Roller City in Bayswater turning 40

IT was THE meeting place for teens across Melbourne’s outer east in the 1970s and ’80s but June Gladman made sure things at Roller City never got out of hand.

Former Roller City Bayswater owner June Gladman (left) and new owner Annette Ducommun. Picture: Sarah Matray

THE woman who opened and managed Bayswater’s iconic skating rink for more than three decades has recalled her memories of the venue ahead of its 40th birthday.

June Gladman and her ex-husband moved from Queensland to open Roller City in Bayswater “just after Anzac Day” in 1977 with the help of real estate agent Bob Appleby.

The rink quickly became popular and Ms Gladman, now 71, vividly recalls welcoming hundreds of teenagers on weekends during its glory days in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

“When it first opened, there were no other skating rinks in Melbourne except for a small one in Mordialloc,” she said.

“We would get 400 teenagers on a Friday night, it was so big, they were lined up at the gate waiting to get in.

Former Roller City Bayswater owner June Gladman still occasionally skates there. Picture: Sarah Matray

“The Friday night session was the most difficult session as terms of behaviour goes … kids were different back then, we had the Bayswater Boys and the Boronia Boneheads.”

Roller City was also a great meeting point for young people, and Ms Gladman said she knew plenty of staff members and skaters who met at the centre and later got married.

But in the interest of good manners, she drew the line at holding hands for any romantic advances.

“I would let them hold hands, but they weren’t allowed to sit on laps, and there was no passionate kissing,” she said.

“I’d say to them, ‘if you want to do that, I’m sure mum and dad will let you have the loungeroom at home’.”

Families still turn out at Roller City Bayswater. Picture: Sarah Matray

Roller City’s popularity continued through the years with birthday parties, discos and roller sports offerings.

The centre brought out international skating champions for coaching and featured on programs such as Hey Hey It’s Saturday, Shell’s Neighbourhood and The Early Bird Show.

“It was a constant challenge to come up with new things for new people come through,” Ms Gladman said.

“It certainly wasn’t an easy business to run, but it was very rewarding, and I wouldn’t change any of that.

“And I never would have succeeded for 35 years without the staff we had; the reliability and honesty of the staff is part of the success story.”

Bayswater Roller City in the early days.

Ms Gladman sold the business to Annette Ducommun in 2011 and said she was “very pleased” to see the venue reach its 40th birthday.

Ms Gladman, who first skated at age five, occasionally returns to the rink.

“It (skating) just gets in your blood I suppose,” she said.

“Although I’m in retirement, I’m still skating once every couple of months, it’s a social outing for me now.”

Bayswater Roller City was popular when it first opened.

Ms Gladman is confident the centre, and skating, will continue to be popular.

“Skating has survived because it’s something a family and people of all ages can do all together,” she said.

“We had little kids and toddlers on skates with parents and grandparents, it was just old-fashioned fun.

“It encourages people to interact with each other, and the health benefits are definitely the skills it teaches kids at a young age,” she said.