Thanks for country dances
Country dance meeting leads to 60 years of wedded bliss
THE humble country dance set the backdrop for what was to become 60 years of wedded bliss for Ross and Annette Phipps.
The year was 1956 in the infant stages of rock ’n roll and young Annette Logan and Ross Phipps had attended the same Saturday night dance at the Glenore Grove Hall.
“I had no idea that the progressive barn dance would see me fall for a sweet little girl in the form of Annette May Logan,” Mr Phipps remembered.
“When it came my turn to dance with her she broke the ice by saying that she knew my mother as she had played tennis with her.
“I booked the next dance with her and we have been dancing along happily ever since.”
Unlike today when young ones are free to go out to clubs and pubs away from parental supervision, Annette’s father was at the hall that night playing cards in the supper room.
“We asked his permission for me to take Annette home after the dance,” Mr Phipps said.
“Those were the hey days of rock and roll, Elvis Presley and Bill Haley, and we lived for the Saturday night dances when we could enjoy ourselves with our rock and roll routine.”
After an 11-month courtship, the couple became engaged.
However, they were to see each other only periodically over the ensuing 12 months as Mr Phipps was working in far western Queensland.
Mr and Mrs Phipps were married in the little Presbyterian church in Forest Hill followed by a reception in the Forest Hill School of Arts Hall.
As married women were not employed by the Queensland Government in those days, Mrs Phipps had to resign her position with the Auditor General’s Department.
After a short honeymoon at Kirra on the Gold Coast, the young couple embarked on what they saw as a great adventure at Maryborough where Mr Phipps was based selling earthmoving machinery.
“Our son Michael was born in 1960 and in 1962 we moved to Clermont where I took up a position as a clerk with the Belyando Shire Council,” Mr Phipps said.
“I had been studying a correspondence course in local government as my father had a successful career in local government.
“Our daughter Marilla was born in Clermont the same year.
“We made many good friends in
Clermont mainly through our association with the tennis club.”
In 1966 after he had obtained his shire clerk’s certificate (Local Government CEO), Mr Phipps was appointed shire clerk of the Bendemere Shire Council with its office in Yuleba.
“We had four happy years there and moved to Toowoomba in 1970 where I took up the position of shire clerk of the Rosalie Shire Council,” Mr Phipps said.
“The highlight of my time with Rosalie Shire was organising the relocation of our shire office from Toowoomba to Goombungee in 1985.”
Having rented homes for 12 years, the Phipps family was able to buy their own home in Hill St in Toowoomba.
“I enjoyed renovating this old Queenslander but as I always wanted to build our own tennis court, we purchased a large allotment in Dorge St and in 1976 built the home we still live in today,” Mr Phipps said.
“We no longer go rocking and rolling but we do enjoy our tennis, cycling, table tennis, gardening and travelling the countryside in our caravan.
“How fortunate it is that we both enjoy the same activities.
“Perhaps this is why we have had such a happy marriage. My only regret is that the last 60 years have gone by so very quickly.”
After the children finished school and left home, Mrs Phipps went to work for her brother-in-law Joe Hanna for 20 years and Mr and Mrs Phipps retired from full-time work in 1998.
“Any spare time is taken up by both of us attending U3A classes which are very popular with retirees,” Mr Phipps said.
“Being a member of the Probus Club of Toowoomba West has also brought a number of new friends into our lives and I would encourage other retirees to become involved with this very friendly organisation.
“Annette and I have had a long and happy 60 years of married life together.
“We took a gamble at our young ages of 22 and 21 that we would remain for the rest of our lives as deeply in love as we were then, but it paid off handsomely.
“We owe this to the fact that we came from families that shared similar life values, families that cared for us, loved us and supported us.”