A rock and roll ‘60s reunion at the Dingee Memorial Hall had friends back together after decades dancing on floors of the historic tin hall. 
The former Young Farmers and Dingee Younger Set reunion  on Sunday brought people back to the town.
Travelling from near and far to catch up with old friends, more than 150 people  reminisced on their time attending events held by the Younger Set in the 1960s and 1970s.
Mavis Lea recalled both having her wedding reception there and participating in table tennis matches, others remembered making their debut at the first debutant ball held in the hall. 
John Davidson, the Master of Ceremonies for the event said: “The idea of the day was finding out the stories of where everyone ended up.” 
He made sure the crowd remembered Bendigo diva Colleen Hewitt singing at Dingee before shooting to national stardom as Queen of Pop, on stage in the original stage production of Godspell and carving a career on television.
And Dingee Hall was also something of a launching pad for ‘60s psych band the Tolpuddle Martyrs formed out of Bendigo and achieving fame with national hits.
Many of the original Younger Set members moved away from Dingee over the years but had made the journey back to be involved in the community again. 
For many like John Lakey, it was a chance to catch up with friends he hadn’t seen since finishing school. 
Among the crowd was musician Hutch Lawrie, who started his musical career playing at the barn dances with his sister, Helen, accompanying him. 
Hutch has since played all over Australia but was delighted to be back where it all started. 
His music drew people to the dance floor, with members of the Cool Cat Rockers Shepparton out rocking and rolling. 
One rocker, Roger Tracey, attended some of the events in his youth while others had been members or had also gone to the dances. 
“Word of the event had spread quickly as the planning had only become a couple of months before, but we were pleasantly surprised by the turnout,” said John Drury. 
John was one of the first members of the group and reminisced on his experiences with them, they had once hired a bus to take locals who had never seen snow up to the mountains to experience it for themselves. 
The group was focused on community and providing people with a chance to interact and meet new people, they did this through community trips as well as barn dances, he said.  
Val Triplett, one of the organisers, said: “They had seen how much people craved communication after the COVID pandemic and they wanted to have something to help people reconnect.
“The event had absolutely exceeded their expectations,”  Val said.
Ian Hocking, another member of the planning team, was grateful the day was so successful as “it makes the hard work worth it when it turns out to be a great day”.
While most jiving away on Sunday had a link to the Younger Set group, several people who had come to Dingee to display their vintage cars came to join in and enjoy an afternoon tea with the locals. 
An afternoon of dancing, music, delicious food and good company brought the former groups back together to reflect on the years gone by.