Margaret Jefferies at a fancy dress ball at the Town Hall in her fairy costume made by her mother - a dressmaker.
Of all the photos that appeared in the commemorative booklet for the re-opening of the Deniliquin Town Hall last Friday night, one of Margaret Jefferies stood out.
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Taken in the 1950s, it shows a young Mrs Jefferies dressed as a fairy ready for a Town Hall event.
“The fairy costume photo was taken when I was in Year 2,” Mrs Jefferies recalled.
“I was attending the annual George Street School fancy dress ball in the town hall.
“There were lots of prizes and different categories.
“You paraded around in your costumes trying to win a prize.
“I was fortunate as my mum was a dressmaker, so I always had the most wonderful costumes.”
Because it was taken in black and white, Mrs Jefferies said the vibrancy of her mother’s creation cannot be truly appreciated.
She described a blue tulle dress with sequins, and wings made from silver tulle.
“A professional photographer used to be at the balls and you would pay to have your photo taken,” Mrs Jefferies said.
“There was a comment on Facebook where somebody wrote ‘that looks like a Jefferies child’. I giggled because that was the first time ever that any of the grandchildren have been likened to me.
“When South School first opened they also had a hat and mask ball to carry the tradition on, while George Street also still had theirs.
“I also recall something quite different that we held in the Town Hall, at the time we were raising funds for the Deni Girl Guides to build a hall.
“We had a 24 hour rollerskate-a-thon. The girls were all mostly high school age and they had to skate 24 hours non-stop.
“The girls had something to eat and a nap or a break in the supper room, then the mum’s would wake them up for their shift and off they would go.”
The funds from that event, combined with other donations, built what is the Deni Girl Guide Hall in Whitelock St today.
Mrs Jefferies said the Town Hall’s importance as an entertainment centre during World War II cannot be underestimated.
Many mentions have come up while she and Denise Thomas have been researching the Royal Australian Air Force No. 7 Service Flying Training School in Deniliquin as part of an ongoing project.
She said one funny story uncovered during that time was an airmen dance at the Town Hall, where trainee pilots and officers would attend.
World War II pilot Ross Blanchard shared his memories as part of the project.
“We used to go to the Town Hall dances in Deniliquin, and the local girls weren’t interested in us rookies (so) they went after the officers,” he told the historians.
“One night no one would dance with a couple of us trainee pilots, so my mate and I took to the dance floor in a huge embrace and someone took a photo of us.”
The WAAF Debutante ball was also held at the Town Hall, where the RAAF band played and other townspeople attended.
Ross Blanchard and a mate dancing together as trainee airmen during World War II. They were forced to dance together as the local girls paid no attention to the trainees.
The RAAF band at a WAAAF ball held at the Town Hall.
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