I was born and raised in Hornsby, the oldest child of Rita & Wal Jarvis. I attended Clarke Road infant school which was four or five houses down the street. It was a quaint little school. When we were in year two we could have the privilege of being toilet monitors. It was our job to maintain order in the toilets and ensure everyone washed their hands properly. My primary school was at Normanhurst which was a fair distance away from where we lived. I either walked or caught a bus. We had a teaching principal who was very strict. I remember sitting in my year six class flipping a rubber on the desk. It obviously annoyed my teacher so he pushed me off the seat so I would stop. I completed year 12 at Hornsby Girls High School and then went on to Teachers' College at Lindfield. After graduating I began teaching at Jasper Road Primary School in Baulkham Hills. I still teach but now support students with learning needs who have dropped significantly below their grade level.
Dancing has been a part of my life from quite a young age. It started as a seven year-old when I wanted to be a ballerina like many other little girls that age. I continued to do ballet classes until I was sixteen and dabbled in jazz and tap along the way. I also participated in ballroom classes and attended many Scottish social dances.
I was introduced to square dancing in my late teens when I was invited to Fred & Elizabeth Mead's home by a work colleague and have continued till the present day. I met David at this dance and four years later we were married. After we were married David and I started the D Bar T square dance club at Merrylands. This was a very successful club as we had a large group of American Exchange teachers who joined us during this time. Sharon Glen and Dawn Kreves were part of this group. Many of the dancers at the time competed in the Competition Society events and we travelled away together to Bundanoon and Blackheath.
In 1978 David and I attended the First Canadian National Square Dance Convention in Alberta with a tour group led by Merle Meyers. We danced in a demonstration set at this convention which was well received. David also called at this convention, but at the time, I did not realise that it meant that we were a package and I was expected to stay on the stage with him while he called. I was way out of my comfort zone perched in a corner of a very high stage with nothing to do but smile. After he called there was a long queue waiting for the Aussie caller to sign dancers? books.
With two young children and a newly formed business David stopped calling. I continued to be involved in competition dancing until about 1983.
Fast forward to 1996 and David with encouragement from Dawn Kreves and Brian Kirkwood started a club in the Blue Mountains, initially at Hazelbrook and then at Blaxland East. Both our daughters learnt to square dance and were involved in competition dancing for many years. Unfortunately during 1997 I had spinal surgery which kept me out of actively dancing for a while but I was determined to dance again. David had started training competition teams and so for some of the time I was the trainer. Both our daughters square danced socially and competitively for a number of years.
In 2000 Leon Thomas decided to resign as Coordinating Editor of the South Pacific Square Dance Review and I decided to take on that role believing in the importance of the magazine nationally and internationally. I have continued in this role except for a break while I completed external studies at university.
During the same year David convened the Liverpool State Convention and I took on the role of secretary. We had an amazing committee and it was lots of fun. I was also involved in the committee of the Kiama State Convention.
In 2011 I was awarded Life Membership to the Square Dance Society of NSW. I am currently the Secretary of the Square and Round Dance Association of NSW and State Editor and Coordinating Editor to the Australian Square Dance Review.
