A top Perth curler whose love of the sport started at Craigie Primary School has called on councillors to save the city’s ice.
Robin Brydone, who plays on the number three team in the world, made his plea as councillors get ready to vote on the future of Perth’s leisure facilities on Wednesday.
Plans put forward by council officers don’t include any ice or leisure water provision – but the council leader, the Provost and The Courier have all put forward alternatives to save the much needed offering.
The curler spoke to The Courier on the eve of two tour events he was playing in Canada.
Robin said: “Not just from a curling standpoint but a sport standpoint in general – to lose a facility like (Dewars) to Perth is just detrimental to the city as a whole.
“The opportunities for younger kids like I got – to go and play different sports and try different things and fall into something that I end up loving and make a career out.
“It would be incredibly disappointing to know that the future kids coming through Perth wouldn’t have that opportunity.”
Local inspiration from a young age
Robin first tried his hand at the sport when he was seven years old after his parents joined the local curling club scene.
He got his first taste through the Curling’s Cool initiative before “growing to love it” while attending the junior club at Dewars on a Tuesday night.
The former Perth High pupil said: “Now being 27, that’s 20 years of playing the sport and it’s offered me a lot in terms of meeting new people across the country and across the world.
“I’m going to have a career in curling for the rest of my life hopefully.
“It’s offered me a lot of things and hopefully by keeping an ice rink in Perth it will offer the kids coming through the same opportunity.”
The curler highlighted the inspiration he took from seeing top level athletes competing at Dewars Centre in competitions like the Perth Masters.
He told The Courier: “It’s always been amazing, the level of athletes that have came and played at Perth’s rink.
“I went and along and watched them from the age of five or six years old.
“I got to meet some greats of the game and even got some memorabilia that’s still in my display cabinet now, some signed pads of famous curlers over from Canada that I then got to meet later on in my career.
“From going from watching it, I’ve played the Masters since I was 16 years old.”
The World Junior Championships that Perth hosted in 2011 was another defining moment.
“That really inspired me as a curler and as a player to get me to the top level,” he said.
How do we improve if we close facilities?
The curler knows how important Wednesday’s decision is for the future of the health and wellbeing of Perth’s younger generations.
If he had one message for councillors, it would be emphasising the opportunities that playing sport and having access to facilities brings.
“Not just curling, but sport as a whole, offers kids a lot of opportunities in terms of socialising and social skills,” said Robin.
“Being able to communicate with different people from different backgrounds, with different ages.
“As a nation we’re not the fittest, keeping people social and going out and playing is just what’s needed.
“If we’re taking away facilities that offer that I don’t see how as a nation we improve fitness and even mental health.”
Conversation