SCENES from the dance floor set up on the rich dirt of Tommerup’s Dairy Farm evoked the best bits about good old fashioned country dances.
The dance floor came from Mick Moss, a national legend in the staging industry who happens to live just down Kerry Road from the Tommerup family.
Much more than a great floor laid the foundations for the ‘Country Dance at the Barn’ on August 24, celebrating 150 years of farming at the property known as Central Kerry.
It was the easy sense of community that warmed the hearts of locals and visitors alike.
There was the MC Phil Hyam, a semi-retired local teacher who taught Harry and Georgia Tommerup – the sixth generation living on the farm – when they went to Beaudesert High.
Phil kept everyone on their toes, moving to the music of favourite local singer Susie Colley.
The Tommerups themselves – Kay and Dave, who met at a country dance 30 years ago, and Harry and Georgia – had polished up their moves and their energy was contagious.
Under the glow of festoon lighting, camp fires and country hospitality, experienced dance goers in proper dance shoes swayed and twirled alongside people having a go in their comfiest boots.
In true country dance style, they had the obligatory raffle and raised just over $500 for rural charity Farm Angels.
To mark the occasion there were rousing speeches from Mike Webster of Scenic Rim Brewery and Brisbane PR royalty Kath Rose, both the adoring owners of famed Tommerup Jack Russell dogs.
Kath waxed lyrical about the Tommerup family’s milestone – 150 years of farming against the odds – and painted a picture of the farm being older than iconic Australian brands like Drizabone and Akubra.
Kay said it was the perfect way to celebrate.
“Country dances have been such a big part of the social fabric of rural communities for generations,” she said.
“Given that Dave and I grew up going to dances and then met at the dance and then had our kids coming with us to dances as they were growing up, it was like this beautiful celebration of our little family as well as the past generations of our family.”
