Three 88-Year-Old Mates Keep Fit Together at Katifit Gym

A shared love of farming and decades of active living have brought three 88-year-old men together at Katifit gym on Sheffield Street in Katikati. Nev Morrissey, Alan McCaughan, and Ross Watson are regulars at the long-established gym, and their friendship is as much a draw as the equipment itself.

Morrissey, whose background is in dairy farming and sharemilking, has been in the area since 1965 and joined the gym around six years ago after some gentle persuasion from his mate Watson. Watson, who has diabetes, says regular cardio three times a week has made a real difference to his test results. McCaughan joined after moving to Katikati nine years ago and goes three to five times a week — his competitive streak means he wants to do everything properly. In his past he won gold at an endurance riding championship in Dubai and even wrote a book about his farm hack horse, Tonka the Red.

Katifit owner Jenna McCready noted that around 50 of the gym's members are over 70, with teenagers making up the next largest group. She and her husband Andrew purchased the gym in 2019, which has been operating for more than 20 years. "If I don't keep moving, I'll stop altogether," Morrissey said. "There's a few of us who come at the same time — it's a social thing."

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).