A gym that began in a converted nightclub has celebrated 30 years in business, with at least two originals still on board.
Suncoast Fitness began in 1994 in a what had been Cujo’s nightclub under the Palms Resort in Wirraway Street, Alexandra Headland.
Owner and founder Mark Stitt said the gym started because there was nowhere to train at lunchtime.
“I’d just come back from living overseas, specifically in France, and came up to the Sunshine Coast with some mates,” he said.
“Growing up, we used to come for holidays up here all the time. I was from Brisbane and Beachfront Towers had opened in about 1978 and dad had bought unit up here.
“My friends and I decided to go training at lunchtime and we couldn’t find anywhere to train. Everywhere was open morning and afternoon.”
Mr Stitt, who had a diverse background in hospitality, airlines and tourism, seized the opportunity to launch Suncoast Fitness.
Renting premises from his father, who had bought the old nightclub as an investment, he began stripping the interior and building a modern gym.
Mr Stitt opened Suncoast Fitness the following year, opening from 5am to 9pm and offering air-conditioning, change rooms and showers, a creche and separate floors for different fitness levels.
The gym’s first member was a duty manager at the nearby Stewart Alexandra Hotel, Graham “Goob” Doberer, who signed up before the gym opened and has never left.
“I showed him the machines in the book and he paid his membership and that was the only time he paid. He brought me so many members over the years,” Mr Stitt said.
Mr Doberer began working for Suncoast Fitness about nine years ago and is now often found on the front desk at the gym.
Cherie Cleary, one of the original employees, also still works there, although a career change saw her move into real estate.
“Two or three of our other group fitness instructors have been with us for 25 years,” Mr Stitt said.
The gym moved to new premises in Wises Road, Maroochydore, in 2008. The business also expanded to include gyms at Caloundra, Kawana and Pelican Waters.
Mr Stitt said the fitness industry expanded rapidly in the late 2000s.
Realising it would be hard to compete with the big chains, he moved into training fitness trainers, setting up FIT College, now in 24 locations across Australia, and FIT Care Support, which provides NDIS support workers.
Although both FIT businesses have taken off, Mr Stitt remains attached to Suncoast Fitness.
He said running a gym for this long without investors or the backing of a company had been possible because of the community that had been created by staff and members over the years.
“People often ask me why I keep the gym but I just walk out every now and then – my office is at the end of the building – and talk to people who have been here for a long time and it’s just a great community,” he said.
A family fun day was held at the Maroochydore Rugby League Club’s grounds to celebrate the business’s three decades.
Love nostalgia? So do we. Help keep more great Coast memories alive by subscribing to our FREE daily news feed. All it requires is your email at the bottom of this article.
