Owner of Macquarie Ice Rink tells Kerry family to stay away following serious allegations against Olympian son

The allegations against Winter Olympian Brendan Kerry and his ban in the United States are now directly impacting his family back in Sydney.

Brendan Kerry’s family are now being directly impacted. Picture: The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images

The parents of Australian figure skater Brendan Kerry have been told to stay away from the family-owned Sydney ice rink where they have worked for years after their son was banned in the United States over an alleged sexual misconduct of a minor.

Australia’s flag bearer at the Beijing Winter Olympics, Kerry denies the accusations against him and intends to appeal against the ruling by the US Centre for SafeSport, which prevents him from coaching or competing in America.

But while SafeSport has no jurisdiction outside its own borders and their findings are deemed ‘not yet final’, the fallout in Australia has been swift and exposed the deep cracks in the way the sport is run in this country.

Monica MacDonald has been suspended from her job at Macquarie Ice Rink. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

While Kerry agreed to stand down from his full-time job coaching kids the moment the US report became public, the wealthy owner of the Macquarie Ice Rink, Dr Frank Gregg, has also suspended Kerry’s mother Monica MacDonald and her husband John Dunn.

In an exclusive interview with this masthead on Saturday, MacDonald revealed that her entire family had been devastated by the shock ruling against her son but were standing by him, insisting he was completely innocent and would prove it once he gets his day in court.

Since then, it’s understood MacDonald and her husband were both notified that they had been suspended, without pay, from their longtime jobs at Macquarie Ice Rink, where MacDonald was the skating director and Dunn worked as the rink manager.

Macquarie Ice Rink owner Dr Frank Greg. Picture: Supplied

Independent sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the reasons provided for the pair’s suspension was that they had failed to notify the rink owners about Kerry’s case and the media coverage had negatively impacted the venue’s reputation.

Macquarie Ice Rink refused to comment or respond to questions when contacted by this masthead.

Other coaches and parents of children who train at the rink, were later emailed notices, signed off by Gregg, saying that a new executive team had already been appointed.

Seen by this masthead, the letters say: “We understand changes of this nature can be concerning. Please rest assured that we are committed to a seamless transition and will provide all the required support to all our staff/coaches/stakeholders/customer base/patrons.”

Brendan Kerry and his family have been training at Macquarie Ice Rink for decades. Picture: Supplied

Dunn was also stood down as a board member of Ice Skating Australia (ISA) after his wife had voluntarily stepped aside from her role on the ISA coaching committee and at the Australian Professional Skaters Association (APSA), where she was serving as president.

ISA president Wendy Meik refused to comment on the proceedings when asked by this masthead while APSA said they were not making any decisions because the process was still ongoing.

“Any issue brought to the Board will be investigated following our protocol,” APSA told this masthead.

“APSA’s complaint, investigation and disciplinary processes are confidential to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all parties involved to ensure all parties are afforded their right to privacy, natural justice and procedural fairness.”

Originally published as Owner of Macquarie Ice Rink tells Kerry family to stay away following serious allegations against Olympian son