A great contingent of Johnsonville Club members saw the New Year in at the Wellington Region Hogmanay on 31 December in Lower Hutt.

A number of Johnsonville dancers played key parts during the Hogmanay.

Dancing The Barmkin

Organised by Chris Totton and his team, the MCs for the evening were Diane Bradshaw, our club tutor Rod Downey, Jeanette Watson and Chris.

We danced the night away to fine music from Iain Matcham on the fiddle, Jean Malcolm on the keyboard and Terry Bradshaw on the drums.

Popular dances included the old favourite Hooper’s Jig, the top-tapping reel Scott Meikle and The Kissing Bridge devised by local Romaine Butterfield.

Johnsonville dancers. Maureen was also at Hogmanay.

Autumn Tidings, a jig devised by Iain Matcham and danced to tunes he composed and played, also proved a hit. Thanks to Pat Reesby for her video below.

The more experienced dancers enjoyed taking up the challenge of dancing The Cashmere Shawl devised by Iain Boyd, another local.

Just before midnight, the ceremony for welcoming in the New Year began with Johnsonville Life Members John and Aline Homes taking on the roles of Old Father Time and the Sweeper.

While they swept out the old year, the band treated us to a rendition of the haunting original version of Auld Lang Syne. Have a listen to this beautiful tune in Pat’s video.
As Vice President of the Wellington Region, Rod announced the arrival of the First Foot – the first person to come across the threshold in the new year, carrying gifts of coal for warmth, salt or money for wealth, shortbread for sustenance and whisky for good cheer.

Led by a piper, First Foot Alastair McCarthy walked a circuit around the hall before presenting the gifts to the Rod as the representative of the RSCDS (Royal Scottish Country Dance Society). The First Foot then raised a toast to the RSCDS and welcomed in 2019!

After wishing each other Happy New Year, it was time for the dancers to tackle the final three dances – the Eightsome Reel, Robertson’s Rant and Seton’s Ceilidh Band.

See the smiles and laughter during the evening in Loralee Hyde’s photos

Farewell and thanks to Peter Elmes

Our final night on 26 November was a great success with more than four sets of members. Our very welcome visitors took us up to seven sets of dancers.

Peter Elmes, Aileen Logie, Don McKay and Hilary Ferral brought us such fine music, we were bound to have a good time.

Rod’s programme made for a hall of happy dancers enjoying a mix of perennial Johnsonville favourites, some less familiar, and of course Désirée Patterson (devised in 2017 for that special birthday girl).

Thanks to everyone who made it such a joyful celebration of Peter’s music on his last night of playing his button accordion for Scottish Country Dancing. See our President Kristin Downey’s thanks to Peter on behalf of Johnsonville members here

The atmosphere of friendship, the colourful decorations and the delicious supper all added to the occasion. What a perfect way to finish our dancing year.

Thank you Rod for all the work you put in each week,

It was also the perfect time to thank Rod for all the work he puts in each week, enabling us to enjoy occasions like these. The Club presented him with a fatter envelope than usual (containing a special gift of New World (wine) vouchers), in recognition of his tireless dedication to making sure there’s something for everyone, beginners to advanced dancers.

We also presented flowering plants to guest tutors Catherine and Jeanette for their continuing commitment to our Club. They are both already signed up for repeat performances next year, and we look forward to welcoming them back.

See more smiles in Loralee’s photos here

Download the Johnsonville Final Night Programme

This year’s Samhain evening of fun dances was filled with witch’s hats, capes and devil’s horns, spiders, cobwebs, orange and black and ghostly grey outfits. Happiness abounded!

Rod’s entertaining Halloween-themed dance programme included:
The Witches Reel
Samhain Magic
Slytherin House
Ferla Mor
The Kitchen Faerie
Ellwyn’s Fairy Glen
Tam o’ Shanter

The Club AGM was also held on 5 November. This is our opportunity to formally acknowledge the many contributions that club members make. This year we thanked Joan and Fiona who are stepping down from the supper team, Emma and Janet who are stepping down as general committee members and Elizabeth who continues to serve as supper convenor.

Thanks to John Patterson for his great photos of this fun-filled night. Click here to view the photos

With 15 plus sets on the floor dancing to fine music from Roaring Jelly (Lynne Scott, Sharlene Penman and Richard Hardie), the Wellington Region New Dancers’ Celebration on 13 October was a great success. Thank you to Island Bay and Kelburn Clubs – this year’s organisers.

Johnsonville Club had an excellent turnout of members – around 26 in total. It was great to see 15 of our experienced dancers there in support of our 10 first and second year dancers, all dancing with aplomb.

Well done everyone, and thanks to Rod (and Jeanette and Catherine earlier in the year) for their preparation which enabled us to enjoy the night. The Region’s two extra preparation classes were also much appreciated by our newer dancers.

Thanks also to John Patterson for his photos that record the occasion. See them here

Up to six sets of happy dancers took to the floor at our second Tartan Night of the year on Monday 1 October.

The Club’s tartan bunting and the music by Wild Heather – Lynne Scott, Anne-Marie Forsyth, Mary McDonald and Sharlene Penman – added great ‘joie de vivre’ and colour to the evening.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to making the Tartan Night such a success. As usual, Rod gave us an excellent and varied programme including his dance My Golden Bear devised on 5 August 2016 for his wife Kristin, his bear, for her 60th birthday.

This was the first time My Golden Bear was danced to the recommended music (which is what Rod had in his head when he devised the dance). See a video of the dance filmed by John Patterson here.

Elaine and Loralee’s promotion of the event to other clubs helped make it a sociable night as we were delighted to welcome many visitors.

Thanks to Club members who helped set up the hall, brought along delicious supper delights and made sure all enjoyed the evening. Check out the smiles in John Patterson’s photos here

Download the Johnsonville October Tartan Night Programme

The joy of Cadgers in the Canongate!

What a great evening we had at our first joint Annual Dance with Island Bay Club on Saturday 11 August at Ngaio Town Hall, with eight sets of happy dancers taking to the floor.

Months of planning by Johnsonville President Kristin Downey and a joint committee of Johnsonville and Island Bay club members brought about a superbly organised evening filled with fun and laughter. We welcomed dancers from across the Region including RSCDS New Zealand Branch President Elaine Laidlaw and former Johnsonville Club Secretary John Munro from the Wairarapa.

The many members from both clubs who helped set up the hall made it a cheerful and colourful affair with the Johnsonville tartan bunting and Island Bay banners adorning the walls along with bright programme posters (which had a tartan border that reflected the logo colours of both clubs). Tartan rugs set off the stage along with beautiful floral arrangements again created by Aline Homes.

Speaking on behalf of both clubs including Island Bay President Elaine Lethbridge, Kristin commented that the joint committee and members working together to set up the hall gave a great opportunity for all to intermingle and get to know each other better, making the evening an enjoyable and relaxed occasion.

Kristin thanked Johnsonville tutor Rod Downey and Island Bay tutor Jeanette Watson for also working hard together on the well-balanced programme and for their shared briefings of the dances that catered for all – from easier dances for newer dancers to the more challenging including the ever-popular Cadgers in the Canongate.

This year, we were thrilled to dance to the inspiring music of Strings Attached – Lynne Scott, Richard Hardie, Sharlene Penman and Heather Elder with André Nies from Auckland joining the group. We enjoyed the additional depth the extra strings added to the sets of tunes.

Many others contributed to the success of the evening including Allison Kay looking after the finances, Elizabeth Ngan and her supper team and Loralee Hyde for promotional work and photography. See Loralee’s photos here

We appreciate everyone’s contribution including all those dancers from other clubs who joined us to make it a special night. Thank you to all.

Download the Johnsonville & Island Bay Annual Dance 2018 Programme

Loralee, Elizabeth and Kate in the Conservatory

Three Johnsonville Club members, Loralee, Elizabeth and Kate, were thrilled to join 100 dancers from across the country at the RSCDS New Zealand Branch 50th Anniversary Ball on 20 August 2018 at Government House in Wellington.

The Governor General, The Rt Hon Dame Patsy Reddy, welcomed the attendees to Government House, saying it was wonderful to see the ballroom being put to use by enthusiastic and committed dancers who had come from all around New Zealand for the celebration. Wearing a MacNeil tartan sash, Dame Patsy also shared her Scottish heritage with the dancers.

Dancers from the Wellington Region

With Elaine Laidlaw, the President of the New Zealand Branch as MC, dancers then took to the floor to the toe-tapping music of Ian and Judith Muir from the UK. Many dances on the programme were devised by New Zealanders including Iain Boyd, Gary Morris, Maureen Robson and Romaine Butterfield from the Wellington Region.

At supper, dancers enjoyed special Scottish delights including haggis sausage rolls and Cullen skink pies with smoked fish, leek and potato followed by chocolate and whisky torte.

With all the swirling kilts and fabulous colours of the ballgowns, this special evening of dancing proved a grand celebration of the Branch’s 50th Anniversary. Thank you to the organising committee of Diane Bradshaw, Michele Miller, Lee Miller (all from Wellington) and Katharine Hoskyn from Auckland for their hard work that made this night such a wonderful occasion.

Click here to see more photos from Loralee Hyde of this great evening

Spring into Autumn!

The smiles and laughter (sometimes almost hysterical!) of Johnsonville Club members and their friends and families on Saturday 5 May at our pre-winter event, certainly proved that dancing is a shortcut to happiness!

Autumn in New Zealand means it’s spring in Scotland so we hedged our bets with the theme of Spring into Autumn. The hall was set with orange flowers made by Kristin decorating a fine selection of tartan rugs on the walls along with drawings of lambs, bunnies and autumn leaves coloured by members’ children.

In costumes of bright spring and autumn colours, we relaxed with mulled wine, fruit punch and nibbles followed by a delicious autumn buffet of hot mains and yummy desserts from Cotti Cafe.

Tutor Rod Downey put together a lively ‘spring and autumn’ programme – Bonnie Lassie Party Dance (March), Spring Rains (J), The Maypole Dance (R), Victorian Style Morris Dance (J), An Autumn Posy (S) and The De’il amang the Tailors.

With great excitement (and with the aforesaid hilarity), we put considerable focus and effort into dancing the World Premiere of Rod’s 96-bar The Maypole Dance (devised especially for the evening) from his Golden Bear Collection.

Then an exuberant melee thronged the floor as dancers experimented with their bells and handkerchiefs before Rod and Kristin demonstrated the moves of the Victorian Style Morris Dance. What an entertaining dance this was – for both the enthusiastic dancers and spectators!

Thanks to President Kristin and Allison for their wonderful organisation, Rod for his well-thoughtout programme, the committee and the merry band who helped out where needed, the willing helpers (Sylvia and Dominic) in the kitchen and Loralee for her event promotion (including finding a beautiful maypole image for the poster).

And thanks to all our members who came along with friends and family and had such fun dancing on this pre-winter night.

The smiles and laughter in the photos here show it all! (All photos by Loralee Hyde except where John Patterson is acknowledged as photographer).

What a night we had at our first Tartan Night of the year on Monday 16 April!  All had a lot of fun and it was great to see our new dancers doing so well. The hall was full with more than six sets on the floor, including two sets of visitors.

It was lovely to see former Club secretary John Munro amongst them, having made the trek over the hill from his new home in Featherston. The Club’s tartan bunting and musicians Peter Elmes, Don McKay, Aileen Logie and Hilary Ferral made for a lively and colourful night.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to making the Tartan Night such a success. Rod gave us an excellent programme as always and good preparation so we could all enjoy the night. Elaine and Loralee played their part in promoting the event to other clubs. It made a good night so much better to welcome so many visitors.

Club members rallied around to set up the hall, turn on a suppertime feast and make sure everyone had a good time on the dance floor. Check out the smiles in Loralee’s photos. Thank you all!

Download the April 2018 Tartan Night Programme

Once again the weather gods smiled upon us on the fourth Saturday in January, giving us sunshine for our summer social at Johnsonville Bowling Club. Twenty-two Johnsonville dancers brought along eleven guests for a relaxed afternoon of bowling, followed by ceilidh fun and a delicious potluck dinner.

Every year’s ceilidh has a different character, and this year we celebrated Robbie Burns. Rod brought us a lively programme of Burns-themed dances and music, featuring bonnie lassies and corn rigs, a wee timorous beastie, a Tam O’ Shanter, Burns night and the De’il. Kristin set the scene by reading Burns’ Corn Rigs are Bonnie.

On such a hot day we welcomed a break between dances. John Markham put on his quiz-master’s Tam O’ Shanter, handed out quiz sheets, and tested our Scottish general knowledge. We did pretty well on the Saltire and the macintosh, but cranachan and Irn Bru stumped many of us.

Every year club members generously share their talents. This year Kate lifted our hearts with song, Emma and family entertained us dancing Kingston Flyer, and Alan brought us the drama of the Ode to the Haggis. We could not have asked for a better introduction to our leisurely and sociable potluck dinner.

Thanks to organiser Maureen, Burns enthusiast Elaine, and all those who came early to set up, helped in the kitchen, and cleared up at the end. A good time was had by all, and thanks to our photographer Loralee we have a fine record of the day.

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Download Mid-Summer Club Ceilidh 2018 Programme