Alumnus of the Year

As founder and CEO of the Club Active Over 50s health and fitness group, Jonathan and his team of Allied Health professionals are bringing ageing to life – indeed better life – through scientifically informed, individually tailored programs.

After the first Club Active centre launched at Tweed Heads in 2017, several new centres have opened on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane, Sydney and Northern NSW. More are planned, demonstrating the strength of the Over 50s demographic and the motivation of people to age with vitality, confidence and rejuvenation.

The concept’s success also demonstrates the value of “thinking outside the square”, a quality Jonathan attributes to his time at Southern Cross University, and which has helped land some very high-profile clients:

• Hollywood stars Chris and Liam Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Matt Damon Zac Efron and Colin Farrell;
• Adventurer Ross Edgley and Forbestop-rated fitness influencer Emily Skye;
• Bernard Fanning, frontman for much-loved Australian band Powderfinger, and:
• sporting greats including surfers Kelly Slater and Joel Parkinson, tennis legend Pat Rafter, controversial Chinese swimmer Sun Yang – more of him shortly – and past and present rugby league champions.

Jonathan had his own sporting career in promising progress in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Having grown up just south of Coffs Harbour, the St John Paul College graduate went on to play rugby league at semi-professional level.

“I might have gone further had injuries not taken their toll,” he says. “Still, I knew that playing top-level sport cannot last forever and I always wanted to pursue opportunities for other roles in sport, health and fitness.

“Studying Exercise Science ticked all the boxes. Though relatively new at the time, today it is a significant part of the Allied Health system and Southern Cross University has long been at the forefront of education in the field. For me, it was great to be back home in the Northern Rivers and I immediately felt at home in my study.

In 2010, Jonathan graduated with a Bachelor of Exercise Science and Nutrition and soon after went into private practice. With a focus on the high-performance space, his reputation grew quickly. Early clients were the Gold Coast Titans and Tweed Heads Seagulls rugby league clubs.   

He also lectured at TAFE NSW and returned to Southern Cross University as a Sessional Tutor and Adjunct Professional Fellow from 2015-22, lecturing in biomechanics and functional anatomy, and musculoskeletal health.  

One role that stands out is that of Sports Injury and Athletic Performance Consultant with the Chinese Swimming Association from 2017-22, years during which controversy reigned over an alleged systemic doping regime that included world and Olympic champion Sun Yang. 

“It was such a strange experience to be working with the Chinese swimmers and especially Sun Yang while all that was going on,” says Jonathan.  

“I was in Kunming when it all erupted. Here I was, working with swimmers at the centre of this international scandal and yet I was also removed from it. An outsider. I was there for recovery and rehabilitation and that was how I had to approach things, fundamentally and pragmatically. 

“As an Exercise Physiologist, my priority in every situation is to understand the root cause of a patient’s primary injury or pain, then ensure the correct exercises are tailored to assist and improve function.” 

Talk of “function” is an apt segue back to Club Active, which arose from Jonathan’s discovery of “my love for longevity”. 

“Environment and engagement were key factors in my thinking. Conventional gyms can be daunting for older people, so I wanted to create a health and fitness environment attuned to the Over 50s, one in which participants follow their individual programs, yet do so among others of similar age and with similar objectives.” 

 Another key factor was personnel. 

“Our exercise physiologists are brilliant, and I want to keep them with us,” says Jonathan. “That is why we established our graduate program, a partnership level, a model for career growth in which they have equity.” 

Such initiatives are further evidence of thinking outside the square. 

“My degree taught me to keep asking questions and to grow my knowledge and experience. It encouraged me to consider not just how things do work or have worked, but how they might work. When it comes to people’s health, we cannot remain static in our thinking.   

“Given how people are living longer than they have ever done, the benefits of ageing well cannot be overlooked. The impact of better health past 50 is felt within the individual and extends throughout the community and society, including Australia’s healthcare system. 

Life after 50 should not mean life in decline. In fact, it is an opportunity for a new and exciting coming of age."