Launceston's YMCA began serving the community more than 140 years ago and has continued to adapt over time to keep up with the community's changing needs.
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Along the way its had visits from professional athletes, bingo nights, hosted mock wedding fundraisers, created the Miss Launceston quest and received a Guinness World Record by participating in a world YMCA event to record the most consecutive soccer penalty kicks.
It started in Launceston after a court case about a minor stealing pigeons spurred the public to ask what could be done for the youth and the solution they saw was the YMCA.
It began in July 1880 and reached its 140-year milestone in July 2020 however, due to COVID-19, restrictions were in place so the celebration was pushed back to October.
Initially the centre was located in George Street, before it moved to St John Street, then Brisbane Street and settling in Kings Meadows in 1965.
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The Y's chief executive officer Jodie Johnson has been a part of the organisation for 45 years. She first got involved as a youth leader and participant, before she eventually moved into her current role.
She remembers fondly her memories from Y camps at Badger Head, after land was donated to build it by Paton and Baldwins.
"I think we are always changing towards the needs of the community. So, I see those changes I see the community changing every five to seven years on social behaviours and we try to adapt.
"But for me the biggest thing probably for YMCA is we're working together more as a bigger association. We're coming together and we're actually working more together on the same issues, same problems," Ms Johnson said.
"We're here for everyone, but we believe in the power of inspired young people. I've seen four generations of families and ... the interesting thing about youth is they don't change they're still the same trouble. Maybe today, they've got more troubles, more things that they have to cope with."
Ms Johnson said during her time the Y had also received recognition from the World YMCA for the best diverse project.
"That was when we first introduced glow in the dark sport," she said.
"We decided on glow in the dark basketball, netball and futsal, but futsal did not work as well so we stuck to basketball and netball."
Member numbers have dropped from between 1750-1900 last year to about 1400 due to the pandemic, but Ms Johnson said she hoped to gain those members back with restrictions easing.
One of the way they are looking to bring people back into the centre is through free birthday celebrations, which kick off on October 3 with events and a cake at the Y and run until October 26.
On October 14 there will be a senior show spectacular, for seniors to showcase their artworks/quilting/food displays, on October 24 there is a pre-Halloween event at Windsor Park for children and on October 26 there will be a tiny toys teddy bear picnic.
It's a little different from the 100 year milestone, which was held at Rutherglen and the Y had special wine labels produced for the occasion, but plans for the 150th will be bigger Ms Johnson said.
The 125th year milestone was celebrated at the Country Club Tasmania with live presentations and shows to put on display the organisations work.
Today the organisation has grown to support a pre-kinder play centre, disability and senior services, birthday parties, several different sports and recreational activities including gymnastics, dance, martial arts, basketball and a climbing wall, but the focus remains on youth.
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Isobel Cootes
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
