56th Australian National Square Dance Convention

Graham’s introduction to square dancing came in the early 1970s when his family were encouraged to come along by neighbourhood friends. In the late 70s, whilst at Adelaide University, he joined the square dance club which operated there. It was here that he met his wife Dawn. During this time he also had the pleasure of dancing in the late Colin Huddleston's demonstration team. A few years later Graham tried his hand at calling at a couple of Adelaide clubs – he was no stranger to the stage having been involved in public speaking and plays during his school years.

In 1985 Graham & Dawn started a learners’ class which became their own club – the Adelaide Outlaws. Operating in the western suburbs of Adelaide, it maintained a healthy membership and in 1987, a Plus club was formed operating on the north side of Adelaide. Both clubs are still going strong today. Graham has been actively involved in the calling field having served as various executive positions on the State callers’ association, taken positions of secretary, public relations officer and chairman of the Australian Callers Federation and still serves on the Board. He is a member of Callerlab and is on the Mainstream committee. He has been feature caller at many interstate and overseas festivals and conventions and has had the pleasure of calling and dancing in Japan, Austria, New Zealand, USA and England. He is also a life member of the South Australian Square Dance Society.

Whilst he and Dawn thoroughly enjoy square dancing and the extended family of the clubs, there must also be time for work. Graham is a mechanical engineer in the oil and gas industry and Dawn is a primary school teacher.

Graham and Dawn are the Convenors of the 56th Australian National Square Dance Convention.  Graham is also, together with Les Tulloch, in charge of the square dance program at the convention.

Les began dancing in 1983, and in 1986 took the opportunity to call at an amateur callers night and has been calling squares & cueing rounds regularly ever since.

In 1988 Les was invited to call fortnightly at a square dance group known as Latham Square Dancers. Then in 1989 Les was asked to call weekly for a group known as the Early Planning for Retirement Group (EPRG) and continued to call for this group until moving from Melbourne to Adelaide in 1995.

In 1992 whilst attending the SA State Convention Les met Anne and in 1994 they were married. In 1995 they started the Sunset Twirlers Dance Club dancing both Mainstream Squares and Rounds up to phase 6.

Outside of square & round dancing Les is a qualified Civil Engineer and is currently the Team Leader Procurement Services with the City of Onkaparinga the biggest metropolitan council in Adelaide. Les and his team manage contracts & tenders for works up to approx. $50 million per annum.

Les has attended called and cued at numerous major functions including International, National & State Square Conventions and International & State Round Dance Festivals. Les has also programmed various functions including 1998 National (Squares), Secretary for the 1998 Callerlab Minilab, 2007 National (Rounds), numerous state conventions and convened and programmed the 2002 & 2004 SA Round Dance Festivals.

Les is an accredited member of various organisations. Internationally Callerlab (Square Dance Callers) and Roundalab (Round Dance Teachers). Along with Anne, is currently chair of the Roundalab Phase 1 & 2 Standards Committee and members of the phase 3 and phase 4 standards committees. As an international committee chair Les & Anne are also members of the Roundalab Strategy & Policy committee. Nationally Les is a member of the Australian Callers Federation, Australian Round Dance Association (currently Treasurer). State-wide Les is a member of the SA Callers Association (currently Secretary/Treasurer), SA Round Dance Association (currently Publicity Officer) and the SA Square Dance Society (Currently SACA Representative).

For Round Dancing, Les & Anne have also choreographed & presented dances and conducted teach sessions at all of the major functions mentioned .

Les has also received the Callerlab Quarter Century Award (2011), Australian Callers Federation Silver Microphone Award (2013), Australian Round Dance Association 25 year membership certificate (2014) and along with Anne are Life Members of the SA Round Dance Association (2006), in recognition of many years of service to square and round dancing.

Les will be managing the round dance program and along with Graham Elliott the square dance program. Anne is on the committee as well assisting with managing the crèche.

Les and Anne love square and round dancing and our intention is to make sure your experience at the 2015 National is the best possible. 

Ian Rutter commenced Square Dancing in 2000 when Leisurely Squares was running a Community Dance Program (CDP) on Friday nights.  After a year, once the program finished, he took a break from square dancing and returned in 2004 to Leisurely Squares when he learned a lot more.  After he graduated, he started visiting other clubs around Adelaide (Adelaide Outlaws, Shooting Stars, Wild Frontier, and Kannella Squares).

In 2005, he tried his hand on calling when Noes Noesbar, the caller for Leisurely Squares, asked if he was interested in giving Square Dance calling a go after he learned about Ian’s ability to sing from the talent shows organised by the club.  After Ian called a couple of songs, he thoroughly enjoyed it and has continued to call for Songs and Hoedowns today.

During his time as a caller, Ian attended a few sessions on calling such as ‘Behind the Microphone’ and some callers had given him advice on what to do when calling.

In 2011, after Trevor Hunt announced his retirement from calling for Shooting Stars, the name was changed to ‘Scoot Back Squares’ and an opportunity went to Ian to call for that club.  Currently, he has given a go in helping the people learning to ‘Square Dance’.

Ian became a member of SACA and ACF when he started calling for ‘Scoot Back Squares’.  He also called at the National Convention for the first time in Canberra in 2014.

Ian’s professional job is a Public Servant working for Centrelink.  He has worked for the Commonwealth Department for 20 years. 

Thelma first started square dancing when it first came to Adelaide in 1953 but had to leave when her husband Tom came home from Korea. She then became a stay at home mum raising four children.

In 1986 a friend suggested they take their husbands along to the National Square Dance Convention in Adelaide to see the square dancing but on seeing the Round dancing for the first time, Thelma and Tom got hooked on Rounds.

They started with Peter Heath at Round ’n Round. In 1987 they started square dancing with the Allamanders class. After graduating they danced with Shooting Stars, Festival City and the Outlaws. Thelma also started cueing that same year and was soon cueing for Peter and also the three square dance clubs. She then moved on to cue at all Society dances, Round Dance Association dances, and has since cued at all State Conventions and almost every National Convention. Thelma was made a life member of SASDS as well as the SA Round Dance Association. Thelma and Tom were honoured to be made Life Members of the Australian Round Dance Association.

They started their own club T & T Rounds in June 1991. They have run numerous learners classes. They have choreographed a dance for 13 Round Dance Festivals and have won on three occasions with “Lucky Lips”, “Waltz to Sorrento” and “Victory of Love”. Thelma’s “More than Ever Rhumba” and “Lucky Lips” are on our National List. Although Tom can no longer dance, Thelma still runs her club on Fridays and two sessions on Sundays, teaching from Phase 2 - 6.

Thelma and Tom have travelled all over Australia, and from New Zealand to Hawaii where she has cued her Rounds, as well as the Victorian Round Dance Festivals, and is looking forward to attending the 3 day Seminar and the Convention in 2015.