OPINION: Let the good times roll Gympie

I WAS a bit like a kid at Christmas when I heard the news that Gympie is getting back to where it left off in the late 80s.

A patron enjoying a skate at the old Gympie Skateland. Picture: CONTRIBUTED

I WAS a bit like a kid at Christmas when I heard the news that Gympie is getting back to where it left off in the late 80s and reinstating the roller skate ring.

Skateland, as for many Gympie-raised kids of my era, was the epitome of fun - it was right up there with the Gympie Memorial water slide.

I took lessons at Skateland and remember the bubble of anticipation as I sat toes balanced precariously on the the rubber stopper while tying up my tan leather skates. I remember the butterfly-y squealy delight when I had to race other children to a corner after the throw of a giant dice in the middle of the floor determined our direction.

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I also remember the bruised front tooth I got from cracking my mouth on the floor; it stayed grey for months but couldn't be pulled because it was a baby tooth. All character building.

While my excitement is steeped in nostalgia - it is more than that - with four kids growing up in this town, anything extra for youngsters to do is a blessing. Especially when it involves good old-fashioned fun.

With opening of the Gympie SkateZone scheduled around the same time as Gympie's new aquatic centre early next year, fun-loving Gympie kids aren't going to know what hit them.

And neither will my teeth.

No Caption. Picture: Hemera Technologies