TRAVIS Spencer didn’t let his fighting spirit fade when his dream of serving his community with the South Australian Police Force was cut short.

Growing up a self-confessed movie buff, Travis found himself owning and running a Blockbuster franchise for 13 years. However, when online streaming came to the forefront in the mid 2010s and visits began to decline, Travis knew it was time to devise an exit strategy.

Wanting to take his passion for working with the community to a new level, Travis applied to enter the Police Force. However, this ultimately proved unsuccessful. Instead of the disappointment weighing him down, the savvy business man took the rejection and used it as motivation to work the residents of Gawler to boost their fitness and well-being, and threw himself onto a new path, where he purchased a local gym. Almost five years later, Travis said his work with Plus Fitness lets him connect with residents closer than ever before. Speaking with The Bunyip, Travis said the local community has shown nothing but support and kindness.

“I’m probably touching more people’s lives now than what I would’ve done had I gone down that path,” he said. “And that’s what really appealed to me, I just wanted to be close to the community, and everyone is able to resonate with one another, and the whole of Gawler is so community orientated. “Everyone helps each other out and there’s a real nice spirit. There’s always the opportunity to own gyms in other suburbs, but the community spirit and level of care and respect here is too rare to give up.” Mr Spencer is already planning to open another Plus Fitness club.