Gym to celebrate 25 years of community strength

The gym has built a community that continues to grow stronger every day.

This year marks a remarkable milestone for the Range Community Gym & Fitness Centre as it celebrates 25 years of building healthier lives, stronger friendships and a more connected community.

The anniversary will be officially marked on 18 August 2026, with celebrations beginning at a community morning tea at the gym on Monday 10 August.

The story began in 2000 when the closure of a commercial gym in Mapleton left local residents without a place to exercise. Rather than see that opportunity disappear, a group of passionate community members came together with a shared vision: to create a not-for-profit gym that would be run by the community, for the community, on a cost-neutral basis.

From the very first meeting, dedicated volunteers invested countless hours to turn that vision into reality. After more than eight months of planning, fundraising and hard work, the Range Community Gym & Fitness Centre officially opened its doors on 18 August 2001 in its current home beneath the Mapleton Bowls Club.

The gym exists today because of extraordinary community spirit. Local solicitor Peter Porcellini generously provided all the legal work free of charge. Volunteers transformed an empty space through working bees, donated materials and practical expertise, while the then Maroochy Shire Council provided early financial assistance through its grants program for essential building works. Lou Rommel and Michael Considine even personally financed the purchase of the gym’s first equipment, demonstrating the faith they had in the project’s future.

Over the past 25 years, dedicated committee members, instructors and volunteers have continued to shape the gym into the welcoming place it is today. Hundreds of local residents have walked through its doors – not just to improve their fitness, but to find encouragement, friendship and a genuine sense of belonging.

While the equipment and programs have evolved, the gym’s purpose has never changed. As a not-for-profit organisation, every membership supports the ongoing operation of a community asset that exists for everyone across the Blackall Range.

As the Range Community Gym & Fitness Centre celebrates this silver anniversary, it acknowledges the vision, generosity and dedication of everyone who has contributed over the past quarter century. The committee thanks its founding members, past and present committees, instructors, volunteers, sponsors and members. Together, they have created far more than a gym – they have built a community that continues to grow stronger every day.

Community members are invited to join the morning tea celebrations on Monday 10 August at the Range Community Gym & Fitness Centre, beneath the Mapleton Bowls Club, as the organisation reflects on 25 years of serving the Blackall Range community.