It's hardly a secret that the Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway (OTHR) celebrated its centenary in October, and the highlight of the celebrations was the Railway Ball at the Malachi Gilmore Hall.
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In keeping with the "hundred years ago" sentiment the ball was themed around the "roaring 20s" and people were encouraged to come in clothing of the time.
Entertainment was provided by The Nodding Thistles, and while nobody wants their weed namesake on their property their performance on the night was greeted with enthusiasm and appreciation. Bruce Cameron on mandolin, Dave Tonkin on guitar and Peter Wilson on accordion provided just the right mixture of folk and bush dance music to keep people out on the dance floor.
Instructions were provided for all the old-time dances but more than one person was heard to comment that it was all a bit much to remember when the music started, something which was evident from the occasional chaos as dancers forgot what to do next. This wasn't "Dancing With the Stars" so nobody cared if dancers got things wrong as long as everyone was enjoying themselves.
OTHR Secretary Dave McMurray was a little disappointed at the number of tickets sold, which was down slightly on the 2022 total.
"It's disappointing, yes, that isn't stopping it being a success," he said.
"Numbers have been down for several local events lately, and nobody seems to know why. Still, it isn't stopping us from enjoying the night and I'd like to thank everyone who turned up. The band is great, there are people dancing, the food was good and we are all having a good time."
The crowd was still there as 11pm approached and nobody seemed keen on going home, a sure sign that the event was a success.
The next thing on the horizon for OTHR is the reopening of the railway and trips to Hazlegrove starting. While it would have been perfect to open on the hundredth birthday of the line, modern rules and bureaucracy apply to even hundred year old heritage railways. The line is expected to open early in the new year.
