Getting elected at the ARM in February and waiting till September to dance in could have been a bit of an anti-climax, but it wasn’t! I had a brilliant time courtesy of Hartley MM and their officers, who in this unlamented summer managed to produce 2 days of fine weather. I was lucky to have Dartington Morris Men out in force and all my family there to support me. When I got back to Devon, I found it did take a while for the “high” of dancing in to dissipate; prolonged by the faux homage paid by my Morris friends! It may not be a fashionable word to use, but I do feel proud to have been elected to represent our hobby and be its public face for the next 2 years. When I become a Past Squire, the Morris Ring will be celebrating 80 years of achievement; surely that is something worth nurturing? However, before I get too carried away, I must pay my predecessor the compliments he deserves. I am sure Peter had no inkling of the controversy he would face as Squire in his first year in office, but he and the other Morris Ring Officers did face the storm square on. When the Law of the Land is telling you to change, pointless fighting it, and with the support of the overwhelming majority of sides, he, Charlie and Ed found a way we could remain all male dancers and comply with the Law. Well done them! We have had a year when 3 of the Meetings of Morris Ring Sides were hosted under the new inclusive rules, and very successful they were too. Personally, I am delighted to welcome our lady musicians as full members of our great and historic organisation and invite their participation in all non-dancing aspects of our hobby. That said, we now need to move on; there are challenges ahead we need to face together.
So why did I stick my neck out and allow myself to be put forward for Squire? I certainly don’t have a folk background; no ability as a musician and can’t sing a note either! God, I hope he can do something I hear! Well, I hope I can, as I believe my experience of joining the Morris in my mid-thirties is relevant to the problems facing us today, that of an aging membership! Sometime, I might write about my first experiences of the Morris and starting in a non-Ring side that has now given you two Squires, but not today! (Yes Paul, I still have my tee shirt!). I was drawn to Morris by a work colleague for the exercise, fun and subsequently stayed because I also found genuine companionship, and moving to a Morris Ring side seemed a natural progression. Anyway, what you put into something usually decides what you get out of it. Tell me another hobby that covers such a broad cross section of society, because I can’t think of one? So we have a lot to offer society in the 21st century, but we are a bit of a “best kept secret” aren’t we, and need to explore ways to get the message across to men and boys in the general public? Of course we need to ensure we are welcoming to young people, but they often don’t “stick”, which is why I am keen to see us targeting those up to say 40. I would like to see more focus on fitness, youth, companionship and the social conscience of the Morris, represented by our involvement in local communities, such as charity events, fetes etc. We need to showcase ourselves more, what we do for charity, the 18 to 30 and appeal to the ethnic minorities, especially the hordes from Eastern Europe, who drink beer and have a lot in common with us!
Wassail,
Robin Springett
Dartington MM and Squire of the Morris Ring