John’s Baby Boomers is a fun and active group of young heart 50+ people that enjoy their dancing and the great music. Why not come along an enjoy some conversation, laughter and lots of dancing.
Profile of John Murphy’s Dancing Background
John Murphy’s Mother and Father were both professional ballroom dancing teachers for Bob Wrightson and represented the state in their day. John naturally had to follow the trend in the family when he was young, where they started him not only in ballroom but tap dancing and ballet in the 1950’s.
John didn’t stick with the tap or ballet but continued on with ballroom dancing into the 1960’s where he started taking exams for different levels of medals at Maylands RSL Hall as well as going to Wrightson Dance Studio in the city. After his family moved to Middle Swan he continued on in the City at Wrightson as well as Midland and Maylands with Dot and Wally Thompson with his dancing career.
In the early seventies John joined up with Jack and Clara Reid and assisted with the adult and children classes at the Midland Trades Hall for a couple of years, this was where he was introduced to Keith Withers .
By the 1970’s John joined up with Keith Withers in Hay Street Perth and was teaching there with the Withers. Keith opened up the Midland Studio Branch for Adults and Children’s classes and John helped Keith with the Adults on Tuesday Night and also took over the children’s classes on Saturday mornings at the Midland Town Hall, which ran for quite a number of years.
John started the High Wycombe children’s classes on a Friday night taking the children through to gold and gold star medals as well as competing in competitions at the old Embassy in William St Perth.
When Keith Withers moved from Hay St Perth to Carlisle, John also started his own studio in the hills teaching at Mt Helena, Darlington , Mundaring , Swan View , Gooseberry Hill and Kalamunda as well as teaching for the Education Dept with Tafe at Kalamunda and Mundaring for adults.
He also taught the Greenmount Primary school children for their graduations each year, and did the debutant balls arrangements for NADIOC for a number of years- this presentation was for the Governor.
In addition – Saturday afternoons were dedicated to the children at Nelson Haven when it was located at Redcliffe to help the mentally retarded children to help them with rhythm in a style of dance – this was a voluntary service for those kids that didn’t have the chance most of us do have.
John holding a Teachers Diploma with the Australian Dancing Society was offered contracts to teach for the Department of Corrections the children in Longmore Detention Centre and the Bandiup Women’s Prison to open up Dancesport more to these people on release.
John went back with Keith Withers with the structure of the New Embassy Ballroom in Carlisle which replaced the skating ring and continued teaching at the New Embassy for some years although he did go over to teach at the Talk of the Town Ballroom for some time. With the new Embassy established John brought his pupils down from the hills -Gooseberry Hill, Kalamunda, Swan View , Mount Helena , Mundaring , Darlington to compete against other studios and trophies won were taken back to his studios. The perpetual trophies won were given back. His Junior Latin Formation team also did a number of floorshows as well as being invited to do one at the Festival of Perth at the Michael Edgely Centre in the 1980’s.
In the later years John started teaching the adults at Dwellingup and was asked to teach at the Primary for the children’s end of the year and graduation presentation to the parents.
He retired from teaching due to knee problems but went into the music and DJ’ ing more as you see him today.