While the closure of gyms across Victoria has been a hard pill to swallow for many, a local group of boxers have found it has brought them closer together.
The HITFIT Boxing gym in Melton has been closed for nearly two months now, but since offering online classes the community has banded together to help each other out.
Gym owner Darcy Ellis said it had been inspiring to see.
“The silver lining of this whole situation has been seeing how quickly people have adapted, and also seeing everyone sticking together through this tough time,” Mr Ellis said.
“We’ve had people donating pieces of fitness equipment, or hand sanitiser and toilet paper, just whatever others in the gym community needed to get by.
“Just those selfless acts that really make our little community special.”
The group ranges from kids to 68-year-olds.
While some of the restrictions are starting to ease, Mr Ellis said the gym would likely continue to offer online classes for some time as a way of staying connected to their clients.
“Early on it was about making sure we stayed connected, so the tech was basically just using our phones for the videos,” he said.
“But we’ve bought some better cameras, and we’ve now got programs that people can do at home with no gear or minimal equipment, so it would be crazy to discard all that.
“We’ve all been able to support each other through this and that will continue once we get through this. It’s more than just a gym now, it’s like a little village.”
Ewen McRae
