One anecdote from the great Willy Weiler who was with the Canadian Military:
In the spring of 1963, after arriving as champion of the Pan Am Games in Sao Paulo, I was transferred to Chilliwack, BC.
The base had no equipment for me to train on for the upcoming 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. I traveled 3 times a week to UBC to train …
So that I could do more practicing at the base, I purchased a horizontal bar and built the uprights for it. My previous experience in Rastatt, Germany of digging a 4 foot trench outside the gym and padding it with sawdust came in handy. …
That comes from a document celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Gymnastics B.C.
History buffs can download a copy for themselves: