Q: When did you start doing Physie?
A: I started up the back of a hall in Carlingford, Sydney when I was 2, following my big sister. I was busting to join the actual class but was too young. When I finally could, I was so excited to be grown up enough. I loved Physie at first sight and not a day has gone by where that love has dwindled. In fact, it’s still growing!

Q: Where is your Club located?
A: My Club is in the small country town of Moruya, NSW, a four-hour drive south of Sydney set amongst some of the most pristine coastlines and farming lands in Australia.

Q: When did your club start?
A: Moruya club started in 1992, closed in 2001 and then reopened in 2010. The club was part of the booming Far South Coast Zone which covered many clubs from Jervis Bay to Canberra to Merimbula. When Hayley Van Weerdenburg returned to the area to settle with her own family in 2010, she reopened the club with toddlers and ladies. My daughter and I were beside ourselves with excitement as we’d not lived anywhere near a Physie club for 8 years, we’d just mucked around with old videos. Today, Moruya club has 50 members, my daughter and I both teach there, and we are all working towards reinvigorating the South Coast region of NSW for the next generation of Physie girls. Hayley says, “I love that my mum was part of the original club start-up team and I am still part of Moruya Physie. It’s been in my family from the very beginning.”

Q: What do you love most about teaching Physie?
A: When you love something so much, it is a joy to teach. What I love the most is the feeling it gives me to help young girls and women connect physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually to themselves and to each other. It’s hard to put into words. I suppose it’s that feeling you get when your students (no matter what age they are) get a light that turns on inside them. It’s not about the physical mastery alone, it makes the physical movements and shapes come to life. It’s magic!

Q: What is your personal mantra?
A: “I am the light of love”. I breathe deeply, say it, feel it, and then become it. It helps me in every way, in any moment and at any time. I have used this on the Opera House stage too! LOL!

Q: What is your proudest Physie moment?
A: Even though I won nationals in my early twenties after years of always being the bridesmaid in second place, my proudest moment was coming back as an elite lady after years of not being able to compete and making it to the Opera House. I was blown away that I made it and even more so when I placed. This proud feeling continued into the following year where, as the eldest lady on the floor, I placed again. Yet, for me, these proud moments are not about placing or winning. They are about the emotion of all my years of love in a sport reflected back to me in one breath. It is in that moment when you stand there and flashback to the epic journey that has got you where you are. That is what makes me proud… the thousands of hours spent since before I can even remember, training, dancing, sweating, loving the music moving in me. I am proud for never giving up on me, loving myself enough to continue to do what I love doing most in this world and staying true to that, even when it was difficult. The little girl in me stood there on the Opera House stage as the wiser lady rejoiced in my full-life journey of Physie and I felt the connection of every teacher, girl and woman (including my mum, daughter and sister) that had helped me throughout my Physie life.

Q: Who inspires you the most?
A: Beginner Ladies inspire me when they get out there on the floor and compete. It is so different learning something brand new as an adult compared to learning it as a child. It makes me teary to watch their determination and concentration, doing something new in such a big way and sharing it with others. I have to also mention Betty Graham here as my most inspiring mentor and teacher. Without her directness, consistency, fairness and honesty I would not be the women I am today. I don’t think she has any idea how much she still inspires me and I hope she is reading this. x

Q: Has Physie helped with any other areas of your life?
A: Physie has and still does help me to stand strong, be focused, grounded and proud of who I am every day. It has helped me dig deeper than the average bear in moments of hardship and enlightened me with wisdom from a young age. When the going gets tough, I know I am equipped with my inner Physie! I believe that the lows in my Physie career have been the most significant teaching aids, giving me strength when I otherwise wouldn’t have it.

Q: What would you say is the best thing about Physie?
A: Physie is a full, life-long health and wellness package. It’s the real deal! It may take commitment to yourself to get through all the bumps along your Physie road and see beneath the ‘show’ but, when you do, the rewards of love and friendship found along the way are priceless.