With Heart | Roy and Thelma Henwood helped keep the debutante tradition alive

The couple has worn out their fare share of dancing shoes, teaching more than 1000 children across the region ballroom-style dances for the popular annual balls. 

The couple was involved in their first debutante ball at Wonwondah in May 1982 and Roy said their involvement in training had snowballed from there. 

“We have been dancing since we were married and the locals knew we were dancers, but it was out of the blue when we were asked to train a deb set out at Wonwondah,” he said.

“We had trained five couples for our first mock deb set and they were all colourful characters.”  

Roy and Thelma had trained children from Quantong, St Brigid’s College, Horsham College and St Andrews Uniting Church. 

They started training children at Murtoa in 2001 and have continued to do so for the past 16 years.

Across their 35 years, they have trained 45 deb sets. 

Thelma said across those years, they worked with four pianists – including Joan Ballinger, Ann Hammerton, Ross Bullock and Bernie Delahunty. 

“They are such a big part of it all and their involvement has helped us train the debs for so long,” she said. “Each one of them are so talented and brilliant.” 

Once a ball of nerves on the night, Thelma said their worries have eased over the years. 

”We train for seven weeks (before the ball) and halfway through, you see the progress they make,” she said.

“A week before the big night, though, they will have one bad day – but they truly amaze us and shine.” 

The friendships made over the years has been a highlight for Roy. 

The couple are training a second generation of debutantes as time goes on. 

“The older we get, the harder it is to keep teaching but it is the friendships that keeps us coming back year after year,” he said. 

“The respect we got in the latter years had been better – whether that be the grey hairs, I’m not sure, but we seem to relate more.” 

Thelma said the gratitude was most rewarding. 

“We are there right up to the end of the ball and it is lovely to see the debs and their partners still there,” she said. “A lot of the young lads have come up to us at the end, gave us hugs and they are really appreciative.” 

She said it was lovely that the debutantes and their partners remembered them after many years.  

“I was in Ballarat at a restaurant and a young man came over to me to ask if I remembered him,” she said. “He was one of my debs and asked if he could buy me lunch in appreciation of what I taught him.” 

It was a proud moment for Thelma and Roy when their sons Andrew and James partnered for their own debutante balls.

The ballroom dancing gene had passed down to James, who joined his mother and father as a trainer in 2002.

“It was terrific to have him share our passion because he was natural with the dancing and we were so pleased to have him keep going with it,” he said. “James always had a good sense of music and rhythm.” 

Thelma said there had been many changes over the years – from music to hairstyles and ball gowns.

She said at each debutante ball, there were many interesting sights. 

“We have had the boys with dreadlocks and beads in their hair … we’ve had all sorts of styles,” she said. “Ball gowns have gone full-circle from a traditional look to modern and back around and to strapless gowns.” 

Thelma said she never knew what to expect with the girls – but said they all looked stunning. 

“They wear the big ball gowns or little skinny dresses where you can hardly hobble around, yet they still manage to dance,” she said.  

Roy said it was great to see young people feeling confident when they made their debut. He said they were able to get an idea, from previous years, about what to expect – and they are able to enjoy it more. 

“Over the years, music has changed and the kids have a much better sense of rhythm … better than the heavy metal days when they had two left feet,” he said. “It has made it so much easier to teach them.”

But their 35 years in the world of debutante balls hasn’t come without drama.

Thelma said football was the biggest drama of them all. 

“The lads would come to training in crutches after an accident at football, so we had to call in boys from the previous years to fill in for them,” she said. 

Despite the mishaps, Roy said the funny experiences outshone them all. 

“One girl got a bracelet stuck in her hair mid dance and she suddenly disappeared,” he said. “Another girl had her petticoat fall off, but she just danced right out of it and kicked it aside … it was brilliant.” 

Roy said he always stressed to the debs that if something went wrong, they should just keep on dancing. 

He said the couple always taught the children to strive for perfection. 

“We do not expect them to be perfect because a lot of practice goes into our level, but it is amazing at how they do come out,” he said.

Thelma said the couple had tried to encourage the children to continue ballroom dancing by hosting dances. 

“The girls are keen, but the fellas (just want to) do the deb and that’s it, no more. I think the girls would have loved to keep on dancing,” she said.