It is with great sadness that I write to inform you Little Maria has passed away today surrounded by her beloved family. As many of you might know, Little Maria has been fighting an illness in the last several months but she has kept up her spirit despite the pain she must have endured. She was visited and comforted by many of her close friends in the last several weeks and I was one of those who had the privilege of doing so. She even cooked me pancakes for supper when she should be resting. How could I not love her so much.
Little Maria might be little in height but she was a giant in our rock 'n' roll scene. She was recently inducted into the Victorian Rock & Roll Dance Association Hall of Fame. She was a very well known personality in Melbourne, country Victoria and interstate especially in Queensland where she was a regular visitor to Wintersun Rock & Roll Festival for many years. She was well loved by everyone in our 1950's style rock 'n' roll scene.
No one who has ever attended one of her "Little Maria" dances would forget or fail to notice the extra touch and effort she put into her dances. The decorations in the hall, the table settings, the many, fun themes night and her very colourful and flamboyant costumes. The opportunities she had given many rock & roll bands to play at her dances. And Little Maria always without fail greeted each and everyone by name and with a big, happy smile and cuddle. She was the dance host extraordinaire. Through her dances, many romances and relationships have blossomed and flourished and even resulted in a few marriages. And many, including myself, learned to dance rock & roll socially at her dances as a beginner which Little Maria welcomed everyone as one big, happy dance family irrespective of your dance ability & style, colour, age or even religion. All her dances which ran for 13 years were filled with fun, laughter, music and lots of dancing.
We salute you, Little Maria, for your huge & enduring contribution to our 1950's style rock & roll live music and dance scene. You have departed from us now but will never be forgotten. Those happy memories from your dances shall be with us forever. The thousands of photos and videos you have personally taken at your dances shall remain a living recorded history of your dances and the fun times that we all had. Thank you very much Little Maria.
The Lord be with you. Rest In Peace, Little Maria.
Bookmarks