MANAGER / INSTRUCTOR PROFILES

Anne Lang has been manager of Fitness on the Park since 1997. Prior to 1997 the organisation was named Institute for Fitness Research and Training and was led by Tony Sedgwick as a research centre for exercise and fitness. Anne worked as the office and training manager, and as a class Instructor, for 25 years, prior to taking over the business of helping to keep mature South Australians fit and healthy. In 1997 the building on MacKinnon Parade was remodelled to incorporate a full gym with a team of dedicated trainers and health professionals. Anne continues to train exercise groups, both indoors and outdoors, and very much encourages the social side of Fitness on the Park. This has led to the Countryside Walks, which commenced in 2000, becoming an integral part of the organisation and has progressed to include walking holidays each year, within Australia and overseas.

Catherine Doyle has been working at Fitness on the Park since 1996. Catherine works in conjunction with resident GP, Dr Patricia Bishop, running the 10 week Healthy Weight Loss program, where she sees clients for weekly consultations to review their diet and exercise.

Catherine’s other roles include the health and fitness screening of potential new members and conducting fitness assessments. She is a class instructor for groups of men and women over 50 at North Adelaide and Brighton, and also produces a quarterly newsletter for members with the latest health and fitness information.

She says, “It is so rewarding working with the motivated and friendly members at Fitness on the Park. It is great to see our over 50’s (and even our over 80’s) enjoying the many benefits of exercise, both physical and social, and how maintaining physical strength and endurance adds greatly to the quality of life. I have particularly enjoyed the many years of working with Healthy Weight Loss clients and watching them, not only lose weight, but greatly improve their fitness, eating habits and self esteem.”

Trevor has been instructing his 7am, Tuesday and Friday classes since 1975 when we were the Institute for Fitness, Research and Training. There are still 2 of the original group attending and many who have been attending for up to 30+ years – such an amazing achievement!
After so many years and so many friendships formed Trevor says it’s the camaraderie and the fun they have during the class that has kept this group together. The regular social occasions such as breakfasts, lunches and wine tastings have also been great fun and add another dimension to the group. Trevor has observed many changes over the last 40 or so years. When Trevor included a fitness course as part of his Advanced Diploma of Teaching (PE) the fitness industry didn’t really exist, making these classes unique. Back then the classes consisted of 30 minutes of callisthenics and 30 minutes of run-walk, progressing to 30 minutes of continuous running. Trevor notes, “the emphasis these days has shifted, with more importance of building core strength and we acknowledge the benefits of weight training for the older population.” Trevor has an impressive sporting history having represented the state in hockey in the under 12’s, 16’s and 21’s and as a senior for 11 years. He also represented Australia in 1974 and has won numerous awards along the way. In addition he was the state coach for 6 years and club coach for 17 years.
Trevor is now working an evening shift in addition to his morning classes, and is proving to be very popular with gym members. We hope to have Trevor around for many more years!

Davide Simoni has been an instructor at Fitness on the Park since March 2013, just a month after arriving in Australia. He has been involved in the fitness industry for 15 years after completing his studies in Human Movement and High Performance at the University of Milan. In 2010 he decided to extend his areas of interest becoming a qualified Pilates matwork instructor. In Italy Davide worked as a coach and a strength and conditioning coach for some professional soccer clubs.
Fitness on the Park was Davide’s first job in Australia. He says, “It has been a beautiful journey since then. I have met some very nice, funny and inspiring people who make this gym a very enjoyable social club.
“I moved here to Adelaide because, in 2012, my fiance Valeria was offered the opportunity to complete her PhD in Neuroscience at Uni SA. The original idea was to stay for one year only, but very soon Valeria was offered a position as a researcher at the “Body in Mind” group, so it looks like we are extending our stay.
“In September 2015 Valeria and I were married in our hometown Biella, a very nice town in the Piemonte Alps region, north-west of Italy. You may have heard of it as it was considered the capital of the high quality woollen industry in Europe. Sadly, it is now more renowned for its “Polenta Concia” (a polenta dish with melted cheese fondue).
“When not busy at the gym, I’m coaching the Virtus Soccer Club (Northern Demons) of Port Pirie, in the SA Soccer State League. My other hobbies are cooking (but I’m still bad with desserts!), learning how to play the guitar and broadcasting at Radio Italia Uno Adelaide (Italian radio). If you are learning Italian then you should follow me every Monday on 1629am, from 2-5pm and ring in to answer my tricky quiz live.
“Furthermore, since I have been in Australia, I’m also trying to understand more of footy, cricket and golf, which I practice on my own and with fellow FOTP member, Tony Hepburn as mentor.”