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Hoedowns For Country Towns
Two country girls boot-scootin' for rural charities
Age: 25
Hails from: Clifton, Qld
Job until Feb 2022: Agricultural consultant/Youth and Exuberance Officer at Resource Consulting Services in Yeppoon, Qld.
Job since Jan 2023: Agritech extension officer at Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, Qld.
Boot-scootin' is bliss because: It allows me to express myself while connecting with fellow dancers of all age groups.
Other interests: Rugby 7s, netball, my Scottish Highland cattle fold, taking any chance I can to find and explore a dirt road.
Proud to be: Known among friends as Country Music Shazam.
Top 3 line dancing memories of the trip:
1. Our launch party in Toowoomba - our first event and we had 100 people on the floor doing the Nutbush behind us. All of a sudden it felt very very real!
2. Line-dancing with the cops at Kununurra, a true 'what has my life come to' moment, feeling all the emotions from "have we broken the law" to "these cops have groove" and everything in between.
3. Dancing on Sando's Sandhill at Windorah - the sand was hot and soft, the dance was very fast and it was a challenge to stay upright. No ankles were harmed in the process.
Top 3 line dancing memories pre-trip:
1. Dancing at Maslin Beach, SA, with Claire and not being able to hear the music over the waves.
2. Starting a line dancing group in the aisle at a very muddy CMC in 2019
3. Starting a line dancing flash mob at Beef Week 2021 in Rockhampton and making random friends on the floor and teaching dancing as the night went on.
Kate Strong
Age: 26
Hails from: Brisbane, Qld
Job until Feb 2022: Agricultural journalist for Stock Journal, SA’s weekly rural newspaper.
Job since Jan 2023: Freelance agricultural journalist and rural business communications assistant, based in Adelaide, SA.
Boot-scootin' is bliss because: Anyone can do it, it fast becomes a (healthy) addiction, and even the simplest of dances look mighty impressive if everyone is grooving together and enjoying themselves.
Other interests: All sports, Bruce Springsteen concerts, cooking, and long road trips with good music and good company.
Proud to be: A diehard West Coast Eagles fan.
Top 3 line dancing memories of the trip:
1. Getting the party started at the Birdsville Races Cocktail Party, everyone was nervously hanging on the side of the dance floor, but once we started dancing, everyone joined in!
2. Brainstorming a ‘dance off’ with the kids from Girilambone and Hermidale Public Schools – the kids were so engaged and came up with some great dance moves (and team names).
3. Any time we did the Wobble line dance – in 75 hoedowns, we only did the Wobble 4 times when the crowd was particularly enthusiastic… and each time resulted in a whole lot of laughter.
Top 3 line dancing memories pre-trip:
1. Getting a crowd of bootscooting newbies dancing at the 2018 Boulia Camel Races, Qld, it was about 5 degrees but the crowd was as enthusiastic as ever.
2. Dancing with Kate out the front of the Plant Breeding Institute, Narrabri, NSW, a few days before Christmas 2019, wearing Santa hats and seeing how many vehicle toots we could get in one song.
3. Teaching line dancing at a friend’s 50th birthday… I got through a whole 30 minutes before the inevitable ‘let’s dance to Achy Breaky Heart’ chants started.
