harder than if I was on my own.

I enjoy all the classes and being with like-minded people. We all support and help each other and encourage and motivate each other to do the best they can.

After classes, around 8 to 10 of us meet for a social coffee in the café. We have even started a Gunyama gourmet club where once a month, 15 or so of us go out for a lunch in a different place in the local area.

The instructors are fantastic and have changed my life! Though I have trained as long as I can remember, I am now more aware of my body and have learnt better and safer ways to train.

I come in every morning to train from Monday to Friday, where I usually do two to three sessions. The huge variety of classes has enabled me to try different ways to train and as a result, I have never felt better.

The friendliness of the staff at the front desk make you feel welcome every time I arrive and leave.

The place is clean and modern and I love the design.

What’s there not to love - I have truly found my happy place.