Wally O’Hara has dedicated more than three decades of his life to the sport of gymnastics, so Gymnastics NSW decided it was time to do something about it.
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O’Hara was presented with a Service to Gymnastics NSW and Regional Gymnastics award at a gala event in Sydney earlier this month.
The Armidale Gymnastics Club coach has been involved in coaching and judging the sport since the 1980s.
His involvement began in 1984 in Inverell, before he relocated to Armidale in 1990.
O’Hara was one of the driving forces behind starting the current Armidale Gymnastics Club in 1991. The retired school teacher has spent the majority of his life improving children’s lives, both in the classroom and the gymnastics arena.
“I just love working with kids,” he said.
“But it’s not just kids I work with, we have kids of all ages and up to 50 and 60 year-olds.”
O’Hara said he is extremely proud of what the Armidale Gymnastics Club has achieved.
“We had 450 registered gymnasts in Armidale last year,” he said.
“Armidale has the highest population to registrations in NSW.
“We offer affordable options and a really good program.”
Every school in Armidale is hosted by the club during the school year, meaning O’Hara coaches almost every child in Armidale at some point during their schooling.
O’Hara spends more than 30 hours a week coaching gymnastics, but he said it is all worth it seeing the smiles on the young faces.
“Seeing the success is great,” he said.
“But seeing a little girl with depth perception problems walking along a beam without help is just as rewarding.”
Along with O’Hara’s award, the Armidale Gymnastics Club was also nominated for Men’s Coaching Team of the Year and Men’s Club of the Year.
