The Levin Scottish Country Dancing Club have only 24 members but they put on a great annual dance on Sunday afternoon, 17 July. Levin have the added problem of not having a local tutor, so the resourceful members take turns to learn and brief dances, with Melva Waite, the Ngaio Club tutor, travelling up once a month to be a guest tutor.

For Sunday’s dance Melva was the MC and the music was played by the The Saltire Scottish Dance Band. The musicians were Mary McDonald and Jason Morris from Wellington, and Glenice Saunders from Palmerston North. It was lucky that the band got there on time, as the traffic was horrendous with all those disconsolate rugby fans returning home in tears from a loss to Ireland.

In spite of the traffic there were six sets (eventually). Talking to people between dances it seemed they had come from far and wide – Ashhurst, Whanganui and Palmerston North as well as a good contingent from Wellington, including several Johnsonville members.

The dance was in the beautiful and atmospheric Ōhau Hall, in the tiny settlement of Ōhau about 6 km south of Levin. The hall has a perfect floor for dancing and the band said it was acoustically just right. There is also a kitchen and an adjacent room where a feast (with gluten-free and vegan options) was set out to revive the dancers half-way through.

Everyone who was there enjoyed themselves dancing an excellent programme. The event finished just before 6pm. It had taken an hour and three quarters to get there but only an hour to get home.

Robert Vale
21 July 2022

Photos: Robert Vale