By Renee Wood
Healesville Gymnastics Centre owner and head coach Dru Troon may be familiar to many local families, with thousands of students to have tumbled and twirled in her classes over the past four decades.
But Ms Troon is passing on the reins to a new owner and has conducted her last class on Monday 6 December as she retires.
“It’s been lovely – it’s been a real privilege to have care of these children given to me, and it’s been lovely earning a living in a playground with children,” Ms Troon said.
What’s now known as the Centre first originally started as a club in 1978 when Ms Troon joined several other local parents to form a committee to bring the sport to the area.
“When we started off we would get coaches from down the line and at the high school a phys-ed teacher, but eventually I did coaching courses and became the head coach and remained that way because I loved it,” Ms Troon said.
After a few years of the committee running the club, Ms Troon and her Husband Richard Troon decided to form a company and become the Centre, which hosted classes locally and in Yarra Junction and Emerald.
Ms Troon said it’s been wonderful seeing her students’ progress and build confidence over the years.
“Each year we see new gymnasts and we see children who are nervous and afraid to lean over the bar and be upside down or roll down a mat, it’s just lovely seeing them get confidence enough to do these things and safely too.”
Now the company will be closing as it’s now known, but Reach Gymnastics, owned by Rebecca Tilley, will be taking over the space at the Healesville Community Centre to continue providing gymnastic classes for the local community.
“I was relieved that I found someone so competent and so nice to take over, because I’ve been thinking about retiring for a couple of years and thinking but if I don’t do it, who’s going to provide gym classes in Healesville and luckily I came across Rebecca.”
