VSA volunteer Gerard O’Brien had spent over a decade working in gyms – first as a personal trainer, then as a gym manager – before retraining as a writer, gaining his Masters in 2021.
Being already aware of VSA, he reached out to see if there might be any communications roles going where he could apply his writing skills. But what came along was a gym role in the Solomon Islands: Gym Management and Training Advisor at Honiara City Council Gym.
Gerard, who volunteered from July 2023 to July 2024, says it was a varied and interesting year. Honiara City Council, his partner organisation, was going through some staffing changes at the time he arrived, which presented some challenges for initially settling in – but Gerard soon found his feet. Day to day, he was involved with building administrative capacity in the gym, developing a membership system for customers and improving computer skills.
Gerard teaching his colleague Joycelyn Avo a new computer skill.
He also worked on figuring out what sort of knowledge gaps local staff had around the gym. Together, he and three local staff worked to develop a system of group classes. ‘I think group classes are a good way to help the maximum number of people,’ explains Gerard. ‘They’re inexpensive and then people who haven’t had much experience at the gym can come along and get some help. It’s also really good for mental health – that group experience.’
Gerard says a definite highlight of his experience was helping to revitalise the gym’s ‘ladies only’ time. ‘They had that in place when I started,’ he says, ‘but it was very loose and not very well advertised or regulated.’ During his stint, the gym formalised a women’s only time, which proved to be hugely successful, attracting up to 40 people per class. ‘We spent a lot of time planning those sessions, working out what exercises to do. Originally we had one male trainer and one female trainer and eventually we just pared it back to the one female trainer, who is still continuing the classes now,’ he says. ‘Alice is really invested in the women she’s training and it’s great she’s feeling confident enough to run it herself.’
Alice Barosi, Gerard’s colleague, says he was a huge help, not just with the women’s classes but across the board: organising training exercises, streamlining the gym database, resetting the gym, working on electrical gate entrances for the gym. ‘Thank you to VSA and Gerard for helping us through your service,’ she says.
Gerard's colleagues Joycelyn Avo (seated) and Alice Barosi (pretending to be a member of the public) having a practice run of the gym administration system Gerard helped put in place.
Gerard says another highlight for him was working with the youth hub, another division of the Honiara City Council, on their youth exercise programme at the Honiara City Council Youth Hub. Gerard says that when he and local trainer Eddie Toby got involved, the programme was small. Thanks to the youth workers’ dedication and Eddie’s expertise and enthusiasm, Eddie is now running this as the head trainer, with up to 100 young people at each session. ‘It was really cool to see Eddie’s confidence taking off,’ says Gerard.
Overall, he says his time in Honiara was interesting and varied. ‘The city can be a challenging place – but it has a certain charm to it, and people always make you feel welcome. There’s just that culture of the simple things, like greeting people and always saying hello,’ he says. ‘Plus there’s an incredible fruit and veggie market!’
He says volunteering wasn’t an easy experience, but incredibly enriching and often a lot of fun – with dancing and singing in the office not uncommon. ‘I think the key is to not come in with assumptions about what people might already know,’ he says. ‘You just have to go in and see what they actually need, not come into it with a fixed plan. It’s really good for encouraging your creativity and open-mindedness. It’s a truly rewarding experience.’