BOYLE - When you find your passion, you go all in, and you swing your partner dosey-doe.
That’s what Bob and Ethyle Fyfe did over 55 years ago when they were invited by long-time neighbours and family friends of Bob’s parents to join them square dancing in 1963 and they fell in love with it, eventually hosting a long-running series on CBC North radio and calling dances up to six nights a week.
“I will be 85 in July,” he said in a May 16 interview. “I've got over around 55 years (calling and) I enjoyed every minute of it.”
It was at the Boyle Twilight Twirlers wind-up event May 13 when the Fyfes plus Phil and Jo Sedgwick were both presented with hanging flower baskets in appreciation for their hard work and dedication to the club and dancers and then the Fyfes were also given Alberta Rose Award pins from the Alberta Square and Round Dance Federation.
“The Alberta Rose Award is the highest award presented to qualifying square dancers in Alberta,” explained nominator Mary Coleman in a May 16 e-mail. “Bob and Ethyle were also the recipients of the CSRDS (Canadian Square and Round Dance Society) Long Service Award in 2015. This is the second highest award presented by the Canadian Square and Round Dance Society.”
Mary and husband Reuben, also from Boyle, were also given the honour of Alberta Rose award winners in 2017, two of only about 120 people who have been bestowed the recognition since the award started in 1993.
“Throughout most of their adult lives they have been involved in enjoying and promoting square and round dancing,” Mary said. “Today they still dance several times per week, call and cue weekly for two clubs, accept offers to do guest calling, and attend as many special events as possible.”
When Bob and Ethyle found square dancing, they took lessons, then were approached by a niece to teach her and some friends, so Bob and Ethyl went back for a second year of lessons.
“We went to lessons ourselves and then the following year we went back to lessons to learn how he taught us and the next week I would duplicate that with the teenagers,” he laughed.
Over the years Ethyle looked after the bookings and travelled with Bob, even moving to Yellowknife for 14 years and they would go to places like Pine Point and Fort Smith teaching dancers and were selected to teach at the Banff School of Fine Arts for several years.
“We spent a week there,” he said. “It was like a holiday for us to have somebody look after our children.”
When a second niece moved to Yellowknife and worked for CBC North at the front desk, she volunteered her uncle to develop a show.
“They interviewed me (and) they decided to have a 15-minute show on Saturday nights,” said Bob. “Then when square dancing started to go really well in the territories, I ended up with a half-hour show for the next 11 years.”
During that time, from 1969 to 1980, hosting 'Square Dance Notebook' Bob worked with George Tuccaro, a long-time announcer-operator with CBC North, who went on to serve as the commissioner of the Northwest Territories from 2010 to 2016.
When they moved back to Alberta it was to Smith and for six nights a week, they travelled a circuit to call dances.
“For 15 years, we're on the road every night calling someplace; (Boyle), Ellscott, High Prairie, Peace River, Athabasca,” he said. “Friday was my day off; I didn't call Friday.”
And they did it all with Ethyle working for Canada Post and Bob running a farm while raising three children.
“Since they allowed bars in dance halls that has eliminated a lot of young people because you can't take your children there,” Bob said. “We have three or four generations that have never learned how to do a polka, how to do a waltz. When we were kids that was normal, I always said I could do a schottische before I went to school.”
He would also like to see more people at least come check out square dancing and in Boyle it will be Friday evenings 7 to 9 p.m., starting again Sept. 16.
“I really would invite them to come and have a look at what we do and have a coffee with us,” he said. “See if it’s something that they might want to do.”
For more information, or to join, contact Mary Coleman at 780-689-1384, 780-689-2372, or by e-mail at [email protected] and check them out on Facebook.
