Pinelands Dancers hang up their ghillies

Post date: Nov 16, 2016 1:0:59 PM

It is with a very heavy heart that I have to inform all the Country Dancer’s that PINELANDS has closed its doors for the last time.

Pinelands Scottish Country Dancing started up for the second time in June 1987 with Grace Lofthouse and Maureen Lith as the teachers. Maureen did not stay on with us long, so with Bill playing the music and Grace teaching we continued for many happy years. Dancing on Wednesday nights at the Pinelands Civic Centre and later at the Presbyterian church hall in Pinelands.

Grace decided to start a Monday afternoon class for the retired people, and anyone who was available for an hour and a half of quite easy dancing.

I took over from Grace quite a few years ago with Wednesday nights and the Monday afternoon classes but when the police station opposite the church hall moved elsewhere it was very dark and everyone felt rather vulnerable, so we closed the evening class and just continued with Monday afternoons at the church hall.

But alas time had taken its toll on most of us, with bad backs, knees, hips etc., and the class has just got smaller and smaller. So on the 3^rd October 2016 we had our closing down tea party, only a small affair with few past dancers invited.

I want to thank all who played a part in our Scottish Country Dancing class at Pinelands, we all think of it as a happy, fun class in fact sometimes we did more laughing than dancing. I have made so many dear friends and have the happiest of memories of my years of dancing.

May you all have as much joy, pleasure and fun with your dancing, as we all did at Pinelands.

Fondest love to you all.

Beryl Stephens.