ROCKIN’ DOC’S PROFILE

 

 

We originally came from South Australia.  Heather grew up in the Adelaide Hills and John lived in Adelaide and for a while in the country.  Both decided to study Medicine at the University of Adelaide.  While still students we married and graduated in 1977.  After fours of residency training, we decided to move...to Inglewood, Central Victoria.

 

We were the Inglewood’s town G.P.’s for nine years, then got itchy feet and found ourselves in Casino, Northern NSW - only an hour from Byron Bay and two hours from the Gold Coast!!  Having joined a medical partnership - the working conditions allowed us to have more spare time.  It was during the latter half of our stay in Casino that we developed a passion for 50’s style rock ‘n’ roll dancing.

 

Heather initially went to lessons conducted by Jimmy Ray - a product of the 50’s - in Lismore.  She had always wanted to do some form of dancing - something that she was denied the opportunity of during her childhood.  For John attending lessons was initially as reawakening to all those great songs and music that he remembered his parents used to play on many of their records.  We learnt quickly and avidly, but not without the odd disagreement!!  Soon we were asked to help out at rock ‘n’ roll demos, promos and even to help Jimmy Ray.  His lessons were the springboard for the formation of a rock ‘n’ roll club in Lismore - the Summerland Rockers with H & J being original members and John being that club’s first Newsletter editor. That was in 1993.  We became affectionately known as CJ & The Babe and attended as many dances, lessons and workshops as possible travelling to the Gold Coast regularly - where the rock ‘n’ roll scene is extremely strong and growing.

 

In 1995, however, we felt that we needed a further change in direction relating to our medical career and so arrived in Sale to work in a G.P. Associateship.  Our only disappointment was leaving all of our friends from the rock ‘n’ roll club in NSW and the whole vibrant rock ‘n’ roll scene.  And there seemed to be no such activity in the Gippsland area to the same extent.

 

So in April 1995 the Rockin’ Doc’s,  hired a little church hall, advertised that there was some real rock ‘n’roll music and invited anyone interested to attend.  We showed the 40 or so, our style of 5O’s style rock ‘n’ roll dancing and used a template of instruction as used by Jimmy Ray and Fred Robertson of the then Gold Coast Rockers - with their permission.  The initial response was very enthusiastic and the group planned for its first public outing  - The Oil City Rodder’s Annual Grease Ball.  The “Jailhouse Rock” and “Grease” routines brought much acclaim and the following week the attendance doubled and stayed at that level for the rest of the year.  The group moved to the supper room of the Sale Memorial Hall.  We suggested that it was possible to form an official rock ‘n’ roll dance club and invited members of the group to see if it were and if there was enough interest.  Naturally there was no dissent and so planning for the name and a logo were under way and they attended the Grease Ball as the Lakeside Rockers, Gippsland.  The group was not officially incorporated until March 1996 and by then membership had grown to over 100.

 

(For more on the Club History - please see Club History)

 

Many people have suggested that we ARE the Lakeside Rockers and without us the group would not exist.  Although flattering, we’d like to believe that the club can exist and grow on the basis of what we started even if we were unable to be present.  In a way we see ourselves more as the “spiritual leaders” of a group of people who loves music and the associated partner dancing that goes with it.

 

We both believe that our activity holds some community value.  It provides for a healthy recreational activity, the intensity of which can be varied to suit the age and capabilities of the participants.  It can involve the whole family.  It can be used as a device simply to have fun or for the social good, by raising money at dances e.g. the 1998 Christmas Dance raised $1000 for the Sale Urban Fire Brigade.  We also believe it is our way of being in the community as medical practitioners and encouraging a sound healthy lifestyle - and being different to the more usual method of standing in front of a meeting delivering a health related speech.

 

Although our involvement has the above benefits, we still believe in the activity for our own personal enjoyment and development.  We both aspire to being better dancers and only for the sake of dancing.  We have won a few trophies at competitions along the way which we value - good advertising for the club and for our teachers!  But like any athlete or team - we want to achieve our best performance and constantly improve.  So we do this by attending workshops and lessons when we can find the time, read, watch the old movies and practice and practice...

Then there are the side benefits - and the good old MasterCard gets a battering here - buying material, fabrics and CD’s with some fabulous dance music from the 30’s right up today.  For John the musical appreciation of what is there and what the average person is missing in not listening to this great music because it is not popularly played enough on radio is cause for sadness. 

 

We have great plans and a vision for the future of rock ‘n’ roll dancing and its music in this area and we hope that they will come to fruition soon.  In the meantime we invite everyone to attend the Sale Memorial Hall on Wednesday nights for The Lakeside Rockers social dancing where lessons are also available.

 

 

CJ & The Babe   John & Heather Jarman 1998

 

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