Square dancers from around eastern Australia will be in Armidale this weekend to pay their final tributes to one of the activity's keenest supporters.
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Wilma Flannery organised square dances in the Armidale area and northern NSW for 20 years until her death in Lismore six months ago.
The annual Armidale New England Square Dance Festival at the at the New England Girls' School has been renamed the Wilma Flannery Memorial Dance in her honour.
"Wilma was an icon within the square dance industry," David Todd, president of the Square and Round Dance Association of NSW, said. "Square dancing was her life."
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The square dance weekend runs from Friday night to Sunday morning; Saturday night, Mr Todd said, will be the biggest night, with a dance caller coming from Melbourne.
More than 100 people from around the state, the ACT, and Queensland have pre-booked, but Mr Todd expects double that number.
Tickets are still available for the weekend. The general public can attend for free to see what square dancing is all about.
"These days there's a big thing about physical fitness and health," Mr Todd said. "Square dancing ticks a number of boxes for that."
Dancers may walk about 8 kilometres on an average dance night.
"You're not only physically doing something; you have to think about what you're doing; you're being instructed at the same time."
The activity is, he said, very social, and ideal for all ages. He teaches square dancing in primary schools, while one new member in his Blue Mountains club started at 82.
Weekend tickets $10 per day session, $15 evening session, prepaid $40 - $45 per person. Public admission free. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/new-england-girls-school/armidale-wilma-flannery-memorial-dance/503580887062002/