THE AUSTRALIAN SQUARE DANCE REVIEW

The Australian Square Dance Review is the longest running Square Dance Magazine in the Pacific Region.

Initially it was the Square Dance Magazine for the whole of the Pacific region but has changed over the years as other States have introduced their own publications.

This is produced 10 times a year by the Square Dance Society of NSW

The Review is still published and distributed nationally and is available from your local State society or by subscription.

It is often the preferred Square Dance Publication for those who travel a lot.

The History of Australian Square Dance Review

By Jim White

In an endeavour to publicise and let dancers know what was going on I wrote the first square dance magazine in NSW “Let’s go Square Dancing”, the for runner to the “Australian Square Dance review”. It was typed on stencils for a Gestetner machine by Madge Griffith and the society secretary Bruce Hinton and helpers copied it off. (There were no photocopiers in those days and printing press products for short runs were too expensive). Then for a short time it became part of the Love Brothers dance publication on dancing in general until that folded. At that stage we found a small printer who would do it cheaply and renamed it “South Pacific Square Dance Review* as by then we were posting to clubs or societies in every state as well as New Zealand. Graham Rigby joined us in the production and distribution of the magazine in Queensland. Later all States received copies.

But one of our biggest problems with State distributions was the postal department who either took too long to deliver or who lost the package altogether. I ceased to be editor in 1958 when I decided to go overseas for 9 months and Tom McGrath took over.

* South Pacific Square dance Review was renamed Australian Square Dance Review in January 2010 in order to reflect its true place.