2026 June Newsletter
Cane Country Squares Newsletter
June 2026
2026 Update so far!!
2026 is off and moving!!CCS has celebrated their 43rd birthday this year. What a great milestone. This is the longest running square dance club in the wide bay.
Some of us have just returned from the 66th National Square Dance convention which was held in Hobart, Tasmania.
The following members attended - Matt, Anita, Ella, Mia, Laura, Adrian, Lorraine & Averil. Don’t forget our adopted members - Colleen and Ena. While we had enough to make a dress square, we couldn’t do it as Matt is a part of the 2028 National Convention committee and therefore needed to join in with their dress square.
Our mainstream beginners are progressing well. We have now cracked 40 movements. This is a great achievement by all!
Our additional Monday night class is about to come to an end. Adrian and Laura have finished their plus movements. I want to thank those dancers that came along for a refresh. Hopefully you got something out of it. I know I certainly did and the way Adrian and Laura danced at the National, they did a fantastic job in the Plus level sessions showcasing the hard work from these Monday classes.
Our mainstream beginners are progressing well. We have now cracked 40 movements. This is a great achievement by all!
Our additional Monday night class is about to come to an end. Adrian and Laura have finished their plus movements. I want to thank those dancers that came along for a refresh. Hopefully you got something out of it. I know I certainly did and the way Adrian and Laura danced at the National, they did a fantastic job in the Plus level sessions showcasing the hard work from these Monday classes.
2026 Dance Sessions
Just a reminder about the 2026 program:Tuesday - 6pm start. Alternating Beginners with full New Mainstream.
Friday - 6.30pm start. Alternating Old Mainstream program & Plus.
Sun - 2pm start. A1 & A2. (2nd & 4th Sunday of the month)
Just a reminder that the hall is opened 15mins before the start of each session so we can start on time.
Dance Program Changes
We are getting closer to the September 1st deadline where the new programme lists come in.Please see the below changes to each level.
Mainstream changes (for our Tuesday Night Dancers)
Movements Removed - Circle to a line
Movements Added - Spin the top, ¼ & ¾ tag & Single circle to a wave.
Plus Changes
Movements Removed - Single circle to a wave
Movemenents Added - ¼ & ¾ thru, Grand ¼ & ¾ Thru, Clover and (Anything), Pair off, Partner
Hinge, Partner Tag, Pass the Sea, Scoot and Dodge & Triple Trade
Now that Matt is back from the National Convention, he will get to work on teaching the new movements to all.
Club Logo
Unfortunately we haven’t really had a proper club logo to be able to assist with delivering these projects. As far back as some of us remember, our logo needed to have a cane cutter and that's it.
Branding is something we need to build. So we are embarking on a journey to update our logo so it can be relevant in 2026 and the next 5- 10 years.
The committee has highlighted several points that we believe will be important to our members - We don’t want to lose where we have come from. Our club colours of green and gold/yellow. Club name of Cane Country Squares.
We have looked back at many photos to get some inspiration like our original club banner and the circle logo that came from our only club jackets many years ago. Jo Read has been working on the design and we are going to narrow it down to 2-3 options before presenting to the members for feedback.
The reason we need this change is we need to be relevant in 2026 and onwards to help appeal to our new audience. We need a logo that allows us to print on jackets, shirts, business cards, pull up banners, etc so we can promote the club better for the future. Your feedback will be important!
2027 - 43rd QLD State Convention
Our bid for the 2027 Queensland State Convention has been accepted, it’s definitely coming back to Bundaberg. We are well underway with planning, your organising committee is as follows:Convenor - Matthew Mills, Secretary - Anita Mills, Treasurer - Jo K, Registrar & Assistant Treasurer - Laura Lingwood, Publicity - Jo Read, Kitchen & Venue - Jo Lester, Programme Manager - Matthew Mills, Rounds Coordinator - Bev McLachlan, Sound Manager - Adrian Brookes and Decorations - Anita Mills & Fran Cooper.
Convention Theme - In 2027 mark the dates, Square Dance in Bundy with your mates. (Aussie Theme)
Date - 27th - 29th August 2027
Venue - Coronation Hall, High Street
We have an event project plan mapped out and we are working through it.
The Queensland Callers Association (QCA) has already approved the hall. The QCA has paid for the hall now.
Following that, we will be releasing a date claimer and getting our logo ready for this event so we can prepare Facebook and webpages, letter head paper, ribbons, etc.
At this stage, things are in motion. We will be calling for volunteers throughout this, so please keep your ears open as we will need some help.
Next Beginners Class in 2026
Due to the floods, we are a bit behind with our current beginners class. At this stage, we are hoping to have them finished the mainstream programme by the end of June.At this stage, the CCS committee is earmarking August for our next beginners class. Watch this space over the coming weeks.
SD Tips
2. In a singing call, if your part of the square has broken down in a figure, remember at the end of that figure, you will most likely swing your corner. Find them and just keep going. At the end of the singing call, you can always then fix up the square so you can get your original partner back.
Square Dance Attire
As we are hosting the State Convention next year, I thought it would be a good time to start the conversation on square dance attire so we have time to prepare. Like other activities, Square Dancing does have a uniform. Depending on the dance depends if the attire is the same for day and night sessions or different for each session.Ladies have the most complicated uniform, so let's start there for this newsletter. Here is an extract from our National Convention guidelines for full square dance attire for ladies.
DRESS / SKIRTS – the wearing of a full-type Square Dance dress or skirt and blouse. Full backless-type, bare back or bare midriff dresses or blouses are not acceptable. Prairie style skirts are an acceptable alternative at all sessions.
PETTICOATS – American style petticoat with suitable discreet underwear. Remember, you may not see what you have on (or do not have on) under your petticoat, but the spectators and dancers sitting on the sidelines will be very knowledgeable about your underpinnings, or lack of them.
SHOES – Clean, low-heeled, or flat-heeled shoes or jiffies of a type that will not mark or damage the floor shall be worn. Spike or small type heels are banned (heels must be a minimum 25 mm long in all dimensions in contact with the floor surface)
Our very own Sandy and Jo Read are often wearing the ladies square dance attire and are a great resource for asking questions. Jo has even posted articles on our webpage on how to make skirts for anyone that would like to have a go.
For ladies that alternate sides or just dance the man’s side, I’ll write about that in the next newsletter.
While Matt has a prepared program, we would prefer for dancers to ask for help so we can try and assist. The worst thing is to stay silent.
We could arrange a mini square during the break to help demonstrate the troublesome movement in a different way.
It maybe something you need to visually see first and then try.
If you're learning as a couple, have you tried dancing with another partner for a few brackets. You will be surprised but having someone more confident can actually help.
James is a great clear caller with a fantastic voice and sense of humour.
While James is retired from calling, he does guest weekends.
We are firming up the details for this weekend but we will have a Plus session and a Mainstream session.
Date Claimer - 12th & 13th September.
For ladies that alternate sides or just dance the man’s side, I’ll write about that in the next newsletter.
Do you need help?
Are you struggling with a movement? Has our caller been over it several times and you still can’t get it? Have you asked for extra help?While Matt has a prepared program, we would prefer for dancers to ask for help so we can try and assist. The worst thing is to stay silent.
We could arrange a mini square during the break to help demonstrate the troublesome movement in a different way.
It maybe something you need to visually see first and then try.
If you're learning as a couple, have you tried dancing with another partner for a few brackets. You will be surprised but having someone more confident can actually help.
Guest Caller for 2026 - James Reid
The club committee has been able to book James Reid as our feature caller for 2026.James is a great clear caller with a fantastic voice and sense of humour.
While James is retired from calling, he does guest weekends.
We are firming up the details for this weekend but we will have a Plus session and a Mainstream session.
Date Claimer - 12th & 13th September.
