Pretty River Strathspey - Background
Dancers in the Toronto area will be saddened to learn that my father, Gordon McHaffie, passed away on Christmas Day 2000 at the age of 96. He had been in failing health for some time.
Gordon arrived in Canada from England in 1950, and shortly thereafter became one of the small group of early enthusiasts in Toronto to enjoy Scottish Country dancing, both at Rosedale Presbyterian Church and at the Fort York Armouries. He played a role in persuading a number of Toronto dancers of the day that they did not need bagpipes to do Scottish Country Dancing – in some military circles that had been considered the normal or even the proper dancing music.
His dancing career spanned over 85 years. His earliest memory of dancing was learning the Eightsome Reel, as a child of six, with his playmates, while his mother played the piano. He continued dancing
into his nineties. He danced with The Glenview Group from its inception and was made a Life Member of that group. After his retirement in 1969, he danced with the small group in N Ottawa, near his home in the Pretty River Valley, near Collingwood.
For his 90th birthday, I wrote the dance, “The Pretty River Strathspey.” Those who would like to remember and celebrate his life might like to try the dance, which has not been published before. The instructions follow. It can be danced to any pastoral style 3 x 32 bar Strathspey, but the tune for the dance is really Stan Hamilton’s, “Compliments to Gordon McHaffie”, which is so far unpublished, but was Stan’s own message of congratulation to Gordon.