Canberrans were sticking up for their right to skateboard in Garema Place on this day in 1990, following calls from local traders to have the sport banned.
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The Small Shop Owners' Action Group had presented a submission to the then-executive deputy for Police, Justice, Sport and Recreation, asking for the prohibition of 24-hour liquor trading, intoxicated and under-age drinkers, skateboarders, and cyclists in the area.
The skateboarders' group had collected about 1000 signatures against the ban in response, as there "were few places as congenial as Garema Place, and it added colour to the city on weekends".
"At issue are the rights of young people to use their skateboards, a recreational pastime they say has been going on in Garema Place 'for years', measured against the rights of nearby traders to a 'trouble-free' environment," a report on the front page of The Canberra Times read.
The ACT government indicated it might introduce legislation banning skateboarders from within 20 metres of shopfronts in Garema Place.
