(the following is an extract from the Fitness League latest newsletter. You can click on the link under hall users or by clicking the lettering shaded brown on the Venue page of our site, under Friday to find out more about Fitness League)
In the previous newsletter we profiled Olive Morrison, our Chairperson. In this edition we meet Secretary, Brenda Swainbank.
I joined the committee this year and was instantly voted on as Secretary. I’m enjoying our committee meetings, as they are full of enthusiastic teachers and members.
I was born in Burnley, Lancashire, UK. At the age of ten I emigrated with my family, to St. Paul, Minnesota, 
USA, This is where I spent my early teens. It was the time of Elvis Presley and the start of rock and roll. Oh I remember the big net underskirts! I returned with my family to England when I was fifteen, too old to take English ‘O’ levels, but I had taken typing so gained an office job with The Burnley Co-op Soc. I emigrated, aged nineteen, to New Zealand with my boyfriend on the £10 scheme with the compulsory two-year stay. Married and three sons later, I’m still here!!
I joined the Sunnynook FL class, taught by Carol Wade, in May 2000. I’d decided it was time to have a Friday off from work when an old friend took me to the class with her. Several members were returning full of enthusiasm from the Royal Albert Hall, London. I vowed I would go to the next one in 2005. I also attended in 2010 and am practising for 2015. It’s proved a great experience.
Not long after joining, Carol asked me to think about becoming a teacher, but I didn’t have the confidence to take it on. Several years later, seeing others qualify, I decided to train but being predominantly on my own had to rely on teachers allowing me to teach parts of their classes for practice. All Fitness League teachers were very supportive and it meant I met a lot of members as well.
I now take my own class at Massey and have a great bunch of ladies who I look forward to seeing each week.