As a teenage girl working at the Bunbury Roller Rink, Ebony Cassady always dreamt of one day opening her own skating rink.
Now, 26 years after first lacing up her skates, her dream has finally come true.
Ms Cassady and her partner Codey Thomson are set to reopen the beloved rink under new management and with a new identity on Friday.
“I basically grew up here skating underneath Susan Brooks, who was my coach and then became my boss when I started working here,” Ms Cassady told the Times.
“I was able to travel the world and represent Australia from age 13-20.
“It’s been a little-girl dream of mine, and this was my passion and love.”
While Ms Cassady and Mr Thomson moved to the Pilbara for a few years to work and save money, they always planned to move back to Bunbury.
She wanted to get back to skating when she returned home, and decided to do so in the form of coaching.
Mr Thomson said the pair were looking to open a business for Ms Cassady while he ran a painting business as they did not want to work fly-in, fly-out anymore.
“We came in here just for a skate because we were bored on a Saturday morning and found out about how the rink was about to close,” he said.
“Then we started putting plans in place and seeing if we could work things out and make it happen.
“We had other business plans in mind but none of them were really a passion. Once we saw this opportunity, we jumped on it.”
The rink has undergone a complete face lift and Mr Thomson said almost all the work was completed by just the couple.
They will reopen the venue to the public on Friday night, with tickets for the grand opening now on sale.
From 6pm, community members can be part of the couple’s very first night in business, with lights, music and “non-stop skating” promised.
The venue will then be open all weekend for those wanting to celebrate with a stake.
The couple are ready to show off the new-look rink after months of renovations.
“Amongst the works we have done, painting has been the biggest work — the toilets have been revamped from floors to ceilings, the works included the floors and all the barriers too,” Ms Cassady said.
“It has been transformed into what I dream is going to be the new skating era for Bunbury and put Bunbury and skating back on the map.
“We aimed for a retro atmosphere for a different vibe to make it our own.”
Mr Thomson said more renovations were in the pipeline, as they planned to keep the facility fresh for newcomers and loyal customers.
“There is still a lot to do— you look at how big the space is and the changes that had to be done or could be done— it is going to be an everlasting process,” Mr Thomson said.
