Tough times force Curves Drysdale to shuts its doors

CURVES Drysdale should have been celebrating its 14th birthday this month, but instead was forced to close its doors.

The women’s only gym was supposed to finish up business this weekend on August 27, but due to another lockdown, was forced to close even sooner last Saturday.

Owner Andrea Keating said unfortunately Curves Drysdale could no longer survive the difficult times caused by COVID-19.

“We would have been celebrating 14 years of Curves in the community on August 27,” an emotional Andrea said.

“Myself and my husband Steve took over on August 21 so we just celebrated 11 years.

“But unfortunately due to COVID-19 we have been forced to close our doors, something I never ever thought it would have come to.

“This wasn’t the way I saw myself leaving the club after 14 years.”

Andrea said it was a hard decision to close, but that decision was taken out of her hands thanks to lockdown 7.

“There has been lots of emotions to go through … lockdowns just kept coming, then you’d pick yourself up again and wham, here we go again,” she said.

“We’ve been shut nearly more than we’ve been open in the last 18 months.

“But, we can’t dwell on that, we need to move on … that’s the way life is.”

Andrea said closing Curves Drysdale was especially sad because its staff and members had done so much for the community, especially being proactive in raising donations for various local charities.

Members recently raised money and supported homeless women on the Bellarine with donations of care packages, collected food for the Drysdale Foodbank, brought in gifts for a Christmas Giving Tree and donated to Cottage by the Sea.

“Our member Mary lost her husband Terry to Motor Neurone Disease, and to raise money for the cause we held an Ice Bucket Challenge where we were out the front with a wading pool and members were throwing ice over me … we raised thousands!

“We’ve also done breast cancer walks on Mother’s Day, decorated bras and hung them from the roof, and Relay for Life in the early days.

“We have done so much as a community … we are a women’s only gym that goes above and beyond.

“We are more than a gym, we are a community of women.”

Andrea said her wish and dream was for her amazing clients to continue their health and fitness journey, whatever that may be.

“I’m so grateful for all the wonderful women I’ve met and the great things we’ve done, and the many lives we’ve touched,” she said.

“I’d get lovely emails from people saying how we’ve helped them, not just with health and fitness, but mental health where they’ve been with life and circumstances.”

Andrea said it was also thanks to her dedicated staff Leanne Barry (10 years) and Jemma Nolan (nearly 12 months) that the business had remained open as long as it did.

She said it was so important for people to support their local businesses during the pandemic because she didn’t want them going through what she just had.

Also, she hasn’t seen her daughter who is currently in London for two years in December.

“I need and want everyone to get vaccinated and will do whatever I can to help push that,” she said.