On the night they first met together, Jane Davis took a photo in her mind.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
When again they met, seven weeks later, arriving in the cool winter air outside St Joseph's Primary School, Ms Davis took another.
The comparison, she says, between those two moments is what keeps her coming back to organise the town's bi-annual debutante ball.
"I watched them come in [on the first night of rehearsals], all arms, legs and feet," Ms Davis said.
"Then on the night, they all looked so different. They were beautiful, so for me it's just about seeing them go from shy and giggly to confident and just absolutely beautiful."
Ms Davis coached this year's debutantes in traditional and contemporary ballroom dances. She is passionate to see the art of group dances not fall to the annals of history.
"It's not something that many people know these days, but they would have years ago," she said.
"I was standing outside with [the debutantes][ before the dances, and they were all a little nervous they'd forget the steps. I said to them 'when you hear the music, you'll just remember'."
Taylah Hackett and Eilee Phillipse, both 16, were two of the debutantes on Saturday evening.
"Learning the dances over seven weeks was one thing, but then when it actually came to performing them in front of 300 people, it was scary," Miss Hackett said.
Both the debutantes agreed that the waltz was their hardest mission.
"It helped to have so much rehearsal before, I guess everyone was nervous together," Ms Phillipse said.
"We slipped up a bit in the waltz, we all just turned the wrong way, but it was OK. We worked it out."
Related:
As the adage does hold, it is not the mistake that matters, but the recovery, which Ms Davis concludes must have been brilliant.
"I didn't notice any mistakes. They did very, very well."
Joining this year's debutante ball sparked a note of familial symmetry for Miss Hackett at least. On Saturday she stood where her sister had nearly a decade ago.
"I think [debutante balls] are very traditional, I'm glad it's still here, and people were telling me Junee's was even better than Wagga's" said the 16-year-old.
"It's changing and dropping off a bit. It's definitely different to when my sister did it eight years ago. The dances have stayed the same, but there's a lot more variety in dresses."
Following the success of the evening, Ms Davis admitted it would be time to begin preparations for the next ball in 2021.
"To everyone who helped us get it all together, thank you," said Ms Davis.
"And to the young ladies and gentlemen, you just have to thank them for their commitment and determination."