Elections: Canberra Votary
Queanbeyan’s Terpischore Mayor?
Who will be the new Queanbeyan Mayor?
Anyone can have a go now that votary, Councillor and Mayor, Frank Pangallo has announced he will step down and move across the border into Canberra, ACT to further his political career
Who will have the numbers to take over and make over Queanbeyan City Council after 13 September, 2008 depends on how the people vote in the elections on election day and is purely hypothetical at present. 1
Walking and stalking
A votary can be a fervently devoted leader, or any passionate person fervently devoted to a religion, activity or ideal. 2
You don’t have to be a votary to nominate or participate in elections but there are votaries out there pulling at the leash, who hope to increase their power base and take control of Council.
As Terpischore’s were aptly named after Terpischore, the Greek muse for dancing and choral singing, it is clear that after the polls close on 13 September 2008, and the vote is counted, some people will be terpischore votaries, a dancing and a singing and others will be down on their luck, a cursing as a new Mayor walks and stalks the stage of Queanbeyan City. 3
Terpsichore votaries have existed in Queanbeyan District since its early days when Stewart Mowle and Captain Faunce and their wives travelled long distances to dance till dawn in private homes on the large sheep stations. 4
Horseless carriage
In Queanbeyan in the late 1800s some of the locals were toting the title “Terpischore Votaries”. 5
In August 1914 a lady calling herself ‘Terpischore’, wrote a very unflattering letter to the editor of The Queanbeyan Age about the new generation of men, “It is some years now since I graced the sanctuary of Terpischore and in place of the moustached men who were the devotees of the goddess (herself) in my time, I found a lot of anaemic-looking youths built on clothes prop-like under frames and wearing the vacant expression of a homeless cow.” 6
“Their gyrations”, the letter continued, “were of a startling order … the main object of the male end of the puzzle seems to adopt a crouching attitude, as far removed from the graceful carriage as could be … you are lead out into the centre of the room, where the animated dress suit slopes its left shoulder to a ridiculous angle, and extends your arm stiffly towards the floor. 7
Back and Forth
“Then you experience a further sense of animation, and after a preparatory shuffle or two, you are off, you are prepared to swear that it is a waltz that is being played, but the energized shirt front seemingly hasn’t any idea of time, and you find yourself whirled first in one direction and then in another, until the room assumes the appearance of a futurist painting, and the fleeting glance you catch of a black object may be an eyebrow … or your partner’s spindly legs. 8
“When the next tango-cum-waltz-alberts-cum-polker comes you plead indisposition and watch the evolutions of a couple of score of young gentlemen against which a rag of a girl hangs – I don’t know what has become of the past generation of men”. 9
The Queanbeyan Observer reported that the 1894 New Years Eve ball organized by the United Friendly Societies Demonstration, made use of the Protestant Hall in Crawford Street for dancing, because of its splendid floor and used the Oddfellows Hall in Monaro Street, to provide additional room where supper could be laid out in abundance. 10
The use of two halls for the ball required a short walk between them but allowed for the relaxed indulgence of both dancing and eating to continue until dawn.
Seeing the Light
The Protestant Hall was nicely decorated with flags and banners with Messrs M Quigley and John Thompson officiating as MC’s and excellent music supplied by Messrs W O’Neill on piano and R Winter on viola. 11
Dancing started at 9 o’clock and was kept up with much vigour till midnight when an adjournment was made to take the short walk to the Oddfellows Hall where the “tables were fairly groaning under the good things provided, and from what we heard and saw ourselves we have no hesitation in saying that a better spread was never provided, for any ball held in Queanbeyan, and reflected great credit on Mrs Joseph Thompson and her assistants. 12
After supper, a short walk back to the Protestant Hall allowed dancing to resume until 3 am when another short walk to the Oddfellows Hall allowed for more consumption of the ladies culinary delights, followed by another brisk walk back to the Protestant Hall where dancing again resumed. 13
The first rays of sunlight saw the merry-makers finally dispersed, all seemingly satisfied and confirmed Terpischore Votaries. 14
END
Footnotes:
1. Connee-Colleen. Queanbeyan Outlook with Connee-Colleen “Votaries” © 2008. The Queanbeyan Age, 15th August, 2008, p 30. [OL.153]
2. Dictionary.
3. Ibid.
4. Gwendoline Wilson. Murray of Yarralumla, 2001. pp 196-97; pp 202; 212.
5. The Queanbeyan Observer & Mining Record, 4 January, 1895.
6. The Queanbeyan Age - Present Day Dancing, 25 August, 1914.
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.
10. The Queanbeyan Observer & Mining Record, 4 January, 1895.
11. Ibid.
12. Ibid.
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid.
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