A BIRTHDAY BALL

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 111, 11 May 1940, Page 16

A BIRTHDAY BALL

QUEEN MARGARET COLLEGE

TWENTY-NINE DEBUTANTES

For the last few days preceding the Queen Margaret College twentyfirst birthday ball, it was impossible to procure invitations or tickets. The final list closed with 700 names. The popularity of the ball was very evident even to those who were not guests for last night cars were parked in two lines, stretching on both sides of Hill Street past St. Francis Hall down into Aitken and Molesworth Streets, and extending on the other side for several hundred yards into Tinakori Road. The occasion was of great importance to the twenty-nine young women, all former pupils of the college,, who made their debut at the ball, which was given by the Parents' Association and the Old Girls' Association in celebration of the school's "coming-of-age." THE PRESENTATION. Immediately before supper the floor was cleared of dancers, some of whom assembled in the gallery to watch the official "coming-out" ceremony, / the others gathering round three sides of the room. The name of each debutante was announced from the stage as she entered the room with her father. In the cases of girls whose fathers were on active service, other escorts were provided. To muted music the debutantes walked slowly round the hall, and when the orchestra swelled the music to a waits, danced for several minutes with their parents. • The music was hushed again when the girls formed themselves into a double circle in the centre of the ballroom and was continued softly while they joined hands, raised their posies above their heads, then slowly dropped their arms and turned to make a deep curtsey to Miss Irene Wilson, principal of Queen Margaret College, who was with the official party. The waltz was recommenced, the debutantes completing their dance, and making a final circle of the room before retiring through the draped doorway. Lighted blue and gold candles threw tiny spears of light on to the supper table, especially decorated for the debutantes themselves. Bowls of chrysanthemums in shades of gold, and mixed with blue flowers, j reflected the school colours and re-' peated the tones of the flat bows which were arranged on the table and in other parts of the room. LOVELY DECORATIONS. Guests entered the ballroom through a foyer of greenery and flowers. Haying been received by Miss Wilson, Miss Doreen Kersley (president of the Old Girls' Association), and Mrs. O. C. Mazengarb (president of the Parents' Association), they made their way to the comfortable chairs arranged on a wide strip of scarlet carpet set ■right round the edge of the ballroom. " Bamboo fringed the walls and culminated in a mass effect on the stage where yellow chrysanthemums and potted ferns and shrubs were cleverly I arranged in an impressionistic wood-! land design. College crests on the bal-! cony facade were lit from underneath by the glow from blue and yellow electric lights, and lovely chrysanthemums in pottery troughs and in rich autumn shades were arran^-d in the official alcove. The whole effect was most at-' tractive. Those in the official party were Mr. T. B. Heath (chairman of the Board of Governors) and Mrs. Heath, Miss; Wilson, Mr. and Mrs. O. C. Mazen- j garb, Miss Kersley, Mrs. Ulrich (a j former principal of the school), and Mrs. J. S. Martin (a vice-president of the Parents' Association). Members of the school staff were present, and they, with some of the older people present, were guests from time to time in the official alcove. Members of the parents' and old girls' committees, who had been formed into a joint ball executive, were among the guests. Miss Wilson wore a handsome frock of black and grey lace lined with gleaming* metallic tissue. Miss Kersley was in a lovely gown of embroidered taffeta, and Mrs. Mazengarb chose black crepe romaine with shoulder straps of peacock green diamante. Their flowers were presented by the ball committee. THE DEBUTANTES. Traditional white was worn by the debutantes, who mostly favoured the full-skirted, romantic type of dress suitable to such an occasion. Net combined with fine lace, satins, and taffeta poults formed the picture frocks chosen by some of the girls, others again wearing draped chiffons and softly-falling georgettes. Many had been entertained at parties before the ball. The names of the 29 are as follows:— Misses Jean Annand-Smith, Pat Barnard, Jessie Dallard, Patricia Dixon, Ann Eichelbaum, Janet Ferguson, Margaret Forbes, Dorothy May Gray, i Diana Green, Bettina Hart, Sheila i jHogg, Pat Holmes, Veda Hore, Gwyn-j neth and Olwen Jones, Joan Kellaway.; Desley Lander, Melva Levestam, Norma i Lockwood, Margaret Martin, Elspeth j McKenzie, Noeline Magee, Mary Mor-' gan, Betty Picot, Prue Pottinger, Rose- i mary Small, Barbara Svenson, and Audrey and June Williams.