Bush Music Club Inc. Subscription Ball History

Bush Music Club Subscription Balls

2004 is The Bush Music Club's Golden Jubilee. One of the major and ongoing events of the Club is the holding of the Annual Subscription Ball.

The Bush Music Club Subscription Balls were started in 1978 and there have been 23 Balls since then. In recent years, certainly, these Balls have been fairly sophisticated dance events; the balls from 1988 to 1994 had no walkthroughs or calls and the balls from 1998 onwards have had calls only. Practices have been run in Sydney and more recently in Maitland, Newcastle and the Central Coast so that the dancers could learn the dances and therefore be confident and relaxed on the night. Dancers have come from as far afield as Canberra, Victoria and Queensland to attend. Many of the recent balls have had particular themes and many have had the title "Colonial" Ball - indicating that all (or at least most) of the dances were from the Australian Colonial period (finishing with Federation in 1901).

We have put together all these past 23 Subscription Ball programmes for your interest - you may well be surprised to see the number of dances and the variety over the years! Click on any title below to see the programme for that year (in program order except where noted) and see also the combined alphabetical list of all the dances (including the years when they were on Subscription Ball programmes).

Pauline Cambourne and Julia Smith (Subscription Ball Coordinators for 2004)

All the Bush Music Club Subscription Balls:

1st - August 1978, Ashfield Town Hall, with The Rouseabouts and The Reedy River Bushmen

2nd - 25 August 1979, Rockdale Town Hall, with The Rouseabouts and The Reedy River Bushmen - dances in alphabetical order

3rd - 30 August 1980, Willoughby Civic Centre, with The Reedy River Bushmen and Ryebuck Bush Band - dances in alphabetical order

4th - 1981, with Ryebuck Bush Band and Southern Cross

5th - 14 August 1982, Hurstville Civic Centre, with Pinchgut Colonial Band

6th - 13 August 1983, Albert Palais, Leichardt, with Pioneer Pete and Inland Navigators

7th - 18 August 1984, Albert Palais, Leichhardt, with Ryebuck Bush Band and Shearer's Choice

8th - 10 August 1985, Albert Palais, Leichhardt, with Big City and Southern Cross

9th - 9 August 1986, Albert Palais, Leichhardt, with Ryebuck and Prop-a-goose

10th - 22 Aug 1987, Willoughby Town Hall, with Aussie Too and Big City

11th - 27 August 1988, Rockdale Town Hall, with The Australian Concertina Band, The Backblocks Musicians, Southern Cross Bush Band and friends

12th - 26 August 1989, Rockdale Town Hall, with The Australian Concertina Band, The Backblocks Musicians, Ryebuck Bush Band and friends

13th - 25 August 1990, Rockdale Town Hall, with The Australian Concertina Band, The Backblocks Musicians, Sunup Bush Band and friends

14th - 24 August 1991, Rockdale Town Hall, with The Australian Concertina Band, The Backblocks Musicians, Wallaby Stew and friends

15th - 29 August 1992, Rockdale Town Hall, with The Australian Concertina Band, The Backblocks Musicians, Wallaby Stew and friends

16th - 13 November 1993, Rockdale Town Hall, with The Australian Concertina Band, The Backblocks Musicians and friends

17th - 27 August 1994, Rockdale Town Hall, with The Australian Concertina Band, The Backblocks Musicians and friends

18th - 29 August 1998, Maitland Town Hall, with Coalbrook

19th - 31 July 1999, Maitland Town Hall, with Stringfiddle

20th - 13 August 2000, Maitland Town Hall, with Coalbrook

21st - 25 August 2001, Maitland Town Hall, with Coalbrook

22nd - 24th August 2002, Maitland Town Hall, with Coalbrook

23rd - 30th August 2003, Maitland Town Hall, with Coalbrook

24th - 28th August 2004, Maitland Town Hall, with Ryebuck Bush Band and Southern Cross Bush Band

25th - 13th August 2005, Maitland Town Hall, with Coalbrook