Deb Ball rocks

The wildly popular theme of the evening was based on the musical, 'Leader of the Pack', with the decorations that greeted guests taking everyone back to the 50s as they admired glittering juke boxes, a stunning white chevy and an unforgettable chandelier made of LP records.

With guests cheerfully studying the 50s style silhouettes that bedecked the walls, MC of the evening, St Joseph's Primary School principal, Peter Rodda, welcomed the gathering, commending organisers for the months of work that had gone into preparing the event.

Here things really got off to a dramatic start, with ‘Leader of the Pack' playing as Terry Lomas rode into the hall on his Harley Davidson to a huge round of applause, delivering page boy of the evening, Simon DeCosta.

Dressed in white tails with a pink carnation, Simon was soon joined by the little rock n' roll girls of the ball who looked stunning as they entered to ‘I Can Hear the Music' in their rainbow coloured dresses, before they joined their partners in an ‘Under the Boardwalk' entrance.

Following this charming introduction to proceedings Simon then partnered flower girl, Chloe Neven as they stepped from the juke box entrance before the debutantes and each of their partners were presented to the crowd.

With a rock n' roll girl proceeding each couple, it was Virginia Platts who entered before the first debutante of the night, Amy Barker, who was escorted by Matthew Lennon, with Aimee Badewtiz then leading out Leah Goldberg and Mathew Lomas.

Keiarna Rodwell was to appear next before Blaine Glawson and her escort, James Stewart entered, while Katie Peisley accompanied Olivia Jacobs and Jarrad Hepburn.

Being the fifth debutante of the night, Lauren Douch joined Matthew Joseph as they were led out by Ellie Moreing, with this trio being followed by Chloe Campbell who accompanied Tanya Jones and Mark Stewart from the juke box.

Getting to the final two debutantes, Charlotte Platts led Stephanie Morgan and Jacob Rolfe from the entrance, while Sophie Rumph accompanied Amy Peadon and her escort Paul Perkins down the hall to conclude the initial presentation.

On re-entering the hall the debutantes were then officially presented to the Bombala and district community by their instructor, Mrs Toms, and the ball was officially opened by Father Frank, with the first dances of the evening, the Gypsy Tapp and the Pride of Erin following.

With the debutantes and the escorts executing these dances beautifully, it was then time for the parents of the couples to join the presentation, with Mrs Toms clearly having done a wonderful training job as the group danced the Valetta.

Here the debutante cake, which was created by Lisa Cottrell, was cut by Amy Peadon and Paul Perkins, before the amazing ‘swing jive rock' dance that had been designed by Mrs Toms was enjoyed not only by the debutantes and their escorts, but also the rest of the hall.

This marked the time for the live band of the evening, Roxygen to draw in all those who hadn't yet hit the floor, with a wonderful evening of dancing and socialising being enjoyed right into the early hours of the morning.

Of course there were many thankyous that were to be made through the progression of the evening as well, with the St Joseph's P&C and the St Mary's catholic ladies in particular being congratulated for the beautiful decorations which made the ball so special.

Thankyous also went to Mrs Toms's assistant trainers, Janet Lomas and Sharon Platts, while a very special presentation of a bouquet of flowers was made to Sheryle herself by Leah Goldberg on behalf of the debutantes.

This presentation recognised the 17 Catholic Debutante Balls in which Mrs Toms has performed the role of instructor, with Sheryle expressing that she was very touched by the atmosphere of her final ball.

"It is time for a change, and lucky for St Joseph's School and St Mary's Catholic Church, Mrs Janet Lomas has wilfully taken on the role of preparing the debs," she said. "Good luck in the future, I'm sure with the continued assistance of parents and friends of St Joseph's the Debutante Ball will be a successful continued fixture for many years to come."

Pictured is Janet Lomas, Sharon Platts and Sheryle Toms with debutante escorts, Jacob Rolfe, Mathew Lomas, James Stewart, Mark Stewart, Matthew Joseph, Jarrad Hepburn, Matthew Lennon and Paul Perkins, page boy and flower girl, Simon De Costa and Chloe Neven, the debutantes themselves, Stephanie Morgan, Leah Goldberg, Blaine Glawson, Tanya Jones, Amy Peadon, Lauren Douch, Amy Barker and Olivia Jacobs, as well as Virginia Platts, Aimee Badewitz, Keiarna Rodwell, Chloe Campbell, Sophie Rumph, Ellie Moreing, Charlotte Platts and Katie Peisley.