A FREMANTLE exercise clinic with more than 100 mostly elderly clients says it’s been left stranded after Notre Dame University terminated its long-term lease in the city’s West End.
Fremantle Exercise Physiology Clinic has been operating at Notre Dame for 13 years, with manager and physiologist Michael Jennings saying it was originally established as a pathway for the university’s students to gain practical experience towards their degrees.
“Since commencement of the clinic, we have supervised hundreds of Notre Dame and Curtin university students, offering a fantastic insight into the potential pathway of clinical exercise prescription and delivery, whilst also giving the students an opportunity to grow their interpersonal skills in a professional environment,” Mr Jennings said.
But he says late last year Notre Dame informed him it would not be renewing his lease as it wanted its students to have full-time access to the gym and they’d have to be out by the end of March.
• The Fremantle Exercise Physiology Clinic has to find a new home after Notre Dame University terminated its lease. Photo by Steve Grant
Mr Jennings said the decision “devastated” participants.
He says it was particularly disappointing because many are West End and South Fremantle residents aged between 55 and 90 years old, and Notre Dame had once prided itself on its community ethos.
Social outlet
“We have more than 100 clients that come here three times a week and some have been coming for 12 years and it’s their social outlet.
“The social glue of the active ageing that group participates in over-rides the physical benefits of the program.”
Mr Jennings says they offered to share the gym with students, but that was knocked back.
The clinic was in a similar situation two years ago when they were across the road, but negotiated with NDA to continue in the Customs building on the corner of Phillimore and Henry streets, copping a 300 per cent rent increase to boot.
Since then he says he hasn’t been paid, with all costs going into paying the qualified exercise physiologists who work with the clients, and the rest going into the rent.
• Some participants have been using the clinic for 12 years.
Mr Jennings says he believes Notre Dame has plans to reinstate a fourth year of its health sciences course, which would require a practicum, which made the decision to get rid of an in-house option even more mystifying.
“We have not had one meeting with health; all the discussions have been with the leasing team,” he said.
Clinic participant Andrew Locke said it was far more than just a gym, with the ongoing supervision and social aspect important to many of the group.
“Older and disabled members of our community need support if they are to continue to live a useful and meaningful life lives,” Mr Locke said.
“Fremantle EPC epitomises how it can be done and done well. They deserve every support from institutions in the wider community; sadly, this support has not always been forthcoming.”
Fellow participant Lis Francis echoed Mr Jenning’s concerns about the uni’s social license: “So of us were/are wondering what happened to the uni’s charter to be inclusive and cater for community and ageing,” she said.
A spokesperson for the university confirmed giving students full-time access to the gym was a priority.
“Our priority is to ensure facilities such as the gymnasium are readily available to our students as part of our ongoing commitment to providing an outstanding student experience,” they said in a statement.
“With the clinic operating three days a week for private clients, our students were prevented from using the gym on those days.
“The University of Notre Dame Australia advised the tenants at the last lease renewal more than 12 months ago that they should look for an alternative facility as the University wanted to return the gym for the use of its students.
“The tenants did not seek an extension of the lease by the due date.”
by STEVE GRANT