Love a Little Local: ProActive Fitness is moving house

Love a Little Local: ProActive Fitness is moving house

Writer & Photographer Taylum Meyer

ProActive Fitness at the Mussel Centre in Hermanus Industrial has been an integral part of the Hermanus fitness community for almost 12 years, since the gym first opened its doors on 11 May 2009. The popular gym is owned by Mathew Browne, a cycling enthusiast, and will soon be moving to an exciting new premises at the Hermanus Sports Club on 1 April.

Mathew, who has always had a passion for fitness, grew up in Durban and went on to study Human Movement Studies (now commonly known as Sport Science) from 1993 to 1996 at the University of Durban-Westville. Shortly after he graduated, Mathew got an opportunity to work overseas at a fitness club in the UK, where he stayed until the director of the club asked him to move back to South Africa to manage a gym he had just taken over: Hermanus Health and Fitness located above Eastcliff Spar.

Mathew didn’t know much about Hermanus at that time, but took a risk and moved here in 2002. He settled into his new job fairly quickly, thanks to his clear passion for fitness and his ability to make every client feel welcome, comfortable and important.

In 2003, ex-Springbok Captain and Laureus World Sports Academy legend, Morné du Plessis, introduced himself to several individuals in Hermanus including Mathew at Hermanus Health and Fitness, to talk about the concept and feasibility of opening some kind of sports centre for the community, on the exact land where the Hermanus Sports Club is now. Mathew took to the idea immediately and Morné went on to approach the Overstrand Municipality with his vision for Hermanus as the perfect location for a sports centre.

Mathew’s meeting with Morné planted

a seed, and since 2003, he has dreamed of creating a state of the art wellness and fitness centre that would put Hermanus on the map in the fitness community.

He remained the manager at Hermanus Health and Fitness until it was sold in 2009 and he decided it was time to take yet another risk and start his own gym. He was joined in his new business venture by Alex Smith (Mathew’s colleague at Hermanus Health and Fitness), Marion du Plessis and Nosipho Memani, who became, respectively, a gym instructor, receptionist, and receptionist / female attendant at Mathew’s new gym, ProActive Fitness – where they still work to this day.

Click on the newspaper below to read more (see page 16).