You can dance on the way to The Styx. Rossmoya Dance Hall is the place to be on New Year’s Eve 1982. The Rossmoya Seasons get together in June to begin band rehearsals. All eight members practice weekly while locals hold secret dance lessons for the young ones—boys with boys, and girls with girls on alternative weeks. So strictly, if you are an interested girl or a boy, you would say the lessons are held alternative weeks. Historically, I think it is accurate to say weekly.

Every week, the men sweep the floor and take frogs out of the toilets. On alternative weeks, they are in charge of carrying stuff from the cars—the boys do this on their weeks-on. The women provide the scones and hot tea weekly, but.

Everyone wears shoes. And on New Year’s Eve everyone wears a shirt and tie, or a good frock—usually gender dictated, but not always. I remember the first year Maureen wore her white shirt and black tie. No one said a word; and still no one says a word. Over about five years, her name morphed into Morey.

Morey runs 3000 head of Brangus cattle, and still runs her own show—including mustering wild Styx River country. She only rides stallions and at the moment her gun horse is Clem, a palomino stock horse. Morey is 92 on New Year’s Day 1983.

Read The Styx, a modern Australian gothic novel.