Celebrating 30 years of Achievement Celebrating 30 Years of Achievement | Page 10

NETWORK THROUGH THE YEARS
1989-91
1989 – mid 1990s
Network ’90 convention is again held at Jupiter’s Casino on the Gold Coast. Conventions are also run in
Adelaide and Melbourne, but eventually Sydney becomes the event’s home. At these events, Network delivers
both a convention and an exhibition, and a reputation fast develops for being among the best fitness events
in the world.
Early 1990s
Greg is instrumental in forming FISAF (the Federation of International Sport Aerobics and Fitness), bringing
together an international community of countries who organise Aerobic Championships. This also creates a
formal network around the world, which eventually becomes one of the springboards that helps launch the
pre-choreographed programs of Les Mills International, after Greg pulls together the principals from these
businesses, who all become Les Mills International licensees.
1990/91
Network creates the first personal trainer course in Australia. At the time many are sceptical that this
“personal training” thing coming from the United States (which is seemingly only for celebrities and the rich
and famous), might actually take off in Australia. How wrong they are!
1991
Network relocates the head office of the now re-named “Network for Fitness Professionals” to Neutral Bay,
where it has room to deliver its ACHPER Fitness Leader courses onsite.
1992
The official launch of Slide Reebok is scheduled to happen at the Network convention on the Gold Coast, but
is slightly foiled when the special socks, that are worn over one’s shoes in order to slide, go missing!
1992
Network tries to expand into Asia with a fitness convention in Singapore. It is expensive and difficult to
coordinate so the decision is made to refocus on being the industry leader in Australia.
Mid 1990s
Network staff are previewing and helping with the development of the first launch workshops for Les Mills
BODYPUMP in the Neutral Bay studio. This involves Steve Renata, Emma Barry and Mike McSweeney, who fast
became the first generation of Les Mills superstars.

At the same time as the Network events on the Gold Coast, there is a competing event called The Sydney
Fitness Expo, which is located at Darling Harbour. Network decides to expand the size and scope of its
convention and expo, and so purchases the Sydney Fitness Expo and rebrands the event as ‘FILEX’ (a loose
acronym for the ‘Fitness and Lifestyle Expo’). This is the beginning of Darling Harbour’s annual transformation
into the Southern Hemisphere’s epicentre for fitness.