Ask anyone who has ever been to a Bachelors and Spinsters Ball (B&S) and a few images that may come to mind include getting dressed up, getting drunk, dancing, getting dirty and maybe waking up in an unusual situation.
Records show that B&S balls were being organised as far back as 1861.
The original B&S balls were organised for men and women who worked and lived on remote properties.
The idea was that they would come to town in their Sunday best, have a dance in the local shire hall, and hopefully meet a potential partner.
These days B&S balls are more about alcohol, loud music and perhaps a sly pash.
But with the increasing demands of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) and Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) laws, B&S balls have been struggling to remain operational and relevant.
From '400 to 18 a year'
Andrew Greenwood is co-owner of the BNS Balls Australia website and Facebook group, which promotes B&S balls and offered consultancy to charity groups looking to put one on.
He said the balls were becoming a rarity.
"There used to be at least a couple of B&S balls in Australia every weekend.
"Now there's only about 18 balls still going."
From the end of the 2000s, Mr Greenwood said there was an increase in pricing and "governance of liquor licensing and insurance".
"This meant a lot of the smaller balls and charity groups couldn't afford to run the events," he said.
Regulations making it harder
Mr Greenwood said liquor licensing had become even tougher in recent years.
"The way liquor licensing is today, it means that there's no money to be made by the charities and groups who used to run them," he said.
"They struggle to meet all the requirements.
"It's the same with insurance; there's so many restrictions that organisers can't run the balls anymore."
Another nail in the coffin for B&S balls has been COVID-19.
"Balls had capped numbers, which meant a lot of people couldn't attend," Mr Greenwood said.
"There's been a lot more restrictions as to what people can do at balls due to COVID.
"A lot of balls were community-funded and for some rural charities, the B&S ball was their main money raiser for the year and now they are now longer profitable."
Hopes for 2023
Richmond Spouse Hunters Ball treasurer Lorrae Johnston said they had not held an event since 2019 due to several factors.
"We have had dwindling numbers for the past two to three years," she said.
"We have tried numerous things to encourage more patrons to attend and we have also had to cancel for the past few years due to COVID.
"We are hoping that 2023 will be our year."
The last post on The Toowoomba Hay Runners B&S ball Facebook page was in January 2019, which read:
"We regret to inform. But due to REDTAPE, Council Restrictions & Denied activity Applications. The Toowoomba Hay Runners B&S will be postponed at this stage. All ticket holders will be contacted in the next few days and a FULL REFUND issued."
Work hard, party hard
In 2016, Swedish photographer Ingvar Kenne was working on a book about drunk Australia and, after photographing his first B&S ball, decided the book would be solely dedicated to the events.
"When I visited my first B&S ball at Goondiwindi, it was real eye opener, as the B&S ball is a uniquely Australian event," he said.
"They work long hard days in remote places far from people and when they do get a chance to meet up, they party quite hard."
Mr Kenne photographed 10 B&S balls between 2016 and 2018 and said that police and security had started to clamp down on B&S balls back then.
"There was talk that in the past B&S balls were even wilder, and that they were less regulated," he said.
"I've also heard of a few accidents where people were asleep in their swags and were driven over or there were accidents with utes doing burnouts.
"These days security and insurance have increased to point where the balls are no longer viable."
