Obituary by Joy Bradshaw and Caroline Brockbank, Richmond Branch
Terry was a tour de force on the dancing scene in Darlington and North East England from the 1940s. His huge personality, enthusiasm, and love of a good time on the dance floor was legendary. Terry started dancing in his early teens, initially attracted by the music, and in the 1950s began his enduring association with Richmond Branch. From the mid-1960s Terry taught adult classes in Darlington and subsequently a children’s class; and in 1971 he launched Junior Appreciation, an annual non-competitive festival for children. It grew in popularity, welcoming teams from a wide area, and bands from over the border. Terry was in his element! He took children’s teams to festivals in North East England and those involved still remember the hair-raising minibus journeys with Terry at the wheel. In 2009 Terry received the Branch Award, sponsored jointly by Richmond and Leeds RSCDS. Terry will be remembered for many things, but especially his swirling yellow kilt, piercing ‘heuch’, a tendency to sing along with his favourite tunes and unconventional outlook.