Canterbury Olympic Ice Rink secures $17m upgrades including new roof, spectator seating

Amid a heatwave, a former Olympian has embraced the now-secured revamp of one of Sydney’s last ice rinks more than a year after the centre was on the brink of closing.

Canterbury Eagles Ice Hockey players Jason Beazley, 15, (left) and Parker Law, 16, outside the Canterbury Ice Rink which is receiving a big upgrade. Picture: Jonathan Ng

A former Olympian and burgeoning winter sports stars have embraced the revamp of one of Sydney’s last ice rinks after funding was secured more than a year following the centre’s closure because of structural problems.

A total of $17.7m WestInvest funding was allocated to Canterbury Ice Rink in February but after months waiting for work to begin, the government confirmed on Sunday the grant would cover the cost for a new roof, change rooms and a modern concrete ice floor and barriers.

Skaters will still have to be patient with work to begin late next year and wrap up mid-2026.

A new skate hire facility and upgraded spectator seating areas will also be included in the upgrade after the centre was forced to close in August last year because of structural issues in the roof.

The rink was built in 1971 and was a former aircraft hangar before transforming into the home of more than 20 Olympic ice skaters, including short track Olympic gold medallist Steven Bradbury, and Australia’s first indigenous Winter Olympics athlete, Harley Windsor.

Sochi 2014 Olympics ice dancer Danielle O’Brien said there were discussions in 2020 about the structural integrity of the building and concerns that by 2023 the roof would need to be repaired.

Canterbury Eagles Ice Hockey players Parker Law, 16, (left) and Jason Beazley, 15, outside the Canterbury Ice Rink. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Winter Olympic Games gold medal winner, speed skater Steven Bradbury, at Canterbury ice rink in 2002.

“There was a loud bang heard in the rink and the rink was forced to close… it was an unfortunate turn of events,” she said.

O’Brien, the former director of not-for-profit Ice Skating NSW, which runs the rink, said it was a “huge sigh of relief” when the multimillion-dollar cash injection was secured on Sunday.

“The fact we’ve been closed for over 12 months and we all had a feeling of ambiguity if anything was going to change,” she said.

“The ice rink has been in the Canterbury community for 50-odd years and for it to possibly no longer be there, no one could understand how anyone could let that happen.”

O’Brien said she learnt to skate at the site which has been instrumental in not only nurturing future Olympians, but bringing the community together.

“Winter sports in Australia are always known as the smaller sports as you can having a swimming pool in every suburb but an ice rink is much harder to find,” she said.

“We can talk about the future of the sport in the Olympic arena but the ice rink is also that piece for the community, whether they skated or not, where they can come together on a hot day and try on some skates or enjoy a hockey match.”

Canterbury Eagles Ice Hockey players Parker Law, 16, (left) and Jason Beazley, 15, outside the Canterbury Ice Rink which is receiving a big upgrade. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Canterbury Ice Hockey Club secretary Kristen Burton said since the closure of the rink, teams have been forced to train on rollerblades in the carpark.

“We were overwhelmed not knowing what our future was, not knowing what to tell our kids and other members of the club,” she said.

“It’s been a long journey and we’ve had amazing support from other rinks trying to provide our member with some ice team but it’s been hard because of the closure of other rinks like Penrith over the years.”

Ms Burton, said the centre’s revamp was “amazing” because the children, including her son Jason Beazley who is a goalie for the Canterbury Eagles ice hockey team, have missed the community spirit.

“It’s an amazing feeling because everyone is your family and it felt like there was a part of your family missing because the rink was not only a place to train but it was a place for the kids to meet together,” she said.

Olympic figure skating Harley Windsor also trained at the Canterbury rink. Picture: Mark Evans

The NSW Ice Skating Club chair Stephen Aird said Canterbury rink was a “rare facility” and without the centre there was only one operating Olympic sized rink in Sydney.

“Once Canterbury reopens, the ice sports community in southwest Sydney will have their home rink back, but also skaters from all over Sydney will have access to another world class ice surface to train and compete in short-track speed skating, hockey and figure disciplines,” he said.

Sport Minister Steve Kamper said the upgrades would restore the “fantastic facility” so it could serve as a rink for the Canterbury community for many years to come.

Canterbury and Strathfield MPs Sophie Cotsis and Jason Yat-sen Li, who held a community meeting at the rink on Sunday, said the upgrades were a “huge win” for the community.