A Special Occasion

CELEBRATING DANCE SCOTTISH!

1.00pm-4.00pm, Saturday 29 April 2023
St John’s Anglican Church Hall,
18 Bassett Rd, Johnsonville Click here for a map to the venue
Afternoon tea provided. Bring own water bottle.
Doors open 12.30pm. Cost: $10 cash at the door.

As part of the RSCDS Centenary events, the Wellington Region has organised a very special occasion for intermediate dancers and above celebrating the role of the extended region as the well-spring of Scottish Country Dancing in New Zealand.

Iain Boyd, Romaine Butterfield, Edith Campbell and Elaine Laidlaw have chosen dances from the early days of Scottish Country Dancing in the lower North Island, based around Morison’s Bush Collection and The Harbour City Collection.

These well-regarded tutors from our region will teach the dances as part of the Society’s Centenary Celebrations.

To add to this unique experience, The Cranberry Tarts—Aileen Logie and Hilary Ferral—will provide music from the original tunes and arrangements used by Peter Elmes for both books.

See more about our tutors
See more about our musicians

Download the Early Wellington Dances Poster

Early Wellington Dances: Our Tutors for this Special Occasion

Iain Boyd

Iain has taught at classes and weekend schools in the Region and throughout New Zealand, including at New Zealand Branch Summer Schools, and across the world. Iain has many books of dances as well as dances in various collections which are widely danced internationally.

Iain has two dances published by the RSCDS: The Loch Ness Monster (2nd Graded Book) and The Trysting Place (Book 35/6). His dance Wild Mountain Thyme is in The Morison’s Bush Collection and On the Quarter-Deck is in The Harbour City Collection.

See Iain’s article on his early days and dance devising in The Reel Issue No. 313 p9 2020

Iain was presented with an RSCDS New Zealand Branch Award on 25 July 2015. See this extract from RSCDS Scottish Country Dancer October 2015 No. 21 p23

Romaine Butterfield

Romaine has four dances published by the RSCDS (the most of any New Zealand deviser); Catch the Wind (Book 45/5), The Bonnie Tree (Book 46/6), The Kissing Bridge (Book 47/9) and Come What May (Book 51).

Romaine has taught at classes and weekend schools in the Region and throughout New Zealand including at New Zealand Branch Summer Schools. She was a tutor for many years at the Island Bay Club (now Capital City) and is the current tutor of Waikanae Club.

Her dance Joy Be Wi’ You is in The Morison’s Bush Collection, and Cabbages And Kings and Let’s Meet Again are in The Harbour City Collection.

Romaine was presented with an RSCDS New Zealand Branch Award on 21 November 2014. See more in this extract from the New Zealand Scottish Country Dancer 2015 No. 62 p5

Edith Campbell

Edith has taught at classes and weekend schools in the Region and throughout New Zealand including at New Zealand Branch Summer Schools. After moving from the UK to New Zealand with her Wellingtonian husband Bruce, Edith taught at Wellington Club (disestablished in 2006) for 10 years from 1963. In 1978, she and Bruce started Seatoun Club. She has now tutored the club for 45 years.

Edith has been on the Wellington Region Committee for many years and has helped to organise many Region events including the Wellington Region Diamond Jubilee Ball in 2012 at Government House and the Wellington Region 60th Anniversary Ball in 2021.

For the 1973 Golden Anniversary Ball in Lower Hutt, held to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the RSCDS, Edith together with two other well-known Wellington Region tutors—Gary Morris and Betty Redfearn—devised Won’t You Join the Dance (published 1973 NZ Scottish Country Dancer) to tell the Society’s story. See this article from Edith about Wellington dancing celebrations in the early 1970s. Edith’s dance To Ane An’ A’ is in The Harbour City Collection.

Elaine Laidlaw

Elaine has been on the Wellington Region Committee for many years including as President from 2011- 2013. She and her husband Michael have been involved in organising a number of Wellington Region events including the Wellington Region Diamond Jubilee Ball in 2012 at Government House as well as Hogmanays and New Dancers’ Celebrations.

In 2000, Elaine and Michael started Carterton Club in the Wairarapa. She continues to teach at the club. Elaine was awarded Life Membership of the New Zealand Branch in 2022 for her extensive service to the Branch in a range of roles including President. See more in this extract from the New Zealand Scottish Country Dancer 2022 No. 69 p4

Her published dances include The Tui’s Call in the collection From North Cape To the Bluff which celebrated the 50th anniversary of the New Zealand Branch, and The ‘Halfway House’, Petone (a tribute to the Community House in Britannia Street, Petone where the Region Committee meets) in The Wellington 60th Anniversary Collection.

Early Wellington Dances: Our Musicians

The Cranberry Tarts: Aileen Logie and Hilary Ferral

Aileen’s musical life started in Scotland when she was five years old. As well as learning to play the piano, guitar and accordion, she learned Scottish Country Dancing. Aileen played in various bands before moving to Wellington in 2009. Within days of arriving, long-time Wellingtonian musician Peter Elmes contacted her and encouraged her to join in his gigs. From being Peter’s ‘apprentice’, Aileen now plays in a range of band line-ups, including the duo The Cranberry Tarts with Hilary Ferral.

See more from Aileen about her musical life from Scotland to Wellington

As a child, Hilary initially learned piano, and then added violin lessons. The violin took over and she acquired a degree in violin performance. Hilary started Scottish Country Dancing at Tawa Club. Eventually, she was asked if she was interested in playing music for dancing. Subsequently, Hilary joined Peter Elmes’ band. After Peter’s retirement in 2018, she carried on playing with Aileen on a regular basis; in 2019, they named their duo The Cranberry Tarts.

See more from Hilary about her journey from classical violin to Scottish fiddling

At our special occasion of Early Wellington Dances, The Cranberry Tarts will provide music from the original tunes and arrangements used by Peter Elmes for dances from The Morison’s Bush Collection and The Harbour City Collection.