Q: When did you start doing Physie?
I was about 5, our family were living at Maroubra at the time, I started with Shirley Wolfson.  My Grandmother wanted me to do Physie as her daughter enjoyed it so much at Bondi.
I wasn’t there very long as we moved to Kogarah when I was 6 so I started at Kogarah Physie with Bev Aulton.  Kogarah Physie closed when I was 10 and I joined Clempton Park with June Renaud.
Can you believe I am now teaching June at Sylvania Physie, so very special!

Q: What was your very first Physie Class like?
I don’t really remember much but safe to say I have been doing it ever since…I am now 59!

Q: Where is your club located?
Sylvania Heights, in the Sutherland Shire.

Q: When did your club start?
Sylvania Heights Youth Club started about 25 years ago in 1996 after transitioning from Gymea Community Centre.

Q: What do you love most about teaching Physie?
I love seeing the faces of my members at that “light bulb” moment when it suddenly clicks, it gets me every time!  I am very lucky I get to teach the 5 years to 12 years and the Ladies, two different ends of the Physie spectrum.  The transition from a little one starting their first years into a confident teen makes my heart sing.  I love it when they progress to the Senior age groups and are able to immerse themselves in all the new techniques they need there.  Teaching my Ladies is especially rewarding, I love the support they have for each other on and off the Physie floor!

Q: What is your personal mantra?
I haven’t really thought about this before but someone described me as “firm but fair” so I’ll go with that!
Thinking back through my younger Physie years I realise my Teachers were a huge influence on me, they were all firm but fair and it has stayed with me.

Q: What’s your favourite routine and why?
I love the Senior Contemporary, the expression that oozes from the girls is amazing!  They are lucky to have such incredible Choreographers who do an awesome job every year, it is breathtaking!
The Ladies Advanced is also a favourite, this has become more expressive over the past few years and I love what it brings for my Ladies!

Q: What is your proudest Physie moment and why?
I have a few but one that stands out involves a gorgeous Beginner lady.  To help her confidence she started Physie and to have something to share with her two daughters who were 5 and 7 at the time.  Part way through the year she found herself in the Novice Team having never done anything like Physie before and she gave it her all… she listened to every instruction from me, never missed a class, and practiced her heart out as she did not want to let the team down.  I was absolutely beaming out the front watching her in this team, she went on that floor like she had been doing Physie all her life! Later she told me that me believing in her had given her the strength to do it, I am so proud of this moment!

  Q: What’s your funniest Physie moment?
There had been discussion about naked yoga, as seen in New York, so my 60s ladies got together for a laugh and had their pic taken with a towel in front of them just bearing their shoulders and legs…. It was a very funny moment!

Q: Who inspires you the most?
Oh wow, so many things but I’ve got to say my members inspire me every week, they are the driving force behind my Teaching, they give me the passion to give my best to achieve their best!
Jackie Rawlings is someone of great inspiration to me too and I have enormous respect for her.  When Jackie was a Teaching Associate I loved her class, her explanation of movements and her technique advice have shaped the way I teach, she is the epitome of Physie.

Q: Has Physie helped with any other areas of your life? If so, how?
Physie has helped my confidence enormously, especially Teaching Physie. I started my Teaching later in life at age 41 which was something I didn’t think possible given my shyness.  I was asked to take over from a very gifted Teacher, my Mum had just passed away the year prior and I didn’t really know if I could undertake such an important role.  Physie has shaped me and during the past 18 years I am so proud of what I have achieved, I have learnt so much about myself, I am able to speak to and teach large groups, offer advice where needed and be humble to the successes it has given me.