Dr Heinz Duewell

Heinz began Scottish Country Dancing with the Cambridge University Strathspey and Reel Club when studying for his PhD in 1951. He returned to start a teaching career in Chemistry at the University of Newcastle, and has devoted the last fifty years to Scottish Country Dancing in the Newcastle and Hunter region.  In 1956 Heinz founded the Newcastle Colleges Strathspey and Reel Club (now the Colleges’ Class of the Hunter Valley Branch), and has been the main teacher for 50 years.

This enthusiasm for Scottish Country Dancing has carried on in his editorship of “The Rant”, the Hunter Valley Branch quarterly journal.  Over the years he has written many articles in appreciation of Scotland’s heritage of dance and music, and encouraged others to submit articles.  One of his most outstanding contributions was a series of articles analysing reels, and practically every edition of “The Rant” has contained at least one music review by him.

Heinz was involved in the formation of Hunter Valley Branch in 1974; he has served on the Branch committee for many years and was chairman for three years.  He was also involved in the organisation of the first Australian Winter School.  He contributed to the Branch book of dances has also published his own book of 21 dances based on local Hunter Valley themes.

These achievements are considerable in Australian terms, and the award of a Scroll to Heinz is well deserved