CALLERS AND CUERS
PAUL BRISTOW is from South Ruislip (pronounced “Rice-Slip”), in the county of Middlesex, which is located in the London area of the UK. He has been an active Caller for 35 years and Calls on a weekly basis for three Clubs. He began travelling to Call at UK events in 1978 and – in 1982 – began to travel, regularly, throughout the Greater European area and (soon after) at various locations around the world where he has been featured at many major Dance events.
​
In 1986 Paul became a Staff Caller for Sting Records; he took over Ownership in 2000 and has been personally responsible for the production of 349 pieces of Square Dance music. Over the last 30 years Paul has recorded a total of 92 Square dance Vocals (88 on Sting and 4 on other labels)
Paul has the full support of his wife – Hazel and his daughters – Verity (28) and Cherish (26), all of whom support him and help to keep him where he is – but with both of his feet FIRMLY on the ground!
GRAHAM ELLIOTT's introduction to square dancing came in the early 1970s when his family were encouraged to come along by neighbourhood friends. In the late 70s, whilst at Adelaide University, he joined the square dance club which operated there. It was here that he met his wife Dawn. During this time he also had the pleasure of dancing in the late Colin Huddleston's demonstration team. A few years later Graham tried his hand at calling at a couple of Adelaide clubs – he was no stranger to the stage having been involved in public speaking and plays during his school years.
In 1985 Graham & Dawn started a learners’ class which became their own club – the Adelaide Outlaws. Operating in the western suburbs of Adelaide, it maintained a healthy membership and in 1987, a Plus club was formed operating on the north side of Adelaide. Both clubs are still going strong today. Graham has been actively involved in the calling field having served as various executive positions on the State callers’ association, taken positions of secretary, public relations officer and chairman of the Australian Callers Federation and still serves on the Board. He is a member of Callerlab and is on the Mainstream committee. He has been feature caller at many interstate and overseas festivals and conventions and has had the pleasure of calling and dancing in Japan, Austria, New Zealand, USA and England. He is also a life member of the South Australian Square Dance Society.
Outside of square dancing, Graham is now retired from mechanical engineering in the oil and gas industry and Dawn is a primary school teacher.
HOWARD COCKBURN: I began square dancing at Westgate Square Dance club in October 1979 at the insistence of my wife Brenda. By April 1981 I had become a trainee caller with Frank Kennedy and in July 1982 Brenda and I began Crossroad Squares in Werribee. In 1990 Brenda & I opened Southern Cross Plus and in 1998 we opened Southern Cross A, all three clubs are still running.
I have attended and called at 33 National Conventions and served on 5 National Convention Committees including 2005 in Warrnambool where I was Convenor.
When I am not square dancing Brenda & I spend a lot of time with our two daughters Meagan & Rachel and the loves of our life, our grandchildren Logan and Ruby. We also really enjoy travelling with our Travel Buddies Mike & Lorraine. In October 2014 I retired from work and am looking forward to the next era in our lives.
CHRIS FROGGATT started square dancing in 1970 at Corrimal and began calling in 1972. He started his first square dance club "Ghost Riders" in the Wollongong area in 1974. This dance ran for nearly five years until Chris married Linda and moved to the Sutherland Shire.
In late 1978, Chris and Linda opened their first weekly club “Knee-Deep Squares” on Wednesday nights, teaching beginners and dancing Mainstream.
Over the years they have introduced hundreds of people to square dancing, many of who dance today in other parts of Australia. Chris taught many people how to square dance, but more importantly he strove to include fun and fellowship.
​Chris and Linda took a break from full-time square dancing in 2001 after running Knee-Deep Squares for 23 years. In 2012 Chris and Linda returned and are now back at Jannali Community Hall, running Knee-Deep Squares on Friday nights, and enjoying it as much as ever.
KEVIN KELLY I lost a football bet to a school friend and as payment had to attend my first Square Dance at the ripe old age of 15. I have now been Club Calling for 48 / 49 years depending on if you start the count from start of beginners or Club. I’m actually starting my count from the end of the first year of Club Calling which will have me enjoying my 50th year in 2018 along with two very dear Calling buddies Steve Turner and Nev McLachlan.
My journey has given me the opportunity to meet some of the nicest people in the world and I have been fortunate enough to have been invited to guest Call all over Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia, Malaysia and Mauritius. I called at my first club Sundowners from the night it started until it eventually closed some 38 years later and have been the Caller at my current club Happy Wanderers for the last 39 years. One small interesting point is that I only went to Happy Wanderers to fill in for one week until they found a permanent Caller 39 years ago. If that’s not the longest One Night Show in history I would be very surprised. He he..
​
I’ve been Best Man, Grooms Man, Godfather, MC and Pallbearer and Elegy reader so many times, been asked to sing the National Anthem a couple of times and am absolutely delighted to be called Uncle Kev by so many people in this wonderful Square Dance world I find the whole journey absolutely flattering. I really can’t thank you all enough.
I started this little Bio by saying I lost a Bet. I sure hope every losing bet I ever have is as wonderful an experience as this one has been.
JEFFREY GARBUTT started dancing in 1973.. He is caller for "Jay Gees" square dance club in Bunbury.WA and the current president of the "Callers Association of Western Australia". He was the editor of the "Australia Callers Federation" magazine named "Callerlink" since from June 2000 to April 2015. He is now Secretary of "Australia Callers Federation".
TONY BOWRING commenced Square Dancing in 1969 and commenced calling in 1971. In 1975 he opened his first square dance club in Croydon, Victoria with his wife Christine. In 1997 they retired from Square Dancing for family reasons and started back dancing on a casual basis in 2003. Since then Tony has been a relief caller filling in for callers and clubs over the past 10 years.
Tony has served in executive positions with both the Australian Callers Federation (ACF) and Victorian Callers Association (VCA), attended many Australian National Square Dance Conventions, Victorian State Conventions and S.A State Square Dance Conventions.
Currently he is a member of the ACF, Square and Round Dance Assoc of NSW and the NNSWSDA (Northern NSW Square Dance Association).
​
In 2012 Tony and Christine moved to Port Macquarie NSW where he came out of retirement and in April 2013 opened Riverside 8’s Square Dance Club.
GARY PETERSEN has been calling since October 1995. Solo Club Calling since October 1997.
Currently Calling 8 Sessions per week at 3 Clubs, Upbeat Ch.a.o.s.; Bribie Island Squares and Suncoasters SDC.
​
Have Called at Nationals in every State and Territory of Australia. Feature Caller {4 x club Gigs} in Germany 2014. Feature Caller 2016 PLUSmuster Tauranga NZ.
​
I absolutely love working with a Theme and I WILL DIG the Scene in 2017!
STEVE TURNER
1967 Started Square Dancing in England
1968 Emigrating to Perth Western Australia
1969 formed the first club called Shanondoahs with beginner classes twice a week
1973 started a Plus club,
1982 a Round Dance club was formed and this new hobby had become 5 nights per week.
1970-80 had a demonstration dance team which performed in public promoting Square Dancing
1992 became a full-time Caller calling for up to 8 clubs per week and running a Record and Tape business
1995 formed their own Australian Record Label “AUSSIE TEMPOS” and DOWN UNDER RECORDS
Awards
Callerlab (USA) Small World Award - 1985
Australian Callers' Federation, Life Member - 1990
Callerlab/Society of Western Australia, 25 years of Calling - 1994
CAWA Silver Microphone Award - 1994
Square Dance Society of Western Australia, Life Member - 1997
Callerlab Accredited Caller - since 1990
Callerlab Quarter Century Club - 1998
Australia Round Dance Association, continuous teaching for 15 years
National S/D Society of Australia “Roll Of Honour” - 2008
Callerlab USA “Accredited Caller Coach” - 2008
RUSSELL PRATT started calling in 1984 with the Kauri Squares Club in Northland, New Zealand.
​
After running this club for 13 years and calling Basic through to Plus, the club was put into recess and I left the activity for a number of years until my wife, Jill, and I joined the Hamilton Square Dance Club (NZ) in 2009. In 2010 I took over teaching the learner class which I am still doing and also call Mainstream on a different night Plus occasionally when required.
MIKE DAVEY Mike started calling when he was 18. His first call was to an empty supper room because he was so nervous that he could not even look! It seems that the dancers enjoyed even that phantom call, because, with the help of Lee McFadyeon, he went on to develop his talents and eventually started his own Club, Surfside Eights. In 1985, when Jack Burgess died, Mike was asked to call at Jaybee Square Wheelers. He has been there ever since and is also running Mike's Plus club.
​
Mike has been invited to call in most states in Australia, as well as New Zealand and Japan.
​
In his spare time, Mike and his wife, Lorraine, volunteer as puppy-raisers for Guide Dogs Victoria. So far, their track record is excellent – Dee went to Japan to help with their guide dog program; Olsen is a Guide Dog in NSW and Dorothy is a companion dog. They also love to travel to exotic places with Howard and Brenda Cockburn.
JANICE ALEXANDER and her sister, Lorraine, asked Jack Murphy, from Whitehorse Club, to teach them to call. Jack did such a good job that when he decided to retire from calling, he gave the Club to them. Lorraine then went on to form her own club, which left Janice running Whitehorse by herself. She has the distinction of having the oldest continuously running club in Victoria - more than 60 years. She really doesn't look that old!