Published on Saturday, 24 September 2022 at 10:14:03 AM
Dancing Reflections, an extract from Niel Bertelsen’s Oral History
I am lucky. I danced with my wife. I danced with my two daughters and I danced with my granddaughter. So I’m a lucky man.
When my daughters were tiny (well before the arrival of my son) they were in the carrier baskets and taken to the Town Hall and put in a bassinet under the stage. We spent many, many, many hours at the Town Hall with the dancing through the 60’s and 70’s, hours and hours and hours. We would help for the Easter Convention that would come up from Perth, the Easter Northern Star Dancing Championships and then our own medals each year in there as well. You would have to go down to the Town Hall from your own place to rehearse because each dance floor’s different in size and dimensions and you would have to familiarise yourself with the room.
The floor was good because it was built the old fashioned way with the bearers underneath so it was good to dance on. It was the old fashioned timber floor whereas these days they put parquetry on to cement, concrete or something like that and there’s no give. When floors were built in the old days they were on bearers which has a little bit of give when you dance on them. When you dance on parquetry or other stuff that is glued to the concrete it’s very hard on your feet and ankles and your whole body actually. It jars. The Town Hall floor was great to dance on.
The Town Hall 1907-1984 exhibition opening night will be held at the Geraldton Regional Art Gallery on Friday 30 September 2022 (ticketed event), following which the exhibition will remain open until 20 November 2022.
Snapshots is an initiative of the Geraldton Regional Library. For more information, or to donate a historical photo or slide to the Library, contact Heritage Services at the Geraldton Regional Library on 9956 6659 or library@cgg.wa.gov.au
Image (left): P 16261: Niel and Janice dancing at the Geraldton Town Hall, courtesy of Niel Bertelsen.
Image (right): P 16302: Niel and Janice with their two children Karen and Julie at the Geraldton Town Hall, courtesy of Niel Bertelsen.
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