History of the Westsyde Squares

Dance Club

THE WESTSYDE STORY

CALLERS & INSTRUCTORS for WESTSYDE SQUARES

WESTSYDE SQUARES PRESIDENTS

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" THE WESTSYDE STORY " by Malcolm Greenwood (2001)

"This has absolutely nothing to do with the novel of the same name, but to many of us in the Kelowna/Westbank area it means Square Dancing!"

Lets go back to 1957 when British Columbia was preparing to celebrate a Centennial in the coming year. The Lakeview Recreation Commission members were discussing the events and possible ways to celebrate this important event. Several ideas were discussed and cast aside, until someone came up with the suggestion of Square Dancing, as it had been part of the heritage of the Old West. This presented another problem - who could Square Dance? This as it turned out, was a problem that could be resolved.

A gentleman from Summerland, Mr. Ray Fredrickson met with a group at the Lakeview Elementary School lunch room in November, 1957, and this was the start of the Westsyde Square Dance Club - better known as WESTSYDE SQUARES - and a long friendship with Ray our caller and his late wife Doreen. We have been meeting Wednesdays from Fall to Spring ever since. We held our Club nights mainly at the old Westbank Community Hall until the Mount Boucherie Community Center was built.
We have been an active Club, dancing not only on Wednesday Club nights, but also the second Saturday of each month from October through ‘til June when other clubs are invited to dance to our local and visiting callers. Our club members are also travellers, and it is not unusual to see several squares visiting other Clubs and attending Jamborees and Square Dance Conventions in Canada and U.S.A.

Ray, after calling for us for nineteen years, decided it was time to retire and we are now equally well led by callers Ron & Elly Heichert, Pete Prentice and Bill & Helen Thomas. We were capably led in round dancing by teachers John & Kay Hutchinson until the untimely death of John.

Hank & Jetty Walstra are now our very capable Round Dance teachers.

We of the Westsyde Squares are now looking forward to our 25^th Anniversary. How will we celebrate? You guessed it - Square Dancing of course - and hope for many many more years of the very same thing."

We Have long passed our 25^th and have had our 40^th Anniversary. We are now entering our 44^th year. Ron & Elly Heichert have retired as caller couple, as have Hank & Jetty Walstra, our Round Dance teachers. They have been replaced by Barry Sjolin as Caller and Ken & Susan Boyd our Round Dance Cuers.

We are still dancing Wednesday evenings at Mount Boucherie Hall from October to April. Our Party Nights are from November to May. We have one Square Dance Weekend a year in April. This will be the eighteenth year featuring top Callers from North America and very capable Round Dance Cuers. Dancers from many parts of B.C. attend as well as from Alberta and Washington State.

It would appear that we still have many good years ahead of us!

Westsyde Square Dance Club is a young 50 years old this year. (2007)

CALLERS & INSTRUCTORS for WESTSYDE SQUARES

Nov. 1957 - June 1976, Ray & Doreen Fredrickson
Fall, 76 - Pete Prentice 1978 - Pete Prentice - Ron & Elly Heichert
1984 - Spring 1994 - Ron & Elly Heichert
1994 - Present - Barry Sjolin

NEW DANCER CALLERS
Fall, 1976 - Ron & Elly Heichert
1978 - 1985 - Bill & Helen Thomas
1986 / 87 - Bill & Shirley Thomas
1988 / 89 - Gene & Inez Ramsbottom
Jan. 1992 - Ron & Elly Heichert
1993 / 94 - Ron & Elly Heichert
Fall, 1995 - Dec. 1996 - Ralph & Molly Halsall
Jan. 1997 - Ralph & Molly Halsall
Oct. 2000 - 2007 - Bob & Jan Brander
Sept 2008 - Dustin McGifford
Sept 2009 - Dustin McGifford
ROUND DANCE CUERS & INSTRUCTORS
Nov. 1957 - June 1975 - Ray & Doreen Fredrickson
Fall, 1975 - 1979 - John & Kay Hutchinson
Fall, 1979 - 1992 - Hank & Jetty Walstra
Fall, 1992 - December 2009 - Ken & Susan Boyd
January 2010 - Regine Anderson, 2nd & 4th Wednesdays
January 2010 - 1st, 3rd & 5th Wednesdays - Taped Rounds

WESTSYDE SQUARES PRESIDENTS

December 1957 Will Holland
November 1958 Bill Darroch
November 1959 Malcolm Greenwood
November 1960 Malcolm Greenwood
October 1961 Bob Scriver
October 1962 Malcolm Greenwood
October 1963 Malcolm Greenwood
April 1964 Joe Schneider
March 1965 Bill Johnston
March 1966 Bill Johnston
March 1967 Malcolm Greenwood
March 1968 George Sherstobitoff
March 1969 George Sherstobitoff
March 1970 Jess Coffey
March 1971 Malcolm Greenwood
March 1972 Art Dunn
March 1973 Art Dunn
March 1974 Malcolm Greenwood
March 1975 Malcolm Greenwood March 1976 John Wadleigh
March 1977 John Wadleigh
March 1978 Laurie Thomas
March 1979 Laurie Thomas
March 1980 Ian Taylor
March 1981 Alan Whale
March 1981 Herb Heywood
March 1982 Herb Heywood
March 1983 Herb Heywood
April 1984 Brian Elmer
April 1985 Malcolm Greenwood
April 1986 Stan McKay
April 1987 Barbara Latimer Needham
April 1988 Al Ritchie
April 1989 Ian Taylor
April 1990 Ian Taylor
April 1991 Stan McKay
April 1992 Stan McKay
April 1993 Herb Heywood
April 1994 Herb Heywood
April 1995 Dick Haycroft
April 1995 Stan McKay
April 1996 Carson Weisbeck
April 1997 Carson Weisbeck
April 1998 Herb Heywood
April 1999 Joan Ives
April 2000 Joan Ives
November 2000 Phil Douziech
April 2001 Phil Douziech
April 2002 Lynda Bjalek
April 2003 Lynda Bjalek
April 2004 Carson Weisbeck
April 2005 to January 2006 Carson Weisbeck
January 2006 Laurie Lloyd
April 2006 Lynda Bjalek
April 2007 Ron Mills
April 2008 Ron Mills
April 2009 Bob Brander

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