Objects of Substance- The Gymnastics Wall Bars

girls as they sought to develop flexibility, balance, and strength in co-curricular Gymnastics and in

Physical Education classes for the following twenty years. As Nicole Robbins states “the wall bars

represent one of the few pieces of gym equipment which are almost a replica of the original design.

All other gym apparatus has been influenced by mode rn ergonomics.”

2005 Gymnastic Club training with the wall bars in use.

Needing more, versatile space in preparation for the first intake of Year 7 in 2015, the School

reluctantly retired the Gymnastics-specific space in the Sports Centre. With a new, multi-purpose

wooden floor installed, the remaining section of the wall bars was removed and placed in storage.

Pleasingly and fortunately, the 1962 wall bars are currently undergoing restoration and, this year,

will return to their original position on the northern wall of the Sports Centre. The paint is being

removed and the timber is being refinished to highlight its natural beauty. The bars are being

refurbished. Once returned to its place, the wall bars will present as a tangible yet subtle reminder

to all students of the importance that Brisbane Girls Grammar School has placed on their physical

development, their health, and wellbeing. For sixty years the wall bars have helped thousands of

Grammar girls understand the power and beauty of strength and movement. They link the School’s

1995 Sports Centre to the 1962 Gymnasium and, in form and substance, remind us of the equipment