Anyone who was at our Annual Dance on Saturday night 19 August, can tell you what a good night it was. The atmosphere was buzzing with around 10 sets of dancers enjoying a great programme, great music and an excellent supper.
Johnsonville Club has successfully combined with Capital City Club to run a shared annual dance since 2018. Tutors of both clubs share the MC role and have the opportunity to dance when they’re not briefing. Members from both clubs support the event, meaning more hands on deck for set-up and pack-up, and dancers from both clubs boosting numbers at the door.
Last year Covid was still impacting attendance, so it was wonderful to see numbers bounce back this year. There were five sets of Johnsonville members, over two sets from Capital City, and dancers from other clubs adding a further two to three sets.
The floor full of dancers including Johnsonville Life Members Aline and John Homes in the top set
In 2022, we moved the Annual Dance from our usual venue of Ngaio Town Hall, to Newtown School hall. A new venue takes a bit of getting used to, and we appreciated having the benefit of last year’s experience in organising this year’s event.
It was fantastic to walk in and see the hall transformed from its usual somewhat drab and cluttered appearance, now full of colour and warmth, inviting us to celebrate. The hall setup team did a wonderful job with floral decorations, tartan rugs and bunting, shields, saltires and banners.
The band of Aileen Logie, Hilary Ferral and Jason Morris raised the roof with their music. Those of us who were sitting out or in the kitchen enjoyed it just as much as those who were on the dance floor.
Jeanette Watson as MC with Jason, Aileen and Hilary on the beautifully decorated stage
The supper was tremendous, with something for everyone, including the traditional fruit salad, jelly and whipped cream. Even the band was reluctant to leave the supper tables to get back to dancing—a great compliment.
Many people contributed to the success of the night. We couldn’t have done it without our MCs Rod and Jeanette, the organising sub-committee (Peter B, Jeanette, Margaret C and John J from Capital City with Christine, Maura, Rod and me from Johnsonville), the hall setup team, the supper team (co-ordinated by Elizabeth N), the pack-up team and those who contributed greenery and flowers allowing floral artist Aline Homes to work her magic.
A wonderful evening sharing the joy of the dance
Thanks to every dancer who came through the door, and made it a good night for all. Around the room, you could see more experienced dancers from all clubs sharing the good times with those newer dancers who joined us, some for the first time.
Many thanks also to Mary and Duncan McDonald for the loan of their portable stage and their time in setting up and dismantling.
On Saturday 22 July, Upper Hutt Scottish Country Dance Club held their Annual Dance for 2023, at the Wesley Centre in Benzie Avenue.
The hall’s white walls and dark stained laminated timber portal frames set off the Club’s decorations of dark blue banners, edged with tartan, decorated with fern fronds and golden pīwakawaka made of paper fans and pinecones. Very appropriate, given that the Upper Hutt sign on SH2 is a fantail.
Fourteen Johnsonville dancers were among those on the floor dancing Slytherin’ House
It was an early start, with light refreshments at 6pm followed by dancing beginning at 6:30pm. In spite of the cold weather, plenty of people turned out to enjoy dancing to the music of Lynne Scott, Mary McDonald and Ann Goodbehere.
At the start there were seven sets on the floor, including fourteen Johnsonville Club members, nearly two whole sets. The programme was very full, a total of twenty dances for the whole night. Lots of old favourites and lots of great music, starting with The Lass of Richmond Hill, which we danced to the tune of the old ballad from 1789.
Dancing The ‘Halfway House’, Petone devised by Elaine Laidlaw and published in the Wellington 60th Anniversary Collection
In case the light refreshments had not been enough, there was a break for supper after thirteen dances. I had to leave at supper time because of an early start the next morning. I was sorry to miss the seven dances that followed supper.
It was a great night of dancing. The only consolation of having to leave early was that my feet were not as sore as they would have been if I had stayed on.
Linden Club celebrated their Annual Dance on Saturday 1 July on the beautiful new floor at the Ngaio Town Hall. Club members had decorated the stage with tartan right across, topped with glossy green foliage, pink camelia blossoms and white lilies. Tartan banners were hung on hooks all round the walls, cleverly avoiding having to struggle with the dreaded Blu-Tack.
Jason Morris, Aileen Logie and Hilary Ferral playing A Trip to Bavaria. Photo: John Patterson
We danced to the music of Aileen Logie on the accordion, Hilary Ferral on the fiddle and Jason Morris on the keyboard. Jason also brought out his tuba (and his little green Bavarian hat) to add an extra touch of authenticity to the music when it came time to dance A Trip to Bavaria, which was in the first part of the programme.
Dancing A Trip to Bavaria. Photo: John Patterson
We had ten dances before it was time to break for supper. There was a good mixture of old favourites, like The Minister on the Loch and Rod’s dance Violynne, and less usual ones like Oriel Strathspey and At the End of the Rainbow.
The Linden Club members provided a very generous supper, which fuelled us for the second half of the programme as well as providing plenty of opportunities to chat before it was time to focus once again on our dancing.
A highlight of the second half was MacDonald of Keppoch, a square set dance. We went through it twice in strathspey time, then took a deep breath and launched into it twice more in reel time. We must have done ok because we got to do it all again.
The night ended with Reel of the Royal Scots, which sent us home footsore and exhilarated after another great night of dancing. Many thanks to the Linden Club for entertaining us so well.
Levin Annual Dance
Levin Club held their Annual Dance on Sunday 9 July. As the dance was in the afternoon, one way could be driven in the light, quite an attraction for those with a long distance to travel. It was a horrible day, cold and raining, but arriving dancers were greeted in the rain by a piper. Fortunately he had a roof for shelter. It was a perfect way to begin a warm welcome.
The dance was held in the lovely Ōhau Hall, built in 1944, just off SH1 south of Levin. It’s a perfect size for dancing, with a good floor and a separate servery and supper room for those all-important refreshments.
Dancing on the lovely floor in the Ōhau Hall. Photo: Robert Vale
The walls are panelled with wood part-way up from the floor and the dark wood set off the dark green fern branches all round the hall. There were more displays of greenery across the stage and on either side, setting off the blue and white saltires on the music stands of the Saltire Scottish Dance Band—Mary McDonald, Sharlene Penman and Glenice Saunders.
Six sets filled the hall, nearly three out of the six had travelled up from Wellington for the dance. We had the pleasure of being MC’d by Maureen Robson, the Tawa tutor for many years. It was particularly special to be briefed by the deviser for the first dance of the afternoon, New Year Jig.
The Saltire Scottish Dance Band—Sharlene Penman, Mary McDonald and Glenice Saunders—on stage with MC Maureen Robson at the right. Photo: Robert Vale
We got through the first ten dances with great enthusiasm, even though two of them were marked with three stars (‘only if you know it’).
Before we knew it, it was afternoon tea time. No need for tables to be carried out into the hall as there was a separate room with a feast laid out for us. We made the most of it. The food was quite something, it’s the first time I have ever had a vegan South Island cheese roll.
We had a lot of extra weight to dance off after that lovely tea, but we were put through our paces, with two dances repeated; The Robertson Rant (that gave me the chance to get it wrong in a different place each time) and the final dance, Scott Meikle.
After an afternoon of casting and turning and clapping and crossing, a final surprise came at the end. There were thanks from the stage to the MC, Maureen Robson, and to the band for playing for us, and then special thanks to the Johnsonville Club for the lovely article about last year’s dance.
A good number of Johnsonville members were on the floor to enjoy Tawa’s Annual Dance on the night of Saturday 10 June. The Tawa Club members had made a good job of decorating the Ngaio Town Hall with tartan across the front of the stage, tartan swags hanging along the top with a string of lights above and greenery to top it all off.
Scottish tea towels provided decoration and interest all round the walls, you could look at Scottish castles, find out about Scottish festivals, or learn how to make a clootie dumpling. The whole effect looked very elegant.
Jason, Aileen and Hilary on the decorated stage. Photo: Robert Vale
The music by Aileen Logie on accordion, Hilary Ferral on violin and Jason Morris on keyboard was very well provided.
Six sets were attracted on to the floor for The Auld Grey Cat, the first dance of the night. There were more than six sets’ worth of people present, with more than two sets from Johnsonville, a great turn-out from our Club. RSCDS New Zealand Branch Vice-President Debbie Roxburgh and husband Paul also attended, visiting from Whanganui.
The crowd of dancers on the floor. Photo: John Patterson
The first part of the programme roamed the world, from Granville Market in Vancouver, to The Lammermuir Hills of Scotland and to Orpington near London, home of the Orpington Caledonians. It made Links with St Petersburg before ending up at 12 Coates Crescent, the Edinburgh base of the RSCDS.
A great turn-out of Johnsonville members in the crowd. Photo: John PattersonDancing on the beautiful new floor at Ngaio Town Hall. Photo: Robert ValePhoto: Robert Vale
After ten dances, everyone was ready for a break and a feed. The Tawa Club members provided four tables laden with food, savoury and sweet, with gluten-free options. People had been very busy baking before the dance. Tea and coffee were served as well to keep us going.
The dancing resumed once everyone was recharged. The second part of the programme started with one of the few things not provided for supper, The Cranberry Tart. The night finished around 11:00pm and having done 18 dances—seventeen on the programme and Scott Meikle twice—the dancers went home quite tired and footsore as well as exhilarated.
Wellington’s Tuesday afternoon general dancing class was in fine form on 20 June with more than four sets of dancers taking to the floor; including a good number of Johnsonville members and a few people the group hadn’t seen for a while.
In this wonderful session of dancing, tutor Catherine McCutcheon took us through a selection of dances from the upcoming Linden Annual Dance programme on 1 July
Finding our way through rather vigorous jigs and reels meant it didn’t take us long to warm up. And our brains got a good workout too, with some tricky formations and phrasing to master.
As organiser Pat Reesby said, “Surely there’s no better way to warm up on a chilly winter afternoon.”
What we danced
EH3 7AF, 32-bar jig devised by Roy Goldring. See video
A Trip to Bavaria, 32-bar reel devised by James MacGregor-Brown. See video
A Trip to Bavaria – Johnsonville dancers include Fiona and John at the left and Maureen at the rightFiona, Liz, Tomoko and John dancing A Trip to Bavaria in the set in the foreground
Oriel Strathspey, 32-bar strathspey devised by Ian Simmonds (former tutor of Linden Club). See video
At the End of the Rainbow, 48-bar reel devised by Wellington tutor Iain Boyd. No video available.
City of Belfast, 32-bar strathspey devised by Lucy Mulholland. See video
Best Set in the Hall, 32-bar jig devised by Helen Greenwood (an Auckland deviser). See video
Two of dances, Oriel Strathspey and Best Set in the Hall, are on the programme for the Lower North Island RSCDS Centenary Ball on 4 November in Palmerston North. The afternoon class has given us a head start getting the hang of the intricacies of these dances.
Dancing to the end of a rainbow
The dance At the End of the Rainbow was ‘given’ to me by Iain Boyd on 19 April 2008. The dance is based on Cadgers In The Canongate, one of my favourite dances.
The title refers to the iris flower, my favourite flower. The iris is named after Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow and messenger to the Olympian gods. Among her duties was leading the souls of dead women to the Elysian Fields. In token of that faith, the Greeks planted purple irises on the graves of the women.
With being a lengthy 48-bar reel, it did feel as though the dance was leading us to the unreachable end of a rainbow. But fortunately, not with the same connotation as the duty Isis performed!
Loralee in a sea of irises, near Salem, Oregon, USA, May 2016
Thank you to Pat and Catherine for a great afternoon of dancing. It certainly warmed us up on a chilly winter’s day.
It was so nice to look around the hall and see so much tartan at our Tartan Night on 29 May.
Dancers displaying an array of tartans while dancing Violynne, the dance devised by Rod Downey for musician Lynne Scott
I already knew the history of some of the tartan regalia, but some of the items were new to me. With time to chat, I found some interesting stories behind those ‘new’ tartans.
Janet Thomson: Her mother’s kilt brought back to life
Janet was wearing her mother’s muted Thomson Hunting tartan kilt skirt for the very first time on Monday. The story of how Janet and the kilt skirt arrived on the dance floor involves many twists and turns, and a lot of detective work on Janet’s part.
Janet dancing Violynne, wearing her restored kilt for the first time
In 1977, Janet’s mother placed an order for a kilt to be made for her trip to visit clan places in Scotland the following year. At that time Janet’s parents lived in Timaru, and her father was doing research in Southland for a school centennial publication—the right neck of the woods to commission a kilt.
After her mother’s death, the kilt was passed on to Janet’s stepmother who pulled it apart with an eye to re-modelling it, but that never happened. The kilt sat in pieces until recently, when Janet decided to see if she could have it restored so she could wear it.
Amazingly, Janet managed to search out the original order docket for FP Helean Kiltmakers of Dunedin (now Helean and Co). She packed up all the pieces (lining, zip, waistband and a small remaining piece of cloth) and sent them off to Kathryn Corry, Frank (FP) Helean’s granddaughter.
Janet says Kathryn was keen to see the work her grandfather had done over 40 years ago and did a fantastic job of restoring the kilt ready for the tartan night. Or almost ready—at 5.00pm the night before, Janet realised she had better cut away the tacking which had held the pleats in place.
Veronica Young: From Melbourne to Wellington
Less than a month before the tartan night, Veronica became the proud owner of one of the kilts in the club’s second-hand collection. It was love at first sight for this subtly coloured, beautiful fine wool kilt skirt by Fletcher Jones.
The kilt had barely made it onto the club night display table when Veronica walked in the door, spotted it, and said she’d take it—before even trying it on.
This is the second of two kilts donated to the club by Jane Aim. The first was from her childhood and is now worn by Lizzie Tan. It was the first kilt to emerge as Jane cleared out her house prior to moving.
Some months later, at the end of the clearing out process, Jane found a second kilt, which she also donated to the club. Jane told me she bought this second kilt for herself on a trip to Melbourne as an adult and wasn’t sure if she ever actually wore it.
I kept the kilt at home for a few months, wondering if it might be right for me, but eventually brought it along to club. Now this second kilt has found a good home with Veronica and got a second lease of life on the Scottish Country Dance floor.
Veronica at the right wearing the kilt donated by Jane Aim, while Ian at the left is wearing a kilt that’s had many previous owners
Ian Leask: The latest in a long line to own his kilt
We’ve grown used to seeing Ian at club tartan nights wearing a Clan Leask tartan tie given to him by his father. But on Monday, there he was looking very much the part dressed in a kilt.
This kilt was passed on to Ian by Johnsonville dancer Bruce Jones and should have become Ian’s at the club’s 2022 Halloween theme night. However, a medical emergency took priority and the kilt has only recently made its way to Ian.
In trying to find out more about the kilt, it became apparent that Ian is just one in a long line of Scottish Country dancers to own the kilt.
Ian knew it had been passed from Pat Reesby to Bruce, before coming on to him. Contacting Pat, it turns out the kilt came to her from Jill and David Andrews, past Johnsonville and Ngaio dancers. After David’s death, Jill gave it to Pat to find a good new home for it.
We can trace the kilt even further back—David himself inherited the kilt from longstanding Ngaio dancer Murray Allardice.
Murray Allardice at the right at the 2001 Johnsonville Annual Dance. Ian now owns the kilt Murray is wearing. The club’s first Life Members Isla and Eric Norris are second from the right—Deborah Shuker now wears one of Isla’s kilts.
It should be noted that as a first-time kilt-wearer, Ian was very careful to wear some shorts underneath his ‘new’ kilt on Monday night. He’d been warned that blokes don’t realise they need to learn how to sit in a kilt!
Prisilla Conroy: A vintage waistcoat
Now that Prisilla dances at two clubs, her tartan wardrobe is coming under pressure.
Prisilla dancing Argyll’s Fancy, wearing her blue tartan waistcoat
On Thursday night, Prisilla wore her usual red tartan skirt to Tawa’s Tartan Night, so what to wear to the Johnsonville Tartan Night the next Monday? As it turned out, she was there in a very smart bluetartan waistcoat.
The waistcoat is not new, in fact Prisilla bought it for around £25 when she was in London in 1978-79. It wasn’t bought for any special event, rather because it was beautiful, but somehow it disappeared to the back of the wardrobe after her trip and was never worn.
At our tartan night, Prisilla’s Laird-Portch of Scotland pure new wool waistcoat finally came into its own, adding colour to our tartan night. From what I see on the internet, Laird-Portch no longer exists as a company, but their high-quality pure wool tartan items are now sought-after vintage items.
It was wonderful to have all these tartans adding colour to our Tartan Night. Knowing their stories adds that extra touch.
Of course, there are plenty more tartan tales to tell. Three of our dancers wear tartan regalia bequeathed by life member Isla Norris.
Additionally, many of our members have taken the time to write about their Scottish connections, including other tartan tales. Explore their stories here.
Click on the gallery below to see all of Loralee’s photos of this evening of fun and friendship.
Johnsonville Tartan Night May 2023 Photos: Loralee Hyde
1001 Lynne, Sharlene, Richard DSC_3817
1002 Dancing Violynne DSC_3819
1003 Lynne playing Violynne DSC_3820
1004 Dancing Violynne DSC_3821
1005 Dancing Violynne DSC_3822
1006 Dancing Violynne DSC_3824
1007 Dancing Argyll’s Fancy DSC_3826
1008 Dancing Argyll’s Fancy DSC_3827
1009 Rod keeping an eye on Argyll’s Fancy DSC_3831
The first Annual Dance of the season brings the excitement of joining with dancers from across the region for a night of live music and good company. It’s also a nice distraction from the approach of winter.
Ngaio Club has opened the Annual Dance season for many years now, with live music appearing some time around the 1980s.
Well-loved band leader Peter Elmes kept a meticulous collection of programmes for all the events at which he played, an amazing resource for Wellington Region history.
Amongst that collection I found Ngaio’s 1984 dance programme, held on 5 May at Newlands College (a new venue for Ngaio that year). So at least as far back as 1984, Ngaio’s dance has been held in early May leading dancers into the winter dance season.
In those days, the age profile of dancers was a little lower, and programmes featured 20 dances, rather than the 17 or 18 commonly danced today. Maxwell’s Rant has clearly stood the test of time, on the programme then and still on it today.
Looking at the programme further, it was also a later start at 8pm. With a later start and a longer programme, those young people of the 1980s got home to bed much later than we do today. What stamina!
See Robert Vale’s report on Ngaio’s 2023 Annual Dance below.
Kristin Downey
Ngaio Club’s Annual Dance on Saturday 13 May was the first annual dance in the Wellington Region of the RSCDS for 2023. It was held, appropriately, in the Ngaio Town Hall, which Ngaio Club members had decorated for the occasion with tartan rugs on the wall, greenery and tartan across the front of the stage and bunting above.
Johnsonville Club made a fine contribution to the occasion, with enough Johnsonville members in attendance to provide two sets out of the five on the floor. Quite a few Johnsonville dancers also belong to the Ngaio Club, so they can dance twice a week. Aileen, who so often plays her accordion for us, was on the stage providing the music along with Hilary on fiddle and Jason on keyboard.
The night of dancing started off with Maxwell’s Rant, an old favourite. There were ten dances in the first part of the evening’s programme with the highlight being A Trip to Bavaria. When this was announced Jason disappeared offstage from behind his keyboard and when he came back he was wearing a green Bavarian hat and carrying a tuba. He then provided a real ‘oompah’ accompaniment to add the perfect touch to the German band-style music of the dance. Everyone enjoyed it so much we got to dance it twice.
A good number of Johnsonville dancers were among those on the floor dancing The Den O’Mains
The first part of the evening finished with Shiftin’ Bobbins, after which the Ngaio Club members carried out three tables of savoury and sweet delights, another of fruit salad and jelly and one for serving hot drinks. The weary dancers were very glad to have a break and a bite to get their strength back as well as the chance for a chat.
Bruce and Charles focusing on a briefing from Ngaio tutor Melva Waite
Re-energised by food and drink we enjoyed a further seven dances, ranging from the unusual Domino Five, very clearly briefed by Melva, to that old favourite The De’il Amangthe Tailors which ended the night.
Thank you to the Ngaio Club for treating us to such a great night of dancing.
A unique experience of our Scottish Country Dancing history
A lively crowd of close to 60 dancers from clubs across the Wellington Region (including two sets from Johnsonville Club), along with Auckland tutor Katharine Hoskyn and a visitor from the UK, gathered at St John’s Anglican Church Hall in Johnsonville on Saturday 29 April for an afternoon of trying out dances from our past.
As part of the RSCDS Centenary Events, this special occasion celebrated the role of the extended RSCDS Wellington Region as the well-spring of Scottish Country Dancing in New Zealand.
Over the afternoon, four long-time tutors from the Region—Iain Boyd, Romaine Butterfield, Edith Campbell and Elaine Laidlaw[1]—taught dances from the early days of Scottish Country Dancing in the lower North Island.
The tutors selected dances from The Morison’s Bush Collection (published in 1978 to mark the 25th Anniversary of the founding of the Wellington/Hawke’s Bay Association of Scottish Country Dance Clubs), The Harbour City Collection (published by the Wellington Region in 1986), Silver Threads (published for the RSCDS New Zealand Branch 25th Anniversary in 1993) and The Linden Collection (dances devised by Wellington Region tutor Ian Simmonds).
To set the scene, tartan bunting and historical photos decorated the walls of the hall along with posters containing brief summaries of the tutors’ contributions to Scottish Country Dancing and photos of them MC’ing noteworthy events in the Region.
Tartan bunting and historical posters and photos set the sceneThe hall at Morison’s Bush, thought to have been the Church of England Institute at Featherston Military Camp in 1916-1921. Moved to Morison’s Bush circa 1922. It burnt down on 14 Oct 1989. Photo: TH Daniell. Masterton District Council Archives
To add to this unique experience, The Cranberry Tarts—Aileen Logie and Hilary Ferral—provided music for the afternoon from the original tunes and arrangements used by Peter Elmes[2].
The Cranberry Tarts – Aileen Logie and Hilary Ferral
A sizeable number of tutors from clubs in the Region from Carterton in the Wairarapa to Waikanae on the Kāpiti Coast attended the event.
Wellington Region Tutors at the event: Iain Boyd, Melva Waite, Rod Downey, Edith Campbell, Diane Bradshaw, Romaine Butterfield, Jeanette Watson, Elaine Lethbridge, Elaine Laidlaw, Barbara Gill, Elizabeth Ferguson, Michael Laidlaw
Welcoming everyone to the occasion, event organiser Rod Downey explained the event was a celebration of the extended region as the ‘cradle of Scottish Country Dancing’ in New Zealand.[3]
He emphasised the stars of the afternoon were the old dances, with the stellar group being the well-regarded tutors.
Programme organiser Iain Boyd introduced the teacher for each dance, mentioning many of the dances have special music with arrangements by Peter Elmes.
We took to the floor for Elaine Laidlaw’s first dance, Mirth’s Welcome (The Morison’s Bush Collection), devised by her husband Michael Laidlaw[4] for Mirth Smallwood[5], a long-time tutor of Kelburn Club. Mirth went away to Rarotonga for a time and Michael took over teaching Kelburn during that period. He devised the dance for her return in June 1969, and also composed the music.
Elaine Laidlaw teaching Mirth’s Welcome(with videographer John Patterson at the rear)Deborah, Kat and Robert dancing Mirth’s Welcome in the top set
After a brief break to regain our breath, Edith Campbell taught her dance To Ane An’ A’ (The Harbour City Collection). She explained we celebrate the arrival of a new year at Hogmanay by singing the traditional Scottish song A Guid NewYear (which she sang to us). She thought a celebratory dance was also needed, so devised To Ane An’ A’ as a Round-the-Room dance to encourage dancers to wish a good new year to ‘one and all’. Tom Barnes[6], a Wellington accordionist in the 1980s, arranged the music.
Edith Campbell singing us the traditional Scottish song A Guid New YearDésirée and Sandy at the far left and Liz at the far right dancing To Ane An’ A’
Iain Boyd took us through Under A Shady Tree (Silver Threads) devised by his wife, Wellington tutor Noeline O’Connor. This dance is connected to summer dancing in the past on the Puriri Lawn in Wellington Botanic Garden where a seat around a large puriri tree provided respite for the dancers from the sun. The music is traditional.
Puriri tree with seat at the Wellington Botanic GardenCharles in the top set dancing Under A Shady TreeJohn Homes and Rod at the right dancing Under A Shady Tree. Rod is dancing with former Johnsonville member Shirley Kalogeropoulos.
Ian Simmond’s dance Percy Reserve (The Linden Collection) commemorates the many years summer dancing was held at Percy Scenic Reserve in Lower Hutt. Romaine Butterfield described how hordes of dancers met on the lawn near the duck pond on balmy summer nights. She said it was essential to “watch out for low-flying ducks” when dancing! Peter Elmes composed the tune Dancing on the Lawn.
Romaine Butterfield teaching Percy Reserve1955: Summer Dancing in Percy Reserve, Wellington Evening Post Scottish Country Dancers at Percy Scenic Reserve, Korokoro, Lower Hutt. Evening post (Newspaper. 1865-2002) :Photographic negatives and prints of the Evening Post newspaper. Ref: EP/1955/2562-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/227360272023: Emma and John dancing Percy Reserve in the top set with Charles and Désirée in the set behind
After four energetic dances, people chatted about the programme being rather exhausting, both physically and mentally. Before tackling Govandale Reel, (a 48-bar jig!), Rod shared a brief pertinent comment from our distant past:
”It is perhaps significant that these dances, from completely different sources, all show a tendency which could be characteristic of dancing in our vigorous young country.”
1958 New Zealand Scottish Country Dancer, p6
Govandale Reel (The Morison’s Bush Collection) was devised by Jim Lean, who played the records for many years at Lower Hutt Club. Edith gave us a brief history of Govan, a district on the River Clyde in Glasgow. Charlie Jemmett, a well-known accordionist from Christchurch, composed the music.
Following a well-earned break for afternoon tea, Romaine taught her dance Joy Be Wi’ You (The Morison’s Bush Collection), a 5-couple dance with marvellous traditional music. She hoped the “joy would be with us” throughout the dance. Indeed, plenty of smiles and laughter from the dancers lit up the floor.
Sandy, Deborah, Charles, Kristin dancing Joy Be Wi’ You on the left with Pat at the rightFiona and Bruce dancing the pousette in Joy Be Wi’ You in the top setJeanette, Robert and Maureen dancing Joy Be Wi’ YouMaureen balancing in line in Joy Be Wi’ You
Elaine returned to the floor to teach Feshiebridge devised by long-time tutor Gary Morris[7] in Edinburgh in 1962. The beautiful Feshiebridge crosses the River Feshie in the Cairngorms, conveniently located near a distillery! Gary also composed the music which was recorded by Peter Elmes, John Smith and Lynne Scott on the Scottish Country Dancing CD Thistle Hall.
Feshiebridge in the Cairngorms. Photo: LovecairngormsPat leading down the middle in Feshiebridge
Iain taught the last dance of the afternoon, Kelburn’s Reel (The Morison’s Bush Collection) devised by long-time tutor Betty Redfearn[8] for the 10th Anniversary of Kelburn Club in 1969. This cheerful and social Round-the-Room dance was a perfect ending to a superb afternoon of dancing, listening to Peter Elmes’ arrangements of tunes and socialising.
Iain Boyd teaching Kelburn’s ReelIain Boyd at the right dancing Kelburn’s Reel
Considerable work is needed to make sure an event like this is a success. Thanks so much to Region President Rod Downey for organising the afternoon, Iain Boyd for organising the programme, Kristin Downey, John Homes, Maureen Sullivan and Charles for the hall decorations, Elaine Lethbridge for hall-setup and preparing the delicious afternoon tea, Kevin Lethbridge for hall-setup and on the door, Loralee Hyde for promotion, communications and photography, and John Patterson for videography.
Videographer John Patterson and photographer Loralee Hyde. Photo: Désirée Patterson
A special thank you to the four tutors, Iain Boyd, Romaine Butterfield, Edith Campbell and Elaine Laidlaw, for the time they took to select, research and teach their chosen dances. We very much appreciated their knowledge, expertise and insights into the Scottish Country Dancing history of our region.
Thank you also to the Cranberry Tarts, Aileen Logie and Hilary Ferral, for their marvellous playing, bringing back so many memories of Peter Elmes’ fine arrangements of tunes.
[2]Tributes to Peter Elmes following his retirement from playing his accordion for 60 years in Wellington Region and throughout New Zealand, Harbour City Happenings, Volume 21 No. 3, December 2018
[3]The Foreword of The Morison’s Bush Collection says “For Country Dancers in the Wellington, Wairarapa and Hawke’s Bay area it [Morison’s Bush] was for many years the centre of social life and dances there were not to be missed.”
The club’s first tartan night of 2023 on 17 April was ‘a great success, full of happy faces and good spirits’ – as someone said to me.
Everything went well. Plenty of people arrived early to decorate the hall, and we added some new ways to make it festive in the 15 minutes between pilates finishing, and dancing starting. Having an increasing number of tall people definitely helps with the decorating process!
Tartan rugs, and bunting, and scarves, all found a place; and the bright programme posters with tartan borders gave some zing to the white walls. Everyone came dressed in tartan or with tartan touches, really bringing the hall alive with colour. I even spotted a highland coo brooch – who can resist a highland coo? Not me.
Christine had our new 2023 name tags ready for us to collect on arrival, great for our new dancers to be able to dispense with sticky name labels and feel a part of the club. The first tartan night of the year somehow brings us into the dancing year proper, recognising the work our beginners have done in getting to this point, and setting us on our path for the rest of the year.
Having almost seven sets on the floor made for plenty of high spirits and laughter. We were very pleased to welcome six visitors from other clubs, adding to a fantastic turnout of forty-nine Johnsonville members. Amongst them were seven of this year’s new dancers, experiencing the fun of their first tartan night.
Our MC, Rod made sure we all had a good time, and Black Tartan musicians Aileen Logie, Hilary Ferral and Jason Morris were in fine fettle.
Five of the six dances in the first half were for everybody, starting with Bev’s Delight. New dancers got a break when the more experienced took on The Express, and everyone finished with firm favourite The Reel of the 51st.
The floor full of dancers for The Birks of Invermay. Photo: Loralee Hyde
Then it was on to supper. Tea trolleys in the front foyer had filled up with supper goodies many times over, and been wheeled away by supper team members. Out it all came, on tartan-clad tables, a tempting feast of food to suit everyone. Yum.
Supper over and thanks given to MC, band, supper team and members, and it was time for the last four dances of the night. Again, there was one for the experienced only – Mrs Stewart’s Jig, and we finished with The De’il Amang the Tailors, irresistible despite tired feet.
Enjoying the dance Ha! Ha! The Wooin’ o’ It after supper. Photo: Loralee Hyde
It was an excellent night. Thanks to everyone for their spirit of co-operation and support, and congratulations to new dancers who attended. Not all the dances had been done at club prior, but you rose to the occasion. It all augurs well for a great dancing year ahead.
Click on the gallery below to enjoy photos by Loralee, Kristin and John Homes telling the story of the night.
Johnsonville Tartan Night April 2023. Photos: Loralee Hyde, Kristin Downey and John Homes
1001 Jason, Aileen, Hilary DSC_3397
1002 The Birks of Invermay DSC_3393
1003 The Birks of Invermay DSC_3398
1004 The Birks of Invermay DSC_3400
1005 The Birks of Invermay DSC_3402
1006 The Birks of Invermay DSC_3403
1007 The Coleraine Rant Photo: Kristin Downey
1008 The Coleraine Rant Photo: Kristin Downey
Elizabeth Ngan co-ordinating supper Photo: John Homes
Laden tartan-covered supper table. Photo: John Homes
Aileen Logie with her sets of tunes for two of Rod Downey’s Irish-themed dances: The Coleraine Rant on the left and The Parting Glass on the right
A hall full of dancers
You’ve only to look at this year’s photo of dancers ‘wearing the green’ below, and compare it with the 2022 photo to see the difference. The 2023 turnout of 46 dancers is almost twice the attendance at last year’s St Patrick’s Day Celebration.
The merry band of dancers dressed in an array of green celebrated St Patrick’s Day in style
We’re not back to the level of attendance at Johnsonville Club’s 2019 St Patrick’s Day celebration, but it’s enormously satisfying to have a full hall of dancers once again.
It is also another encouraging sign of a return to pre-covid participation levels – together with increased numbers at beginners’ classes (31 this year, vs 14 last year), and new members (10 so far this year vs 5 last year).
It was a grand night, full of the hilarity and high spirits associated with those tricky Irish dances. Every year, tutor Rod Downey finds new ‘easy’ dances for us to do, and every year they bring us challenges to overcome. Well done to our new dancers for taking those challenges in their stride so early in the year.
As has become traditional, we danced the two dances Rod devised for previous St Patrick’s Day celebrations – The Coleraine Rant and The Parting Glass, and welcomed club musician Aileen Logie back to play for us in 2023.
Rod tweaks the programme each year, introducing a new dance or two. This year St Patrick’s Jig and St Patrick’s Strathspey replaced the usual StPatrick’s Day; The Wild Geese and A Trip to Ireland returned; and we finished as always with The Irish Rover – not a dance for the faint-hearted. The Leprechaun will have to wait for another day, as we ran out of time.
There were so many green supper-time goodies this year, we were spoilt for choice. There was something for everyone, no matter their preference or dietary restrictions.
Elizabeth Ngan supplied green figs, green apple sherbet fizz, Lindt chocolate in green wrappers, green crackers with cheese, green grapes, and St Paddy’s Irish sandwiches with corned beef and lots of green lettuce. Janet T added to the sweet treats with green gummies.
In what we can hope will be a new tradition, club bard Aline Homes, made her first St Patrick’s Day appearance. She told us her version of the battle between folklore giants the Irish Finn McCool (Fionn mac Cumhaill) and Scottish Benandonner, and how The Giant’s Causeway came to be. Aline only had time for the first half of the story, we can look forward to the rest at our next St Patrick’s Day celebration.
Click on the gallery below to see Loralee’s photos of our newer dancers with the more experienced enjoying The Coleraine Rant (with an allemande substituted for the poussette) devised by club tutor Rod Downey.
20 March 2023 Johnsonville St Patrick’s Day Celebration: Dancing The Coleraine Rant
