Dance

Up to the 1950’s, when the population of the Albany Creek district was below 147, the main occupation of Albany Creek was farming. Teens had to travel further a field to find life partners – hence the cultural significance of ‘ “THE COUNTRY DANCE”.

In the 1920’s, Albany Creekians chose the Aspley Assembly Hall (now the road between the Commonwealth Bank and the TAB), popular because of frequency and easy road accessibility.

Those events included local concerts, dances, waltz competitions, fancy dress balls as well as regular “Moving Pictures” from Pagets’ Perfect Pictures.

Many a lifetime romance began at such dances. The Community Hall or school dance across Queensland was the focal point of any community worth its salt. Land was normally donated by an upstanding local, timbers flattened from local paddocks and presto, bring on the band, drums, accordion, fiddle, with piano if lucky and solos of hair comb, spoons, saxophone and mouth organs from aspiring locals.

Like Kallangur CWA Hall, built from start to finish in 24 hours by the local Jaycees.

And Samford, not one but two. The Farmers Hall and the Public Hall. A top attraction with a special railmotor from Brisbane for the monthly events. The list goes on; the School of Arts at Mt. Pleasant and Petrie, the Orange Lodge Hall of Lacey’s Creek. The Dayboro Banana Settlement Hall; the Military Hall of Blackall; one thing in common – all the venues were “dry” but every stump hole for miles housed hidden grog.

The Clyde Hotel (Country Club now Four Mile) was burnt down after a dance during the occupation by 20,000 yanks at Camp Strathpine. With a 6 men to one female ratio, the combination of drink and antagonism made a donnybrook a regular occurrence.

I raised this subject of the old time dance, with the residents of Anam Cara Nursing Home and got an animated response from the men; 1953 Coronation Ball of Laidley; the Mt. Crosby Workers Hall; the tea made on open fires in 4 gallon kero drums; was Johnny Ray at Cloudland? Every Saturday night, the night of nights; the tram car up the cliff face from Newstead, the floor that bounced like a buggy, the outside attraction of swings, merry-go-rounds, the Wall of Death, the half-tanked certain to get a partner in the rockabilly barn dance – it all came flooding out.

Local dances, like the ones held at Albany Creek State School had minimum dress standards: shoes (no gumboots), tie, white hanky (to keep your sweaty paw off the lady’s bare back); and all entertained generations with favourites like The Lancers, Quadrills, Military One Step, Boston Two Step, Jazz, Waltz, Fox Trot, Progressive Barn Dance, etc.

As the years progressed, fads came and went – the Bus Stop, Twist, Stomp, Limbo, Macarena, Nutbush City Limits ...

Whilst the DJ with the remix may be popular at the school dances, electric guitar bands the go at the RSL dances and live jazz for listening at the Albany Creek Tavern each Sunday… the vibe of a real life Country Dance, is an experience not to be missed.

If you want to get into the swing of things with live updates in the property scene, call Peter Campbell himself on 0418 774 663, part of the past, present and future of Pine Shire.

Peter 0418 774 663
Or email peter@petercampbellrealty.com

36 years of local real estate know-how, yours for the asking, at the end of your phone.

By the year 2015, no property in the Albany Creek district will sell under $450,000.

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Peter Campbell - 0418 774 663