February 5th 2021
The Charlton Neighbourhood House were thrilled to present the Charlton Debutante Ball for 2021, with the event being held for the first time at the Rex Theatre.
They were approached in late November by the Deb’s to see if any assistance could be offered as the event had been postponed three times and Friends of East Wimmera Health Services Charlton Campus who have conducted the event for over 70 years had announced they were not able to continue. The young ladies had purchased their dresses and young men their suits and some were heading off to university and employment shortly.
President Kaylene Cossar said “The difficulties of COVID have had such a negative impact on our lives, it was important that we endeavoured to have something positive occur, particularly for the Youth. We auspice the Youth Group, and their President Dora McGeown is on our committee. Together we have spent the year seeing many things taken away from them and stresses added with home schooling and social isolation, this was a wonderful opportunity to work with them to achieve something positive. It is also terrific that we were able to be the first post covid event in the Rex and able to financially support them with hire for the evening and trainings, along with supporting small business with purchasing the suits, flowers, presents and food etc. ”
Adhering to the COVID protocols placed limitations, however the event was structured for the Deb’s to feel like they had experienced a true Deb evening and that as many people had the opportunity to join the celebrations as possible. The event took place over four different venues and to address the limited numbers allowed and travel restrictions the Ball was live streamed.
The day was jam packed for the Deb’s with photos starting at 3.30pm at the Senior Citizen’s Room. At 7.00pm they were bussed up to the EWHS campus where they were presented to the residents through the windows. There was claps of joy, kisses blown and lots of tears as the Deb’s bowed and curtsied to their audience. The residents then returned to the lounge to watch the event on the TV and the Deb Set returned to the Senior Citz’s to freshen up before being individually chauffeured in a beautiful vintage car to the front steps of the Rex Theatre, where they were greeted by onlookers.
The Deb’s stepped inside the foyer to be greeted by a ‘Touch of Paris’ before proceeding down the aisles and making their way on stage. Deb Whykes, compere, interviewed the young people revealing their character to the audience for a more personalised evening.
The presentations commenced with the attendants Sophie Roberts and Chace Hooper-Dixon and Ruby Wright and Thomas Fitzpatrick. Sophie’s gorgeous dress featured a satin bodice with tulle falling from the waistline complete with satin ribbon trimming around the hemline. Finished off with a lovely satin bow at the centre back. Ruby’s lovely gown was satin and tulle. The satin bodice highlighted by the beaded lace on the waist falling into a full skirt of tulle, which was complimented by a bow adorning the back of her dress.
The first Debutante was Courtney Sait and her partner Jake Burke.
Courtney chose a princess style gown made of soft bridal tulle. It featured a sheer bodice made of vintage inspired lace and delicate hand beading. Courtney’s dress had an elegant open back framed by lace which was paired with dainty pearl buttons. To compliment her dress Courtney wore a pair of drop pearl earrings with diamantes, pearl pins in her hair and an engraved rose gold bracelet given to her by her grandmother Eila Sait.
Morgan Sullivan and her partner Brodie Grylls were next.
Morgan’s dress had elegant straps that set a beautiful feminine touch to the lace and tulle. Featuring a fitted bodice with a sweetheart neckline the bodice was embellished with lace. The soft skirt fell from the high waist and was finished with a layer of hail spot tulle. Morgan wore delicate jewels, including a soft and subtle diamond necklace, studded earrings with an abundance of diamonds, finished perfectly with elegant glimmering drop earrings and a small princess tiara.
Dora McGeown and Fergus Bourke were the third debutantes.
Dora’s debutante gown featured a pleated skirt, with a ballgown silhouette. A beaded bodice with a halter neckline and open back. To compliment Dora’s gown, she wore teardrop earrings which were gifted by her grandmother.
The final Deb’s of the evening were Zara Jenkyn and Caileb Good.
Zara wore wearing a beautiful gown of shimmering lace. It featured a contoured neckline with a single strap, sweeping over the shoulder and into a corset back. To compliment Zara’s dress, she chose a single drop diamanté earrings and a fine diamanté bracelet, and a diamanté dragon fly which she wore when she was a flower girl at The Charlton Debutante Ball in 2010.
The partners all wore their own black suits, crisp white shirts, and gold bow ties.
The trainers Wes and Michelle Jenkyn had placed enormous thought into the presentation dances to accommodate the stage width and special requests. The first three -Lomond Waltz, Tangoette and Waltz Oxford showcased the dresses and the young people’s dance skills beautifully. The fourth the committee had asked for something interactive and a little different, the four couples left the stage and danced the Chicago Swing down the aisles while the four attendants took to the stage and showed their dancing prowess. The traditional Pride of Erin with their parents needed to be executed differently also, with girl’s parents first and then the boys. Usually training sessions are provided to skill the parents too, however due to COVID that was not possible, so the crowd enjoyed the raw talents of parents putting their own spin on the dance, while the attendants cascaded the stage in bubbles, throughout the three sets of the Pride of Erin. The final dance the Deb’s requested that their trainers join them for the extremely fast paced Progressive Jive. People were amazed at the speed Gill Gretgrix could play this piece particularly as she had to add the extra 5 entrance pieces earlier when the Rex music system malfunctioned.
The Deb Set represented by Courtney thanked the many people involved and made a few small presentations. The formalities concluded with family downstairs taking photos of the Debs on stage, whilst the upstairs guests exited and then the Deb Set reassembled on the external steps for the guests to take photos whilst family exited.
The Debs and their families then returned to the Uniting Church Hall for supper and they presented their dances again where they could be joined by family members. The members of the EWHS Friends committee were invited also as a formal acknowledgement of the magnificent effort undertaken by them over the past 70+ years and a slide show and printed photos showcasing some of the last 40 years of Debutante Sets undertaken by them were featured.
The Charlton Neighbourhood House Committee would like to acknowledge the amazing effort by many people to make this evening special for the young people, particularly in such a short space of time. Debutantes, Partners, Attendants, and their families; CNH committee, staff and volunteers; Event coordinators-Michelle Jenkyn, Jayne Burton, Marea Judd, Kaylene Cossar; Trainers-Michelle and Wes Jenkyn; Pianist-Gill Gretgrix; Venue Suppliers-Uniting Church, EWHS Charlton Campus, Buloke Shire Council and Rex Theatre. Vehicle Supplier & Driver-John Sweatman; Livestream-Stuart Plumridge, Damien McIntyre and Charlton College; Venue Decorators-Bernice Kenny, Donna McCallum, David and Jenny Pollard, Bernice Whykes; Presenter-Deb Whykes; Advisor-Rosemary Hackett; Assistants– Joy Freeman, Wendy Laffin, Lynne McRae, Deb Finlay, Jess McGurk, Chris Livingston, Barry McKenzie, Caryn Larmour, Margaret-Anne Wright, Hayden Jones; Donors-Charlton Neighbourhood House Opportunity Shop, Tormey’s IGA, and the many catering donors; Piano-Charlton Community Service Clubs and EWHS; Businesses-Charlton Florist, Charlton Mensland, Bruce Clymo (Videographer), Andy Banks (Photographer) and Rex Theatre; Reece Carroll and the EWHS Charlton staff; COVID Advisors-Buloke Shire Council and DHHS.
The Charlton Neighbourhood House were thrilled to present the Charlton Debutante Ball for 2021, with the event being held for the first time at the Rex Theatre.
They were approached in late November by the Deb’s to see if any assistance could be offered as the event had been postponed three times and Friends of East Wimmera Health Services Charlton Campus who have conducted the event for over 70 years had announced they were not able to continue. The young ladies had purchased their dresses and young men their suits and some were heading off to university and employment shortly.
President Kaylene Cossar said “The difficulties of COVID have had such a negative impact on our lives, it was important that we endeavoured to have something positive occur, particularly for the Youth. We auspice the Youth Group, and their President Dora McGeown is on our committee. Together we have spent the year seeing many things taken away from them and stresses added with home schooling and social isolation, this was a wonderful opportunity to work with them to achieve something positive. It is also terrific that we were able to be the first post covid event in the Rex and able to financially support them with hire for the evening and trainings, along with supporting small business with purchasing the suits, flowers, presents and food etc. ”
Adhering to the COVID protocols placed limitations, however the event was structured for the Deb’s to feel like they had experienced a true Deb evening and that as many people had the opportunity to join the celebrations as possible. The event took place over four different venues and to address the limited numbers allowed and travel restrictions the Ball was live streamed.
The day was jam packed for the Deb’s with photos starting at 3.30pm at the Senior Citizen’s Room. At 7.00pm they were bussed up to the EWHS campus where they were presented to the residents through the windows. There was claps of joy, kisses blown and lots of tears as the Deb’s bowed and curtsied to their audience. The residents then returned to the lounge to watch the event on the TV and the Deb Set returned to the Senior Citz’s to freshen up before being individually chauffeured in a beautiful vintage car to the front steps of the Rex Theatre, where they were greeted by onlookers.
The Deb’s stepped inside the foyer to be greeted by a ‘Touch of Paris’ before proceeding down the aisles and making their way on stage. Deb Whykes, compere, interviewed the young people revealing their character to the audience for a more personalised evening.
The presentations commenced with the attendants Sophie Roberts and Chace Hooper-Dixon and Ruby Wright and Thomas Fitzpatrick. Sophie’s gorgeous dress featured a satin bodice with tulle falling from the waistline complete with satin ribbon trimming around the hemline. Finished off with a lovely satin bow at the centre back. Ruby’s lovely gown was satin and tulle. The satin bodice highlighted by the beaded lace on the waist falling into a full skirt of tulle, which was complimented by a bow adorning the back of her dress.
The first Debutante was Courtney Sait and her partner Jake Burke.
Courtney chose a princess style gown made of soft bridal tulle. It featured a sheer bodice made of vintage inspired lace and delicate hand beading. Courtney’s dress had an elegant open back framed by lace which was paired with dainty pearl buttons. To compliment her dress Courtney wore a pair of drop pearl earrings with diamantes, pearl pins in her hair and an engraved rose gold bracelet given to her by her grandmother Eila Sait.
Morgan Sullivan and her partner Brodie Grylls were next.
Morgan’s dress had elegant straps that set a beautiful feminine touch to the lace and tulle. Featuring a fitted bodice with a sweetheart neckline the bodice was embellished with lace. The soft skirt fell from the high waist and was finished with a layer of hail spot tulle. Morgan wore delicate jewels, including a soft and subtle diamond necklace, studded earrings with an abundance of diamonds, finished perfectly with elegant glimmering drop earrings and a small princess tiara.
Dora McGeown and Fergus Bourke were the third debutantes.
Dora’s debutante gown featured a pleated skirt, with a ballgown silhouette. A beaded bodice with a halter neckline and open back. To compliment Dora’s gown, she wore teardrop earrings which were gifted by her grandmother.
The final Deb’s of the evening were Zara Jenkyn and Caileb Good.
Zara wore wearing a beautiful gown of shimmering lace. It featured a contoured neckline with a single strap, sweeping over the shoulder and into a corset back. To compliment Zara’s dress, she chose a single drop diamanté earrings and a fine diamanté bracelet, and a diamanté dragon fly which she wore when she was a flower girl at The Charlton Debutante Ball in 2010.
The partners all wore their own black suits, crisp white shirts, and gold bow ties.
The trainers Wes and Michelle Jenkyn had placed enormous thought into the presentation dances to accommodate the stage width and special requests. The first three -Lomond Waltz, Tangoette and Waltz Oxford showcased the dresses and the young people’s dance skills beautifully. The fourth the committee had asked for something interactive and a little different, the four couples left the stage and danced the Chicago Swing down the aisles while the four attendants took to the stage and showed their dancing prowess. The traditional Pride of Erin with their parents needed to be executed differently also, with girl’s parents first and then the boys. Usually training sessions are provided to skill the parents too, however due to COVID that was not possible, so the crowd enjoyed the raw talents of parents putting their own spin on the dance, while the attendants cascaded the stage in bubbles, throughout the three sets of the Pride of Erin. The final dance the Deb’s requested that their trainers join them for the extremely fast paced Progressive Jive. People were amazed at the speed Gill Gretgrix could play this piece particularly as she had to add the extra 5 entrance pieces earlier when the Rex music system malfunctioned.
The Deb Set represented by Courtney thanked the many people involved and made a few small presentations. The formalities concluded with family downstairs taking photos of the Debs on stage, whilst the upstairs guests exited and then the Deb Set reassembled on the external steps for the guests to take photos whilst family exited.
The Debs and their families then returned to the Uniting Church Hall for supper and they presented their dances again where they could be joined by family members. The members of the EWHS Friends committee were invited also as a formal acknowledgement of the magnificent effort undertaken by them over the past 70+ years and a slide show and printed photos showcasing some of the last 40 years of Debutante Sets undertaken by them were featured.
The Charlton Neighbourhood House Committee would like to acknowledge the amazing effort by many people to make this evening special for the young people, particularly in such a short space of time. Debutantes, Partners, Attendants, and their families; CNH committee, staff and volunteers; Event coordinators-Michelle Jenkyn, Jayne Burton, Marea Judd, Kaylene Cossar; Trainers-Michelle and Wes Jenkyn; Pianist-Gill Gretgrix; Venue Suppliers-Uniting Church, EWHS Charlton Campus, Buloke Shire Council and Rex Theatre. Vehicle Supplier & Driver-John Sweatman; Livestream-Stuart Plumridge, Damien McIntyre and Charlton College; Venue Decorators-Bernice Kenny, Donna McCallum, David and Jenny Pollard, Bernice Whykes; Presenter-Deb Whykes; Advisor-Rosemary Hackett; Assistants– Joy Freeman, Wendy Laffin, Lynne McRae, Deb Finlay, Jess McGurk, Chris Livingston, Barry McKenzie, Caryn Larmour, Margaret-Anne Wright, Hayden Jones; Donors-Charlton Neighbourhood House Opportunity Shop, Tormey’s IGA, and the many catering donors; Piano-Charlton Community Service Clubs and EWHS; Businesses-Charlton Florist, Charlton Mensland, Bruce Clymo (Videographer), Andy Banks (Photographer) and Rex Theatre; Reece Carroll and the EWHS Charlton staff; COVID Advisors-Buloke Shire Council and DHHS.
