RSCDS Helensburgh and District
On-Line Update
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Look forward to our 50th Anniversary
LOOK FORWARD TO OUR FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
The Local Branch started in Helensburgh in 1952 with a meeting of interested parties in May of that year. There had been dancing in the town at what is known as the Tuesday Club which had started a couple of years before but John Blane, a physical education teacher and protégé of Miss Milligan, was very keen to start a branch. There were clubs in the surrounding areas. Miss Betty McKay had her Roseneath branch, Isa Vernal in the Vale of Leven, and Alec Parlane in Rhu. Norah Dunn was of course very much involved and other significant figures were Mary Jamieson, a teacher in the school, Una Barr ( later Rue) who also taught in Rhu, and Lilian Meikle.
The first class of the branch was a beginners class held in Helensburgh but the membership of the branch included the members of the clubs in the West Dumbartonshire area.
Later developments included a demonstration team used by concert promoters and the Guides. A couples class was formed by request and seems to be a very local idea. With the Clubs in the area the General class has been a relatively recent development.
With this history it is right and proper that we should celebrate fifty years of dancing in the town. Plans are well under way for a Dance on the 10th May 2002 and there have been a number of suggestions. Come to the AGM and make yours.
If you think you have an idea for a dance which would be very popular throughout the country dancing world why not send it to the committee to consider as The Helensburgh 50th Anniversary dance?
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The annual December Dance held in the Hermitage Academy by the Couples
Class was a considerable success. The class had felt that having Sandy Nixon
as the band was worth the extra expense and went all out to attract a good
attendance. The band was in excellent form and the dance was voted an
outstanding hit. The programme included a mixture of popular dances with a
mixture of the more complex. This suited the dancers and they stayed to the
end. Previously the weather had not made travelling to Helensburgh an
attractive option but the December weather was kind and we had a good turnout
of people from Kilmacolm, Ayr and Edinburgh. The couples class had laid on
splendid refreshments and the raffle was generous and well organised.
At the end of the evening it was considered to have been one of the best
dances of the year and the decision has been made that the couples class
should continue to host the event. There had been some concern in the
committee that there had been a significant loss with the previous year’s
dance but this made a profit. It
is being planned for the 14th of December, and the band is once again to be
the Sandy Nixon Band. He and his group enjoy the friendliness of the
Helensburgh Branch. His reputation for syncopating his music although frowned
on by the purists is very much enjoyed by the dancers in the branch and adds
a touch of light humour to the dances, lifting the spirit and lightening the
step. It is worth putting a note
in your diary.
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“There will be a slight
delay,” announced the disembodied voice to the passengers of the afternoon
flight from Newcastle to Cyprus on Sunday, 4 February, “while we de-ice the
plane. As we are fully fuelled,
please remain seated and do not remove your seatbelts.”
The groan was clearly audible, but having battled through a blizzard en route to the airport, we were quite happy to wait until all safety precautions had been taken. Some two hours later, we were off!
We touched down around 11.00pm and transferred from Larnaca to Paphos via luxury coach. On arrival all we wanted to do was collect our key and find our room, but the management had prepared a welcome (soft) drink and a speech. Some 14 hours after arriving at Newcastle airport, we crawled into bed. From then onwards, we had a wonderful week.
The dancing holiday was
organised by Danelaw through John Semple of Dumbarton. Robert Whitehead’s
lively energetic band comprised two accordionists, a drummer and a pianist.
The weather was very warm and sunny – perfect for sightseeing,
walking, golf etc. The hotel
was first class with excellent food, reasonably
priced wine and wonderful facilities – indoor and outdoor pool, large modern
gym, sauna, jacuzzi, hairdresser, massage parlour, pool, table tennis.
But BEST of all was the dance floor – it was large, airy (having
patio windows along one entire wall) and BRAND NEW.
We were the first dancers on it and how we danced.
Each evening the MC, Ian Barbour, took us through some 16 dances, not
to mention one or two extras thrown in for good measure as the whim took him. A booklet of instructions for all 96 dances was posted to
each dancer well in advance of the departure date and most of the 80+ members
of the party had done their preparatory homework.
Although the standard was high, everyone helped each other as necessary
whenever a “senior” moment took hold.
Many of the group have been enjoying the Danelaw winter week for several years. Consequently, the atmosphere was convivial, that of old friends meeting up again, swapping stories of adventures, families and memories. Although Derek and I have been on only two such holidays with this group, we were warmly welcomed into the crowd. I even managed inadvertently to persuade two couples to attend our recent Helensburgh weekend. I was both surprised and delighted to see them in Helensburgh.
The next Danelaw week takes place 17-24 February 2002 in Portugal, this time with departures from Glasgow airport. The format will be the same – daytime is free time: evening will be social dancing. Anyone interested should contact John Semple, Dumbarton.
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A dance was held for our Mini Charity on the 28th of October . The
Charity supported was Erskine 2000. The dance was attended by a cheerful
group of regulars with a good sprinkling of visitors from the surrounding
areas. We danced to the music of Allan
Ross who despite being a single
player made us feel we had a whole and exciting Band. Good spirits were the
order of the night and the
prizes from the raffle added a touch of luxury to what was an evening to
remember — and we made over £277 to donate to Erskin 2000.
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On
Friday the 16th of February the Helensburgh and District Branch of
the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society held its annual charity
dance. The
dance was very well attended with a full floor of dancers in the Victoria
Halls. As well as an excellent turnout from the local branch there were strong
contingents from neighboring branches in Glasgow, Gourock and Ayr. The evening
was a great success with an interesting program of dances with music supplied
by David Anderson and his Band. The band was in good form right from the start
with melodic tunes right on the beat. The inspiration this gave was reflected
in the standard of dancing. The dancing was enthusiastic but controlled with a
smile being the normal expression, and the occasional mistake meeting laughter
rather than frowns.
The Charity this year was the Macmillan Cancer Nurses and the regional fundraiser Mrs. Evelyn Nicol attended to give a summary of the work done by the nurses, draw the main prizes, and enjoy the evening. Local firms and the various classes run in the district donate the prizes. The prize of the evening-a personal CD Player-was won by Jimmy McMahon, not a Country Dancer but an enthusiast of ballroom dancing. The Donation in 2001 given to Leukemia Research Scotland was for over £1580
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On Tuesday, 27th March, I retired as a teacher of the Helensburgh S. C. D. Club – after 25 years. At the party I warmly thanked the committee and members for the wonderful presentation to me. However I understand that dancers from Helensburgh and District also donated to this presentation. My very grateful thanks go to these dancers.
I shall miss teaching the Tuesday class, as I have enjoyed every minute.
HAPPY DANCING! !
Cath Twigg
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SUTHERLAND REEL.I have been very pleased that so many of the class have attended dances and fund raising ceilidhs over the past year:
The General class would like to extend their very best wishes to Deborah and Ross who have decided to TAKE A PARTNER after a very HAPPY MEETING at the class and they now wish to GANG THE SAME GATE and are now SET to PROMENADE up the aisle on the 17th of March. We wish them every happiness in their future life together.
Dinah Buchanan
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MRI Scanner at the Western
Friday
1st June 2001
Bearsden Town Hall --- Charity Dance in aid of 'Bypassing the Bypass' - to raise funds for the first Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scanner in Scotland to detect heart disease and to be located in the Western Infirmary, Glasgow.
The dance starts at 7.30 p.m., with music by George Meikle and the Lothian Scottish Country Dance Band.
Further
information from Graham Murray Tel.No. 0141 570 1001. E-mail
gmurray@ntlworld.com
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