Gymnastics coach bids farewell
An important chapter has closed in the life of one 78 year old volunteer who, amid a rousing applause in his honour, retired from a position that has enriched the lives of many.
Tanunda’s Mr Barry Falland, a stalwart of the Barossa Valley Youth Club, finally decided to finish as registered coach after 53 years of volunteering in the role.
To mark the occasion and celebrate Barry’s outstanding commitment, past and present gymnasts and committee members gathered at The Rex in Tanunda. Surrounded by gym equipment, they honoured their coach who spent more than five decades serving his community.
Participating in the usual end of year display and trophy presentations day for the gymnastics club, Barry looked surprised when he swapped from presenter to recipient and was given a Gymnastics South Australia Service Award for his outstanding contribution to the sport.
On receiving the trophy, an overwhelmed Barry was very thankful and humbled.
“I’ve done the job I felt like doing and what can I say, it’s been a really, really good trip… And when you said that now I’ve retired I can do other things, I’ll let you into a little secret. The last thirty years I’ve had my motorbike stripped down for restoring, finally I’m getting to it. So I hope one day I’ll ride it up here and show it off. But thank you all, thank you parents, thank you children. I’ve just had such a wonderful time, most probably a better time than some of you have had,” he said.
