The gardens of Warrandyte would be robbed of their lilac so that the hall could be decorated. The women would, of course, have a new frock each and the men always wore ties and kept their coats on no matter how hot they became doing all the old time dancing. The night would not be complete without the first set Alberts and always finishing with the Royal Irish. (These were a form of square dance with an M. C. calling the figures.) In addition, waltzes, a marathon progressive barn dance, gipsy tap, you name it, we danced the lot at the lilac time ball. Supper was served halfway through the evening - not like we have it today, cabaret and buffet style, etc. Our custom was that everybody who could, moved to a seat around the hall and then cups and plates would be handed around, then the plates of sandwiches and home-made cakes and sponges were served by the local girls and ladies. By this time the coffee would be ready, having been prepared in a kerosene tin on the open fire in the kitchen. The men would carry this around to the people in jugs, with somebody following behind with the sugar and I can still remember that beautiful coffee. After that huge supper, everybody found enough energy to finish off with the Royal Irish.
In the 1940’s Mrs. Reynold trained local girls and boys for a debutante set which was an added attraction. The debutante set and their partners were presented to many important people in the years following, one being Dame Patti Menzies. My own mother, Mrs. G. M. Robertson, was presented with a service medal from the Women's Hospital Board of Management.
These are my own recollections of the Lilac Time Ball. Many of the details were destroyed in the 1939 bushfires when the then secretary's, Mrs. Craker’s home was destroyed. The money raised from the balls went to the endowing of cots and beds in the names of Mrs. W. Hussey, Mrs. M. Houston, and Mrs. V. Hawkes.
For many years after my marriage in 1937, I always attended the Lilac Time Ball. My son Craig partnered his cousin Laurie Smith of Warrandyte at a ball in the late 1950's. Like a lot of functions, with the advent of television, the Lilac Time Balls finished but I'm sure the memories to a lot of people will always live on. The work still continues for the hospital. Many of the people on the committee are foundation members. The reigning president, Mrs. B. Leake, has been in office for the last twenty years.
Mavis Chivers writing in 1974 08 DTHS Newsletter
Warrandyte Mechanics Institute Hall
In its next phase, the hall was still used regularly for dances, deb balls, Lilac Time Balls, New Year’s Eve dances, meetings, weddings and also as a cinema up to 3 times per week until the advent of the drive-in in the 50s. During the war, it was used for fund raising events for patriotic purposes and it also served as a Bush Fire Relief Centre during the Black Friday fires of 1939 and again in 1962. It was shortly after this that the timber building at the rear of the Hall was built as a Group Headquarters and radio room for the Warrandyte Fire Brigade. This same building became the Pottery Studio when the New Fire Station was built in Warrandyte in 1881.
Extract from: The Warrandyte Mechanics Institute Hall
Lilac Ball Time
The Warrandyte Hall was decorated attractively on Saturday for the lilac tune ball, organised to raise funds for the Warrandyte bed in the Women's Hospital, Melbourne. White and mauve lilac transformed the' hall into a spring pageant, with the windows framed In green and with mauve butterflies flutter-ing over the blossoms, The stage was arranged to represent an old-world garden.
Visitors carne from Melbourne and the surrounding district. The large gather-ing included the president of the Don-caster and Mulgrave Shire (Mr. H. G. Adams) and Mrs. Adams,- the president of the Warrandyte auxiliary for the Women's Hospital (Miss E. Till), the honorary' secretary (Mrs. M. Jones), the honorary treasurer (Mrs. G. Cracker), and members of the committee, shire councillors, and others interested - in the auxiliary's work.
1937 'LILAC TIME BALL', The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), 11 October, p. 6. , viewed 14 Jul 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11114220
Visitors carne from Melbourne and the surrounding district. The large gather-ing included the president of the Don-caster and Mulgrave Shire (Mr. H. G. Adams) and Mrs. Adams,- the president of the Warrandyte auxiliary for the Women's Hospital (Miss E. Till), the honorary' secretary (Mrs. M. Jones), the honorary treasurer (Mrs. G. Cracker), and members of the committee, shire councillors, and others interested - in the auxiliary's work.
1937 'LILAC TIME BALL', The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), 11 October, p. 6. , viewed 14 Jul 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11114220
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