The View From Connor's Hill by Barry Heard

Author:Barry Heard
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: BIO000000, BIO026000
Publisher: Scribe Publications
Published: 2007-09-30T16:00:00+00:00

chapter nine

Leaving school

BY NOW, THE ONLY THING I ENJOYED AT SCHOOL WAS THE socialising that took place in the playground. Then I had a pleasant surprise. I was now old enough to be allowed to take part in the annual debutante ball, which was a highlight of the year. At every ball, a dignitary attended; his role would be to give a speech and to have the debs presented to him after a special dance. The event required months of rehearsal. Each year, there would be a large group of young women eligible to make their debut. Traditionally, this meant they were now able to attend social events on their own. However, this was almost irrelevant to us. It was simply a night to dress up, engage in a bit of pomp, and have professional photographs taken that would end up in local newspapers and mantelpieces — all in all, it was a wonderful occasion.

On the night, there would be milling crowds of proud, cooing parents. I was fortunate — a fellow classmate asked me to partner her. This meant I had to attend rehearsals for ten to twelve weeks beforehand. At the time, I and a few others in the deb party thought that three months of preparation was a bit much; after all, most of us could already ballroom dance.

The boys had to wear a suit on the night. Like mine, many boys’ parents hired a suit for the occasion. White gloves and black shoes — highly polished — completed our outfits. The girls’ dresses, similar to a bride’s, were not only long; they were a combination of petticoats and flowing, folded material. I’d watched two previous balls and the graduating dance for the debs. At the time, the presentation dance had been an evening three-step — the Pride of Erin or the Palma Waltz. All of us had learnt these dances at the Church of England Hall during the year.

However, after the first night of rehearsals, we soon learnt that there was more to this type of event than just dancing. We had to dance in unison, all turning together in a large, circular formation. After five nights, we’d mastered circular and formation dancing. Then came the complicated process of the presentation to the dignitary for the evening. This required walking hand-in-hand through an archway, up a series of steps, and then bowing, or giving a curtsey, to the honourable gentleman. After that you had to move to the left or right, and then form a semi-circle on the stage. By the tenth night, we had most things sorted out, and the rehearsal went quite well. The last two nights would be full-dress rehearsals.

After being given instructions on how to be prepared, we blokes were pretty well stunned. Surely this was an invasion of our Aussie male privacy? On the nights of our two last rehearsals, they told us to bathe or shower. Then our fingernails were inspected — our hands had to be spotless to avoid soiling the white gloves.

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