Incredible contribution to community honoured

The South West community is commemorating the extraordinary life of Jenny Couch, who passed away on January 29, 2025, after a brave battle with Motor Neuron Disease.

A distinguished Olympian, dedicated coach, and inspiring mentor, Jenny impacted the lives of thousands of young gymnasts during her five decades of service to the sport, with over 300 people coming together last week to celebrate her life.

Her remarkable journey in gymnastics began in 1963 when she joined the Swan Girls Gymnastics Club at age 9.

By age 12, Jenny competed in national championships, making her mark at the 1966 and 67 Australian Gymnastics Championships. Her natural talent and dedication to the sport earned her the 1969 Australian Junior Champion and Runner-Up Senior Champion titles.

In 1970, the world stage beckoned as Jenny represented Australia at the World Games in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia.

This was followed by the Chinichi Cup in Japan and various competitions in the USA.

Her exceptional performances made history when she became the only female gymnast from Australasia selected for the Olympics during trials in New Zealand.

What came next was an extraordinary story of sheer determination.

With no high-level coaches available in Australia, the young gymnast created her own path to the Olympics.

“Jenny bought a super eight camera and took it to the World Games and filmed all the top gymnasts, and then came back and rewatched them repeatedly, studying every move,” her husband David Couch shared.

This innovative self-coaching approach led her to achieve the seemingly impossible: competing at the 1972 Munich Olympics without a coach and being the only female athlete from Western Australia in all sports.

The ’72 Olympics, despite its tragic events, remained a defining moment in Jenny’s life.

The terrorists who kidnapped fifteen Israeli teammates had passed by her room – an incident that shocked the world and terrified the young Olympian.

Yet even such devastating circumstances couldn’t overshadow Jenny’s cherished memories of the Games.

“She said it was simply mind-blowing, and she’ll never forget it,’ David recalled.

“Despite the terrible circumstances, what stayed with her the most was the brilliance of being part of such an extraordinary gathering of athletes.”

Jenny followed her Olympic journey by winning a third Australian Championship in Melbourne and appearing at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch.

Yet, alongside these incredible achievements, life had another passion and victory in store for her… love.

David will never forget how they first met after hearing about the talented Olympian next door.

“Jenny’s family bought a block of land next to us in the early 70s.

I used to watch this family coming down on the holidays; they had two boys and two girls, but I never saw the mythical other sister… (Jenny) who was travelling the world doing gymnastics,” he recalled.

Working in Perth at the time, David’s weekend visits to Busselton led to an unexpected encounter that made his heart do a few backflips of his own.

“I came down one weekend and saw this girl walking down to the beach.

“She hit the sand and started doing about 10 somersaults in her row! Which blew me away.” He laughed, remembering his amazement.

“She stopped and did another 10 somersaults back the other way, and I thought, “Crikey, this girl’s a bit different!”

A family invitation to her brother’s 21st birthday party blossomed into a romance spanning 51 years.

They married in 1977 and had three children.

At age 20, Jenny retired from competitive sports and began channelling her energetic spirit into nurturing new talent, founding the Busselton Gymnastics Club.

Over the next three and a half decades, she would guide thousands of young gymnasts, some of whom followed her path to competitive success.

“Both our daughter Holly and her friend Josie Dean were accepted into the Western Australian Institute of Sport and were selected for the squad for the 2000 Olympics for Australia,” David noted proudly.

Among her many students was Miriam Cawley, now of Southwest Circus, who started gymnastics with Jenny at age 5 in 1999.

“She was an amazing coach who made us work hard but was always encouraging and uplifting,” Miriam remembered.

“I have such very fond memories of doing gymnastics with her.

“Whenever I walk in to teach, I always think of Jenny, and I can only hope to be as impactful and amazing as she was.”

Jenny and David’s commitment to youth development expanded beyond gymnastics when they established the – Nautical Lady Entertainment World in 1981 and the iconic Busselton Lighthouse in 1991.

For 34 years, this unique precinct became more than just an entertainment venue; it was a launching pad for young people starting their careers.

“We concentrated on youth development, training up to 450 kids mainly into their first job over those years,” David explained.

For Miriam, The Nautical Lady offered another dimension of Jenny’s mentorship and gave her a start in life.

“Jenny and David gave me my first job there when I was 14,” she shared.

“Jenny was someone you respected and wanted to work hard for, but she was also a caring and understanding mentor.

“She always encouraged me to get out there and go for what I wanted!”

This encouragement of others was fundamental to Jenny’s character.

“I would put it down to her giving nature,” David reflected.

“She liked to see people progress and do well with their lives.

“That was her drive. She wanted to see people achieve great things. She had the skills and knowledge and was very keen to pass it on.”

Her contributions to gymnastics continued to grow as she organised competitions throughout the South West region and trained local judges, building a skilled and supportive gymnastics community.

In recognition of her outstanding service spanning over 50 years, Jenny received Life Membership honours from Gymnastics WA.

Though unable to attend the gala dinner due to her diagnosis of MND, she was presented with the award by fellow gymnasts Kerry Bowden and Connie Birch in December at their son Jon and Katie’s home wedding.

Gymnastics WA president Natasha Ogonowski acknowledged Jenny’s profound impact on the sport.

“As both an athlete and devoted coach, she has been a pillar of the community, positively influencing thousands of athletes, judges and families, particularly in the South West region,” she said.

Even during her battle with MND, diagnosed in June 2022, Jenny maintained her characteristic grace and humour.

“She was such a determined person throughout her whole life, which helped her deal with the MND in true Jenny style with a smile, grace and a determined will,” David shared.

“She always had a mischievous grin and strong sense of humour which carried her through. You never really saw her get down or really complain at all.”

Her caring nature remained evident until the end.

“One by one, she was losing the use of her limbs and her ability to swallow, losing all the functions of her body, yet her mind kept her so social, caring, and always wanting to please,” David said.

“On the day she passed away, she worried about someone not receiving their birthday card!”

Reflecting on their life together, David’s voice softened with love and admiration.

“Jenny was my life partner. She was the light of my world.

“To sum Jenny up, she had an immense zest for life. She just wanted to live it to its greatest… and she did!”