General News
23 January, 2026
Bushfire's hidden cost Gymnastics club faces costly rebuild
The Natimuk and District Gymnastic Club has been forced to close temporarily due to the impact of the bushfire on January 9.
While the building sustained minimal damage, the mats, flooring, and various other equipment in the clubrooms suffered extensive damage from the intense heat and dust on the fireground and from burning buildings.
As the club is a not-for-profit organisation, it does not qualify for the current emergency bushfire funding.
Head coach Lynette Morrow said that, due to the damage, the clubrooms had to remain closed until the insurance assessors completed their investigation and submitted their report.
"Until then, we cannot move forward," she said.
While the building sustained minimal damage, the intense wind on the day of the fire blew the dust from the surrounding fire into the gym.
"We believe the foam matting that covers the floor, the individual mats, and other equipment with foam content have absorbed the fine dust and particles from the fire and could pose a health risk.
"As the gymnasts land on the foam, each puff of air will release these particles into the air, so we can't let the student use the gym until this has been replaced.”
The cost of replacing the foam is estimated at half a million dollars, plus the additional expenses for removing the equipment in the process, much of which is bolted to the floor, disposing of the contaminated foam, and any further commercial cleaning that may be required.
While no formal estimates have been received, Ms Morrow estimates that the whole process could be close to one million dollars.
She said she is keen to get it back to use as soon as possible, even if it means beginning with the basics.
The head coach said the club members had all been affected in different ways, as each had a specific reason for using the facility.
Some use it for the sport itself, some in preparation for professional careers in gymnastics, others for remedial purposes after an accident or injury, or a long-term disability, and others who need help with balance and walking on varied surfaces.
"There are many programs that we use now, and others we can incorporate in the future that assist many of our community members' needs," Ms Morrow said.
"Our top senior gymnasts have competitions coming up, but have nowhere to train, so they may not be able to compete this year.
"Several of them are in year 12, and that means this is their last year before going on to university and leaving the area.”
Ms Morrow said she took these students to Stawell this week for training and planned to take them to Mt Gambier next week to use the equipment there, but that would only work in the short term.
"It is so important for all of our students that the gym is up and running as soon as possible," she said.
Ms Morrow said she had received offers of help to clean up the clubrooms, but said that can't be done until the insurance assessors have completed their reports.
"So we can't move forward at this stage," she said.
"The building damage should be covered by insurance, but until we have the assessor's report, we are not sure how much of the interior will be covered.”
There have been so many stories of people helping others, even though they didn't know whether their own buildings or homes were safe.
Similarly, Ms Morrow and her husband were at Vectis helping friends protect their property when the fire went through.
"Their home was saved, but sadly they lost their sheds and machinery," she said
"While we were there, I heard the clubrooms had been impacted, but not how badly, so it was a relief to know that the building was relatively unharmed, especially as three buildings nearby were demolished in the fire, and it could have easily been ours as well.
Ms Morrow has been involved with the Natimuk and District Gymnastics Association for more than three decades.
She is keen to get the clubrooms operational as soon as possible so the membership can continue using the facility.
"We don't want to lose our coaches or our students," she said.
"And the longer it is closed, the more likely that could happen because the coaches need their income, and the students need to train.
The club currently has 300 members and a waiting list of 150 people of all ages, so Ms Morrow said it was important for the facility to be operational.
Meanwhile, she wanted to assure the club members that everything possible was being done.
Ms Morrow said she was very grateful that the clubrooms had been saved and wanted to thank everyone who fought the fires under such difficult circumstances.