Local personal trainers and partners in business and in life, Diane Shipway and Glen Purtell, of Everton Park, have been crowned Australia’s top figure shaper and body builder, respectively.

The two won their divisions — figure class one (over 163cm) and men’s masters over 40 years — at the NABBA/WFF Southern Hemisphere Titles at the Southport RSL on Saturday 24 May, then went on to take the overall Ms and Mr Southern Hemisphere crowns.

Glen said, "he was particularly thrilled winning the overall as a master adding he didnt think a masters athlete had ever done this before in this particular competition."

The judges’ decision was unanimous in both cases, and the couple will now represent Australia at the prestigious NABBA World Championship in Aberdeen, Scotland, on 7 June, followed by the WFF World Championship in Northeim, Germany, where they will compete in the couples’ division.

Glen and Diane faced tough competition from experienced competitors from throughout Australia, but in the end, they were just too good for representatives from other states, even those much younger than them.

At 40, Glen, who has been weight training for more than 20 years, easily out-muscled competitors almost half his age, and demonstrated that age is no barrier to being in top condition. He competed at a weight of 95kgs and with a body fat percentage of about 3 per cent.

Although he holds three national titles, Glen has been away from the bodybuilding stage since 1995. He timed his comeback to coincide with his 40th birthday in February, believing he could have a good chance at representing Australia in the master’s division, though he has now gone one step further.

This is the first time a master’s competitor has been named overall Mr Southern Hemisphere.

While a personal trainer for more than 10 years, this was only 35-year-old Diane’s third competition – an impressive result considering she was up against more experienced competitors.

The couple’s success is likely to attract even more clients to their already successful business, Making Shapes.

Not surprisingly, they specialise in competition preparation and their client list includes numerous state and national titles holders. However, they have also assisted many non-competitors achieve their health and fitness goals.

They operate from a number of gyms throughout greater-Brisbane, although their largest client-base is at Xtreme Fitness in Everton Park.

While NABBA will assist with travel expenses, the couple is seeking assistance from the local business community.

Already, their gym, Xtreme, has organised a raffle, and donations have also been received from Graham Powles of Aspley Cycles, Darren Gardner of Task Fork Lifts and Rob Blake of Blake’s Pest Control.

Glen is sponsored by Australia’s top supplement company, Body Science, which is based in Queensland. This allows him to use the best supplements on the market to maintain peak health and fitness – and the results speak for themselves.

"I'm looking forward to taking a Bsc body & doing battle on the world stage & am confident I can do well . Glen thanked Body Science for all the support & assistance , stating I honestly believe I couldn't have done as well without the excellent Bsc products I've been using." Glen said.

The couple will leave Australia on Tuesday 3 June, and are expected to do their state and country proud in Scotland world titles held on Saturday 7th June and Germany.

Interestingly, if they repeat their success at next year’s Southern Hemisphere, they will not have to travel far from home to compete against the world’s best – the 2004 NABBA World Championship will be held at the Gold Coast Arts Centre on 12 June.