The Australian Square Dance Review stands as the longest-running and most prominent Square Dance publication in the South Pacific.
Proudly produced and published on a voluntary basis by the National Square Dance Society of Australia Inc, it has been a cornerstone of the community for decades.
Originally released as a full hard-copy edition ten times a year, the Review transitioned to a fully digital format in 2017 and is now published quarterly. In recent years, special editions have also been created to coincide with the Australian National Square Dance Convention.
The magazine is available online, and readers can stay informed by completing the registration form to receive notifications when new editions are released.
As part of our commitment to preserving the rich history of Square Dancing in Australia, we are compiling a comprehensive register of all past issues. A list of scanned back copies is available below.
If you happen to have an edition that’s missing from our archive and are willing to share it, we’d be delighted to hear from you.
The copies below are from the era when we had 10 issues per year
1990 to 1999
1980 to 1989
1970 to 1979
1960 to 1969
Last Updated 20 09 2024
As you can see, there are several hundred links to the copies
Should you find any broken links, please let us know so they can be rectified
The quality of the scanned documents varies and they reflect the condition they were in when we obtained them.
Remember that some of these documents are over 60 years old so we are glad to have reproduced them here before they are lost forever.
A History of “The Australian Square Dance Review”
By Jim White NSW (decd)
In an endeavour to publicise and let dancers know what was going on, I wrote the first square dance magazine in NSW – “Let’s go Square Dancing”, the forerunner to “The South Pacific Square Dance Review”, Now known as the “Australian Square Dance Review” It was typed on stencils for a Gestetner machine by Madge Griffith, and the society secretary Bruce Hinton and helpers copied it off. (There were no photocopiers in those days and printing press products for short runs were too expensive). Then, for a short time, it became part of the Love Brothers dance publication on dancing in general until that folded. At that stage, we found a small printer who would do it cheaply and renamed it “South Pacific Square Dance Review” as by then we were posting to clubs or societies in every state as well as New Zealand. Graham Rigby joined us in the production and distribution of the magazine in Queensland. Later all States received copies.
But one of our biggest problems with State distributions was the postal department who either took too long to deliver or who lost the package altogether. I ceased to be editor in 1958 when I decided to go overseas for 9 months, and Tom McGrath took over.
Notes:
* In January 2010, the South Pacific Square Dance Review was renamed “The Australian Square Dance Review” in order to reflect its true coverage of Square Dancing throughout Australia.
* From January 2017, the Review was reduced from 10 issues per year to 4 issues & these are available via email.
The Background
Preserving a Legacy: The Story Behind the Review Archives
The cataloging of these magazine issues began as a heartfelt collaboration between Kevin Thomas and the late Adrian Brown. Adrian’s grandmother, Marion, had lovingly kept two large boxes containing every edition of the magazine since its inception. Adrian took one box to begin scanning and uploading the contents, while Kevin took the other.
Tragically, in 2009, Adrian and his family lost their lives in the Black Saturday bushfires, along with the irreplaceable copies that were in his home at the time.
Years later, Kevin chose to carry forward the project they had begun together—dedicated to preserving the rich history of Square Dancing in Australia and honoring Adrian’s memory and the legacy of his family. He has worked tirelessly to locate and upload as many surviving issues as possible.
If you happen to have any of the missing editions, we would be deeply grateful for the opportunity to copy them. Your contribution would help complete the archive and continue the tribute to Adrian and Kevin’s shared vision.
Acknowledgments
We extend our sincere thanks to the following individuals for their generous contributions of scanned materials:
- Marion Brown.dec (VIC)
- Gary, John & Carol Carpenter
- Roslind Todd (NSW)
- Nev McLachlan (QLD)
- Russel Wall (QLD)
- Frances Hickson (NSW)
- Debbie Asquith (NSW)
- Barry & Kaye Chandler (TAS)
- Pat Saunder (VIC)
Your support has been invaluable in helping us preserve and share the rich history of Square Dancing in Australia.
Special thanks to the Australian National Square Dance Convention Board for providing the scanner used in this project, and to Kevin Thomas for generously donating his time and software expertise to bring these documents to life.
Please note:
Copies marked with # are incomplete. If you happen to have any of the missing editions, we would love to hear from you. Your contribution will help ensure this vibrant history is preserved for future generations.