Roller skates to make way for travel

IF YOU found your feet on a pair of roller skates at the Bundamba Skateaway some time over the last quarter of a century, there’s a good chance you’ve got Carol Nutley to thank for it.

ROLLING ON: Carol Nutley has been teaching beginners at Bundamba Skateaway for 24 years. Picture: Inga Williams

IF YOU found your feet on a pair of roller skates at the Bundamba Skateaway some time over the last quarter of a century, there's a good chance you've got Carol Nutley to thank for it.

The Ipswich grandmother answered the call for a volunteer beginner skating instructor after taking her children to the skating rink all the way back in 1991.

Since then she's given her Saturday mornings to the cause of teaching young Ipswich kids how to skate - and there have been some fantastic success stories along the way.

Mrs Nutley has called an end to her many years of volunteer service to the Skateaway so that she can focus on retirement and travelling around the country.

"I brought the kids down here one time when my daughter Anna was about six years old - that would have been about 1990," Mrs Nutley said.

"The kids started having lessons and they took to it like ducks to water. I was approached to take one of the classes and I didn't think I was a good enough skater to do it - but it turned out that I was."

Mrs Nutley ended up teaching anyone from nappies to 90 how to skate - including a few youngsters who turned out to be champion skaters.

Her own daughter, Anna, was an Australian champion figure skater in 1997 and 1999, while Vivica Buttner - the daughter of current Skateaway owner David Buttner - was also a champion artistic skater.

"Half a dozen of my students went on to become Queensland champions," Mrs Nutley said.

"I got a great deal of satisfaction out of watching these kids who were falling over every two seconds learning how to skate.

"It's nice to know that I played a small part in that."

Mr Buttner said the retiring instructor was "irreplaceable".

"We've had children with autism and asperger's syndrome come through here and we've found that skating tends to help them socialise and concentrate," he said.

Bundamba Skateaway is looking for replacement skating instructors. Anyone who is interested can phone the Skateaway on 3282 4804.