About 60 sharply dressed and clear-thinking young Cluthans showed previous generations how it is done at their first District-Wide Formal, upstairs on the vista-view mezzanine of Clutha District War Memorial & Community Centre Te Pou ō Mata-Au, last Friday October 11.
Assisted by Clutha District Youth council, the first dressed-up mixer for high-school and Telford students set the standard as a flagon-free reboot of the old-school, community hall socials of the 20th century, as today’s young adults celebrated their youth with an eye on their future.
"We’ve been consulting with youth representatives about real-world social and networking opportunities [and] where we stand on our culture of alcohol acceptance," 22 year-old council community support and development adviser Lilly Paterson said.
"We came up with the formal to see what young people can do together to co-ordinate an adult gathering for ourselves, have a good time without drinking, and learn and build on that."
Traditional punch and soft drinks, a grazing buffet and shuttle service were included in the $35 ticket, while sharp suits and posh frocks raised the bar for polite conversation.
Exams, careers and voting for best dressed, cutest couple and king and queen categories were discussed over dance music from the request-ready DJ sound system.
