We are indebted, of course, to an original board member, ex serviceman, Sid Gill, who unselfishly oversaw the building for no fee. He did ask for a dance floor! The manager at the time promised that there would always be free dancing at the Club. Sid’s widow, Daphne, is still dancing in our group and her club membership number is 78.

Noel Donaghue, another ex serviceman, did the Wiradjuri symbol for Cowra, the eagle and rock for the centre of the floor. This united the whole of Cowra and everyone was proud of the Club.

In the history I include present Board member, Warren Reid, who unselfishly has given pleasure for years of teaching others to dance and local musician, Barry Whitty, has been playing at the Club for 35 years.

The floor has become famous in Dance circles in the west and the whole auditorium is admired by all who see it, for its spaciousness and beauty.

It is not only perfect for dancing, a parquetry floor that would cost thousands in today’s dollars. People are still building dance floors, a 600 person dance floor is currently under construction at Mt Panorama. It also is the first of the two tiered seating which enables all combinations of dinners and entertainment.

We consider the Board is not refurbishing – this is only cosmetic painting etc, but it is changing the very structure of the Club as it was originally conceived and this being the case there should more member consultation.

The Club is for Cowra people and belongs to the Cowra people and we need to feel part of such vital decisions.

We do not want to spend money recklessly and end up with fewer facilities.

We suggest:

* rather than raising and carpeting the floor, building an smaller inferior dance floor and raising the ceiling, incorporate the original floor and plan around this as a feature;

* fixing the ‘black hole’ inexpensively with  perhaps sliding screens, which could be decorated by local artists or even myriads of photos of Cowra soldiers who fought for Australia. This would attract people forever and be a great feature;

* bringing  the original wall of the dining room to the walkway for extensions – this is still a light giving feature and should not be wrecked.

* not repeating mistakes – do not build another cocktail bar when the first was such a failure;

* keeping the raised stage. Having the stage on the same level as the seating is a mistake as the raised stage was excellent for viewing and the two tiered system worked well;

* unifying our community – this is not done by picking off all the loyal groups- dancers, bowlers, squash and snooker players – these people should be encouraged, promoted and strengthened as they bring life to the community. They all bring business to Cowra when they host their big events and their activities make Cowra more attractive to retirees. When Cowra no longer offers these activities people will move away;

* engaging popular bands, especially in the thriving Rock and Roll Group – many of whom are local and have to travel.  Good entertainers would be supported;

* appreciating that the Club is already beautiful, functional and spacious – a building of which we are all proud.

Finally we beg you, do not touch the dance floor, covering it is a sin and cutting out the Cowra Wiradjuri symbol is vandalism.

Joy Bonnor

Cowra  Dance Groups

Dear editor

With reference to the proposed alterations to the Club premises our group would like to express its concern.

We understand the challenges faced by clubs and their need to continually implement new strategies in an attempt to attract the patronage of different demographics.  We also understand that in spite of best efforts, unfortunately not all strategies will achieve the desired outcome.  Therefore, we would ask the Board to take the following points into consideration.

·       The parquetry dancefloor in the Cowra Services Club is one of the best in the region with wide-ranging marketing potential to various dance or exercise groups and visiting attractions.

·       The current auditorium with the lowered dance floor is a versatile layout.  It provides good visual access to the stage on two levels as well as space for extra tables and seating.

·       The Cowra Services Club dance floor is well known throughout the central west dancing community as an excellent floor and together with the Club’s reputation for its facilities and service ensures that all major events are well attended. A low-grade smaller ‘dance’ floor would mean that all dance events would have to be relocated.

·       We suggest that the success of any new strategies to attract and retain new patrons should be assessed before any permanent changes are made.

·       Because of the significance of the floor and the auditorium as a whole, we suggest that community opinion should be sought before any irreversible changes are made.

We support the Board’s efforts to ensure the ongoing viability of the Club and hope that all future plans will incorporate the existing parquetry dancefloor.

Anne Vincent

Canowindra Social Dance Group