kaz

This article was written by Mels. The original article can be found here.
http://www.geocities.com/bundy_rum_junkie/BNS.html



Some people think a Bachelor and Spinster’s Ball, or B&S for short, is nothing but a drunken redneck get together. B&S Balls are a lot more than that. They pump thousands of dollars into small rural communities, helping out many charities. They are also a way for country people to keep in touch. They are also an Australian tradition.



A survey conducted by the Greater Murray Health Service at 5 balls over 12 months, found that on average a B&S Ball goer would spend $450 each ball they attended. This figures includes fuel, food, drinks both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, and their ball ticket. A great number of rural communities rely on their annual ball B&S ball as a source of funding.

Wamboyne B&S Ball held at Burcher, near West Wyalong New South Wales, raised $53 500 at last year’s “Bugger It” ball. This is after all expenses. Donations ranged from $200, to a local playgroup, to $10 000 for the Wagga Radio Therapy Appeal and $12 000 to the Burcher Progress Association. Countless other amounts were spent at the local pub and general store. The small community of Burcher lives for the ball, which is usually held on the Easter long weekend and is known as one of the biggest and best balls on the circuit.

Lake Bolac’s Eel Skinners and Duck Pluckers B&S Ball raises at least $35 000 for charity every year and puts around another $35 000 back into the local businesses.

The Wagga Wagga B n S Ball or WACERS as it is known, is run by the Rivcoll Union at Charles Sturt University. It is one of the few balls left run and supported by a University. It donates around $7 500 a year to different charities such as The Royal Flying Doctors Service, Riding For The Disabled, The Smith Family and the Asthma Foundation just to name a few.

A committee usually made up of local townsfolk runs and organises B n S Balls The committees are mostly made up of middle-aged people and are all volunteers. They see the balls as a way of bringing new revenue into their communities and want to see the tradition continue.

The original BnS Ball started in a small township in Ireland. Once a year a ball was held for all the bachelors and spinsters to attend. Mostly, it was rural people who attend. There would be singing, dancing, food and drink and for some fortunate ones, love.

The Australian B&S balls have been held for as long as anyone can remember. There is no history on where and when the first ball was held. It is believed that they are a carry on from the ancient Irish functions, while others believe that they grew from the British Hunt Club balls. It is probably a bit of both with a little bit of Australiana thrown in.

In my grandparents day they were traditional balls with formal invitations and dress. They were usually held by wealthy landowners and coincided with picnic races and shearing cut-outs. Families would attend and there would be food, drink, music and dancing. Bachelor sons would be introduced to spinster daughters of a neighbouring rural family. It was a nice friendly, wholesome get together and one of the years most important social events.

In my parents day not much had changed except a lot more drinking went on and less marriages came out of introductions made at the ball. It wasn’t about finding a suitable mate; it wasn’t as much a family event anymore.

These days B&S balls are a lot different. Gone are the days of formal affairs and finding a suitable mate, now they are all about having fun. B&S balls are usually held in a marque in a paddock on the outskirts of town. Balls are usually held on a Saturday night with a recovery being held on the Sunday. Some balls stopped having recoveries for different reasons but the most common seems to be that they couldn’t get a licence for them.

The average B&S ball costs you around $85. For this you get a plastic middy glass or the like, a sticker, hat, drink tickets and a wristband plus alcohol and food. Dress is usually black tie for the bachelors and a dress or skirt for the spinsters. At the ball beer, bourbon, scotch and of course rum is served. A feed usually a bbq is also run in accordance with the liquor laws. There is usually a band and dance floor for those who want to have a boogie and plenty of room for those who want to have a rumble.

The drink ticket system, which originated from Queensland, is a way of controlling excessive consumption of alcohol. The concept is simple in order to receive a drink you must surrender a ticket. If, during the night you run out of drink tickets and the bar staff think you aren’t too intoxicated they will issue you with some more. Excessive alcohol consumption is one of the bad things which B&S balls are renown for today. Another is drink-driving. The committees and local police do everything they can to stop people from drink driving and encourage people to stick around on the morning after to sober up a bit before hitting the road.

Shanelle Sloane, of Wagga Wagga, spends a lot of time at B&S balls. Not as a patron but serving a free breakfast and issuing free breathalyser tests to ball goers. Shannelle has found that ball goers are very fussy when it comes to breakfast food. They wont eat rice bubbles and corn flakes, but they love Co Co Pops, Fruit Loops and Nutri-Grain, wholemeal bread is out, but raisin toast is a big hit, and milk and water suffice as the only breakfast drink options not many drink orange juice. The committees are now undertaking this service. The police usually station at least one officer in the ball grounds and offer free breathalyser test to all. The police usually sit outside the entrance to the ball pull over all drivers leaving and breath test them. The police stay around for as long as possible ensuring no-one drinks and then drives.

The humble B&S balls are slowly dying out. Why? Because of licensing laws and regulations. Ball committees must have 1 security guard per 100 head of people plus 2-bar person per 50 head. A lot of committees have trouble getting public liability insurance for their ball, as there are only one or two companies in Australia who offer this insurance for this type of event and the rates are very high.

Despite the bad wraps that B&S balls receive in the past 10 years or more there has only ever been one death at a ball and one serious accident. The death occurred at Forbes in 1996 and there was a broken back injury at Cootamundra the same year. After these incidents a special taskforce was formed. Armed with 19 new rules the taskforce aims to “clean-up” the balls, making them safer for everyone and ensuring their future.

With around 22 balls held each year in New South Wales, the amount of people caught drink driving after a ball compared to the rest of the state in one weekend is significantly lower. Every incident that happens at a B&S ball is blown totally out of proportion and majority of the time the people who are making the noise or the journalist who are writing the stories putting down the balls are city folk and have never attended a ball. If you talk to the locals at small towns such as Conargo, which holds an annual New Years Eve ball, you will hear that they want the balls to continue and rely on the event. They live for their annual ball.

The average ball goer has a strong opinion about the balls, what they mean to them and why they should continue. They also have strong feelings about the bad side of balls and why they are dying out. Everybody seems to have the same thoughts about it all though which shows that they must be all about having fun!

Borderline, a.k.a Simon of South Australia, says “In my opinion it’s the single best way to fix with our own kind (country people), people who know each others lives, work and people who love to have a good time. (Excellent blow off valves, B&S’s.) Their bloody classic good fun (if your in S.A at least!), and despite the image for most people its not all about getting as drunk as possible, having a shag with the closest person and waking up with a hangover. It would be a shame if they ever banned or stopped what has become a great institution in Australian history”.

Angus, of New South Wales describes a B&S as “A place to meet with mates, have fun and do the things that country people like to do.”

BnS Bandit, a.k.a Ben of Victoria says he has “been going to Balls as a participant for a few years now, but way before then, I went down to the local B&S every year to since I was about 12 or 13, to look at the utes and watch everyone have a good time, and to also meet up with friends of my sisters from Melbourne. And I noticed one hell of a decline in the attendance to the Kamikaze, way before the ball was closed down.

For example; back in the day that I was unable to be a participant, the entire Saturday of the B&S you would hear the lovely rumble of the 253's, 308's, Chev's, and even the 6 cylinders that had copper exhaust systems, roll up and down the main street, and because I lived very close to the site, you could hear all the country music and circle-work that was happening there, all the cheers from the revealers when someone blew out a tyre or rolled of the bead when cutting hoops, and it was like the entire town was uplifted because the Kamikaze Ball was on. Even my old man would have one of his rare smiles on all days, because the utes were back in town. The main reasoning for this was because the townsfolk knew that after the weekend was over, the committee would pour in excess of $50,000 into the town (one year it was in excess of around $70,000. that was the 10th year). But over the past three or so years before the shut down (which happened last year) the numbers started to decline, and the money to the town drop from $30,000 to $3,000. Then down again.... This all came about when all of the liquor licensing rules and regulations changed, and made it hard for the committee to get a licence. Then the recovery day turned into light beer only, which dropped even more people. People that usually stayed all day Sunday and went home on Monday or late Sunday night, were leaving early Sunday morning and there would only be local people there on the Sunday arvo.... The police were always been bloody good at the Kama, if you didn't do anything wrong by them, they wouldn't touch you. They didn't worry about circle-work in the site and all the other stuff that you wanted to do. As long as you didn't break any laws out on the streets they would keep away... But the main reason that the beloved Kyabram Kamikaze B&S Ball shut down was the introduction of the Drink ticket system and how you had to carry money around with you to get more tickets, or "Kama Kash". The two years that this was went on, were the worst years of the ball, people just didn't want to carry cash around and the whole atmosphere of the Ball went down hill, and you don't want to go to a ball that you don't feel good at.... “

As for the females view on things they seem to be as strong if not stronger and much more inspiring.

The Divine Miss M, a.k.a Karryn Of New South Wales, says “I went to my first ball back in about 92 and have honestly seen a lot of change. It's hard to say a ball today is any better or worse than back then, as I still have a top time today. I do feel though, and will agree with everyone else's that there is more fights these days, and fights over pathetic crap. Over the last couple of years I have also run into a couple of crowds doing the odd bong or 2 and it has made me so mad that anyone could bring something so shithouse into what I consider MY ENVIRONMENT!!!! AND EVERY OTHER PURE LIVING COUTNRY BOY AND GALS ENVIRONMENT!!!!! These have never been people I know, I'm not pointing the finger here, but the ones I have come across have been city folk thinking they will check out a B&S in the bush and they bring all that crap with them. I was horrified when I first saw at a ball!!!! I guess the other main change has been the control on circle-work and yep I used to be one of those idiots years ago who would get up and hoon around still half cocked when everyone still in their swags on the ground in the morning, but really I have nothing but praise for the controls today, due to the injuries and deaths I have seen occur and the heartache and rehabilitation that goes with them. It's good to see someone having a go away from the crowd and I think the controlled circle-work comps are great. The only other point I have is that some balls are just getting to big, it's good to see their popularity rising, but I am a big fan of the smaller balls, like Gulgong and Burren. Well not much else to say, just that times change and I reckon maybe I'm getting a bit older and maybe (just maybe) a bit more sensible. I get sick and tired of people whinging about police and breath-testing...they are only doing their job and could save your bloody life. Of the bitching that can go on within the B&S crowd, people can be real nasty at balls for no reason. I pick up on it in so many conversations these days and it bloody shits me to tears. Like someone might say ' Did ya see that ute with so & so on it' and there will always be someone who has to say 'Yeah they think their pretty good, actually a bit of a dickhead, I hear', without even knowing the person, this is so common it's not funny. It normally stems from jealousy over how good the vehicle is. Who gives a **** why not just go over and say 'G'day mate, top rig' instead of bitching!!!!! The other thing (now how can I put this without offending) is I guess for those in the know is the slagging of groups of friends that get all their shirts or utes etc done up with the same slogan or something on them, like who really cares? People that don't do this kind of thing have always got to have a go. I'm talking about the crews that get around like THE BNS BANDITS (sponsored by the Bank Hotel in Dugong on their shirts), THE SADBOYS and then there was a mob calling themselves THE RIVERINA REGULATORS. I actually knock about with the BANDITS and have met a few of the SADBOYS and if those people who have a bit of a ***** about groups like this actually got to know them they would realise how they are just your everyday crowd of country mates having a good time and making the most it I must admit!!! So they really are not a so-called 'gang' of people who think they are better than everyone else because they have made an effort to make themselves and their antics known!!! I'll leave you with a verse that might inspire you as to what a true country ball is all about!!! ...It's about black tie and boots and the middle of nowhere ...It's about young and being free and not having a care ...It's about things you'll tell your kids when you're really really old ...Remembering that a cloud of dust rising means a stories being told!!!!!!!”

Bachelor and Spinster balls are an Australian tradition and nowhere else in the world will you find an event like them. They are about people getting together at party and raise money for rural communities. They are patronised by all different people from all walks of life. They are a great way to catch up with old friends and make new ones. A place and way to blow off some steam and have a good time. If they aren’t supported and kept alive, a country institution and tradition will die out and what a shame that would be.