Our story last Sunday about the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Monaro Mall brought back memories for many Canberrans, not least about the "ball in the mall".
Can you imagine? The equivalent of a gala ball at the Canberra Centre. (Although remember when Diner en Blanc was rained out, in 2014, and patrons were bussed from Rond Terrace to the Canberra Centre to have the dinner there instead, next to the escalators?)
Proud Canberran Charmian Lawson was one of the beautiful young things who attended the ball in the mall in the Monaro Mall in the 1960s.
"I came to Canberra from Brisbane in 1968 and went to a ball there that year - I think it was a navy (part of Defence) ball," said. "It was held on the second level. Shops were closed, of course. And people danced on the tiled floor.
"I remember the white uniforms, and the lovely evening dresses as people progressed around the open areas. It was unusual, to say the least."
Charmian was living at Lawley House hostel at the time and it also staged a ball that same year, with a chess theme.
"The artist and teacher and Canberra Times art critic Nigel Murray Harvey, who lived at Lawley at the time, organised for those of us on the social committee to make chess pieces to decorate the hostel (which had a very large dining room with lounge area opening off, and was ideal for the ball.) These were big papier mache representations painted in black and white and quite impressive really," she remembered.
"The Canberra Times came and took photos while we were making the pieces and also at the ball."
Canberra milliner Christine Waring also remembered attending the first ball in the Monaro Mall, remembering it was a public service ball.
"Back in the '60s, all the departments in the public service had a winter ball," she said. "I can't remember when the ball in the mall was held but it was not long after the mall opened."
It was an exciting time for the then teenager.
"I bought this really expensive dress and I had a really short, Mia Farrow-hairdo," she said. "My dress was blue and the girl who was named the belle of the ball had the same dress in pink. She also had long blonde hair. You can imagine how I felt!
"I can also remember people were going up and down the escalators with drinks," she said, with a laugh.
The Canberra Times also reported on an Arts Ball in the Monaro Mall in 1965. It occupied three floors of the mall and patrons sat at tables covered in checked tablecloths. Sweet.
