- Liane Morris
Three Decades Strong: Rosekelly Family's Fitness Legacy Turns 30
Thirty years ago, Dallas Rosekelly turned his passion for exercise into a family business that would change the face of the fitness industry in Newcastle.
Developed with a deeply held belief that fitness is essential for mental wellbeing and overall health and that it should be available to everyone, he created Planet Fitness, which would go on to become what we now know as Urth Fitness. Today Urth Fitness is managed by his two daughters, Gjenae and Montana Rosekelly, with three gyms at Lambton, Charlestown and Belmont. It continues to deliver on the ongoing and permanent promise of affordability and quality with a welcome for all.
Dallas grew up on a farm just outside Dubbo and worked in earthmoving as a young man. His work was always physical. It wasn’t until he moved to Newcastle that he discovered gymnasiums where he was able to continue his physical exercise.
“Once he started using gyms, he realised that the benefits were more than just physical,” said Gjenae.
“He was seeing improvement in his mental health, and obviously, back then, talking openly about mental health wasn't as widespread as it is today. He knew that going to the gym just made him feel better. Opening his own health club became his passion. It was a calling he'd felt, and he’s never looked back.” Gjenae and Montana grew up in their father’s gyms, beginning with the Lambton gym
in 1994.
“We would always be around the clubs, either playing when it was closed or being at reception with the other staff members,” said Montana.
“We were always involved and had a view of what work life was from our parents."
"The idea of the gym as a family and community was deeply embedded in us."
“We always felt safe, welcome, taken care of, nurtured and supported, and we try to bring that same feeling to everyone who walks through the doors, no matter how difficult that has been for them. We want them to feel like they are in a place that is for them.”
Gjenae remembers beginning her first job behind the reception desk at age 14.
“Our father taught us his work ethic from a young age. He's like, OK, now you're going to work on reception; you're going to learn and grow, and I think it really helped with our people skills. We learnt how to not only be a part of a social gym community, but how to help and support those people. It was just such a great learning experience.”
These early experiences of the sisters inform how they run the business today, continuing the family legacy of providing affordable access to health and wellness as a universal right. Their philosophy centres on creating an environment where everyone feels welcome in a judgment free space.
“The industry has grown so wonderfully over recent years and now provides so much more than just classes for gym bunnies and heavy weights for gym bros,” said Montana.
“We welcome everyone at every level, and we’re constantly striving to be better. Fitness is for everyone, the elderly and the young, no longer just for wealthy, fit, good-looking people. I’m really proud of that.”
“The fitness industry has seemed to focus on wellness, well-being and recovery, and we work hard to be ahead of the fitness trends through our research, so we were able to be pioneers of that here in Newcastle, leading the way when we opened our spas, to bring that focus on recovery, relaxation and wellness to our members,” agrees Gjenae.
Taking care of their members is their number one priority, with some in their community having been with them the entire
30-year journey.
“We have generational memberships, enormously long-term members that have been with us through the entire journey of 30 years,” said Montana.
“Members that have met their loved ones, got married, had kids, the kids are now members.
“We have something that we are giving people that is not just a bunch of machinery in a room. It is something so much more important than that. We give people a sense of betterment, longevity, wellness, joy, and a social world outside of the pub. We have an exceptional, protected community here that fully understands our philosophy. We routinely hire staff that were members because they deeply understand it.
“Our philosophy is the cornerstone of who we are, and it is immovable. While the industry changes and we change, we adapt, we improve, we build, but at our core, our commitment to our members, their health and well-being will never
change. It started with Dallas, and we are deeply committed to it.
This commitment to its members prompted the rebranding from Planet Fitness to Urth Fitness in 2022. A large American company went by the same name in the U.S. and wanted to enter the Australian market. The Rosekelly family were concerned that this American company would not give Australians what they needed, so there was an agreement made whereby they sold the name but then took up a board position on the Planet Fitness franchise to provide an important Australian voice and influence in the company’s Australian operations and expansion.
“It was also a great moment for our separate Newcastle business to be refreshed and rejuvenated,” said Gjenae.
"As well as a name, logo and total branding change- we also did a lot physically in the clubs. We renovated all locations, upgraded with lots of new equipment, added new classes to our schedules and added machines into our Spa Rooms to maintain our commitment to rest and recovery. A lot may have changed in the rebrand with us looking better, however
we did not change our price. So that's one beautiful aspect of the rebrand that shocked many people. We will always be the gym you can go to from five bucks a week, simply because we believe all people should have access to affordable fitness. We may have refreshed everything else, but it's the same family who run the gym, the same staff as before, and the same price."
Celebration plans for the 30th birthday on Monday, 28 October, include a 10-day sale to welcome new members to the clubs, retro nineties themed classes across all locations, food, drink, entertainment, giveaways, speeches and cakes. The clubs will also be open to nonmembers that day for zero cost to join in the celebrations and see if this is a community they
wish to join.
In terms of future plans, Urth Fitness will soon be the most affordable Reformer Pilates location in Newcastle, with the launch of their new Reformer Pilates studios at each club. In addition, a concerted effort is being made to encourage youth members.
“There's some concerning stats out there about young people not exercising enough,” said Montana.
“We see that as an opportunity to get that demographic in here and start learning from a young age how they can start their fitness journey and gain the knowledge they need to exercise for their mental and physical health. We offer free gym memberships to anyone from 14 to 18 during school holidays. We really want to flip those statistics on getting young kids in to get moving and active.”
If you’re serious about improving your health, the Rosekelly family are committed to helping you, and there is an open invitation for you to walk through their doors and put yourself first.
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