New Townsville gym offers sanctuary for veterans

After sitting idle for more than half a year when Powerhouse Gym shut down, leaving members out of pocket, the Mount Louisa site is re-opening its doors. FIND OUT WHAT’S COMING >>

Tyrone Gawthorne and Andrew O'Brien at One Million gym. Picture: Evan Morgan

A NEW 24-hour gym 1 Million Strong is set to open on Woolcock St in Mount Louisa on Saturday, with the aim of being a sanctuary for veterans struggling with mental illness.

It will be at the former site of Powerhouse Gym, which closed under a cloud of speculation earlier this year, with claims it continued to charge its members for almost two months after.

Veteran and co-founder of 1 Million Strong, Tyrone Gawthorne, said one of the reasons he and Andrew O’Brien decided to open in Townsville was because of the town’s military presence.

“We had been looking around for a while and we were thinking of going further south but having a few issues with PTSD after my military career, it made sense to build somewhere other veterans could come and train,” Mr Gawthorne said.

“We obviously want to help a lot of veterans who are struggling with mental illness but ultimately it will be open as a public gym.”

Mr Gawthorne said the name of the gym was symbolic of bringing people together.

“1 Million Strong throughout history has always represented unity, both in the military, veteran, and civilian worlds,” Mr Gawthorne said.

“In this instance, the meaning behind 1 Million Strong highlights the unity and camaraderie derived through the means of health and fitness.”

Mr Gawthorne said the business would be sticking around for the long haul, with a plan for its customers to do the same.

“Our lease on the site is for almost 10 years, so we’re planning on being here for a while,” he said. “Long-term, we are hoping to one day purchase the building as well.

“There will be no lock-in contracts at our gym because we want people to be able to choose if they train and not be locked in to anything.”

The facility has a floor space of 865sq m and a land area of 2092sq m, leaving room for plenty of parking.

Sales and leasing executive at Knight Frank, Mark Fitzgerald, said with about 18,000 cars passing the premises daily, it was a great place for a new business to gain exposure.

“The space had been vacant for about two months before Tyrone took up the lease,” Mr Fitzgerald said.

“It’s a high-quality facility with fantastic exposure to Woolcock Street, so it’s a really great opportunity for a new business.”

Originally published as New Townsville gym offers sanctuary for veterans