Mayor to open Eden Fitness Trail outdoor gym

4 November 2020

Bega Valley Shire Mayor Russell Fitzpatrick will officially open the Eden Fitness Trail outdoor gym on Saturday 7 November.

“The Eden Fitness Trail Group (EFTG), in partnership with Council, won a $120,000 grant through the NSW government’s My Community Project in 2019,” Cr Fitzpatrick said.

“The funding was won through a community voting process, with Eden’s Fitness Trail project gaining the most votes against more than 30 other possible projects within the Bega Valley and Eurobodalla shires.”

EFTG members - Cherie Mercado, Fiona Campbell, Tatiana Pajo and Joy Robin - were able to apply for funding through an auspicing agreement with the Eden Access Centre. The centre also provided ongoing support, which enabled the project’s successful outcome.

EFTG coordinator Cherie Mercado said the project received great support from the Eden community before it won the grant, with the first donation from the Eden Lionesses.

“The Eden Service and Social Club Inc (ESSCI) has been enthusiastic about the outdoor gym from the beginning, and will be catering for the opening ceremony,” Cherie said.

“The EFTG is grateful to Robert Horton, Todd Bolton and his apprentice Liam Griffin, and Billy Michelin, for preparing the sites prior to the installation of the equipment. Robert Horton has placed his own stamp on the main site, with his concrete seating supporting the back of the main hub. This is a unique feature and was a huge effort.

“The Eden Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) coordinated with site preparations and undertook searches for relics and artefacts that may have lain hidden within the excavated soil for extensive time periods. Serena Maher and her team at LALC also worked on landscaping the area around the main hub site.

“Our community’s generosity has been commendable. There are many to thank, including individual donors, community fundraisers and the local Club Grants process, all contributing to our bank account in early days.”

The main exercise hub is in Imlay Memorial Park on Calle Calle Street. It is linked by an existing pathway, an earlier ESSCI project, to three individual stations along Aslings Beach Road.

The main hub comprises a stretch station, leg press, pull-ups and leg raises, elliptical trainer, chest press, shoulder mobility wheel, aerobic cycle, body pulls and push-ups, parallel bars and a balance beam.

Station 1 is fitted with a dexterity builder and body twist. Station 2 has two step-up platforms at different heights and Station 3 incorporates an aerobic cycle and pull-downs.

The hub and single stations have water views; another design element to multiply the benefits of managing stress and anxiety.

The official opening of the Eden Fitness Trail will be held at the main hub site. Pastor Ossie Cruse will commence the ceremony at 10.30am with a Welcome to Country.

Cherie will provide a summary of the evolution of the EFTG, and Council’s Recreation and Natural Assets Coordinator John Turville will present on Councils’ collaboration with the community in delivering the project. Cr Fitzpatrick will then officially open the Fitness Trail by cutting the ribbon.