The RSOBHD are saddened to hear of the passing of Maree Allen OAM, a former member of the RSOBHD Judges Panel, who passed on Thursday 24 March 2022.
Maree was instrumental in forming the Australian Board of Highland Dancing (ABHDI) over 60 years ago. She was a former President of the ABHDI and a founding member of Scottish Dancing Association of Australia (SDAA). She also worked diligently for ABHDI judges to be accepted on the World Wide Panel of judges. Maree was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2013 for her service to Highland Dancing as a teacher, adjudicator and administrator.
Our thoughts are with Maree’s family and many friends at this time.
A personal reflection from RSOBHD President Billy Forsyth MBE:
I still carry around the postcard Maree sent me in the 1980s with an outline of Australia printed over a map of Europe to emphasise the size of the ‘Big Island’ in comparison to Europe and Scotland.
I tell everyone, especially overseas, who sent me that postcard and why.
We must never forget the Dancers, Teachers and Judges in our Highland Dance Community who are far away from Scotland, and make sure they are consulted and listened to here at the RSOBHD. That lesson is Maree’s Legacy and her contribution to my approach to our dancing world.
Where would we be without the contributions of Maree and the other overseas pioneers of Scottish traditions, passing on that enthusiasm and emotion to later generations
Maree I salute you, a friend for life and an inspiration for the future
Billy Forsyth
President RSOBHD