This Friday September 13, eight Singleton couples will make their debut at the Singleton Bowling Club for the 124th annual St. Patrick's Parish Debutante Ball. The 16 teenagers have been practicing since July this year at St. Catherine's College and have two final rehearsals this week before the big evening.
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The couples will perform a traditional routine with their partner, a traditional routine with a parent or guardian then a final 'fun' styled routine before the formalities turn to fun. President of the committee Tony Janseen says the eight couples have been a treat to get to know and everyone attending including the entire committee are excited for the evening.
"It's amazing how quickly time flies, it only feels like yesterday we were preparing for last years event," says Tony.
"The eight couples that we have are buzzing with excitement, it's weird to think that months of preparation will suddenly be over within an hour of presentation. It's a very rewarding experience for everyone."
The St. Patrick Parish Debutante has been a coming of age tradition for many Singleton teenagers across the years and is always a pleasant and enjoyable evening for not only the debutante couples but their family, friends and the surrounding community.
Men participating were required to hire traditional matching formal suits from Ferrari formal wear in Newcastle whilst the ladies were required to source their own ballgowns. In recent years, the Singleton Debutante Ball has been a huge success with more than twenty couples making their debut at the Civic Center. In 2018 there were eleven couples, and this year there are eight.
Despite the decline in numbers, Tony says the spirit is still high and the time preparing for the debutante has been more intimate.
"It is a shame the last two years have been a slight decline in numbers compared to previous but getting to know the participants and their families has been much more intimate with these smaller groups."
Local talent Matt McLaren will be making the trip from Newcastle to perform as a trio and Jodie Smith from Jaspa photography will be snapping the pictures. We wish our debutantes the best of luck!
