Entrepreneur Joe Brown kept Dunedin on the map with his Town Hall Dances for several decades.

Jack R who played double bass in Town Hall Dance bands, says the Saturday night dances started around 1935 with one of the early announcers on 4ZB, Jimmy McFarlane as the MC.

Initially the Town Hall was the sole venue with the Concert Chamber being used as the supper room. After World War Two the Concert Chamber provided a second dance-floor.

Mr R says in the early days the music was provided by Dick Colvin's Orchestra and Alex Swan's Orchestra.

The Town Hall was the place for Dunedin people to go to on a Saturday night. It was also the venue for visitors from out of town. No visit to Dunedin would be complete without going to Joe Brown's Town Hall Dance.

The dance attracted nationwide interest and was broadcast over the ZB Radio Network from 10.30 to 11pm. An announcer was sent down to Dunedin to cover the broadcast. Later Joe Brown decided to advertise on the radio so had to pay for the broadcasts. Mr R remembers that the quality wasn't very good because of the poor acoustics of the Town Hall.

In the early days, admission was one shilling and sixpence (15 cents) and people wanting to watch proceedings from upstairs were charged sixpence (five cents).

Mr R isn't sure when he started playing double bass with bands at the Town Hall Dances, but believes it was in the 1950s. He played with several bands but mainly Harry Strang's. Often they accompanied internationally and nationally known singers brought to Dunedin by Joe Brown.

Mr R says the Town Hall Dances were very strictly run: "No nonsense was tolerated. They had bouncers there and anyone who misbehaved would be put out with no chance to give an explanation."

Smoking was generally acceptable in those days. Mr R says it was strictly banned in the Town Hall. He thinks there was a good reason for that.

"Practically all the women wore big fluffy gowns and the organisers were scared they could catch on fire. People were dressed to the nines - men wore dinner suits or tails. People in holey jeans or white gym-shoes weren't admitted."

Alcohol was banned from the dance. "In those days you weren't allowed to have alcohol within half a mile of dance halls and the police used to inspect the dancers' car boots," Mr R explains.

However, some people resorted to subterfuge: "One guy used to buy his tickets then enter the hall with a bottle of ginger ale and a straw. But the drink was three parts whisky and only one part ginger ale. I used to tell him that he'd get caught one day. But he never was as far as I know. "

The Town Hall was used for modern dances such as foxtrots, quicksteps, jazz waltzes and Latin American dances, while the Concert Chamber was used for old times dances such as the Military Two Step, The Alberts and Circular Waltzes.

There were added attractions: "There used to be ballroom dancing demonstrations during the dance and singing competitions. Joe Brown started John Hore Grenell on his career," Mr R explains. "Miss New Zealand Contests were also held in the Town Hall and there'd be dozens of balls - the Police Ball, Radio Ball, Charity Ball, Capping Ball and Masonic Ball, to name just a few. "

Mr R played at Town Hall Dances for 14 years, getting dressed in his dinner suit and bow tie every Saturday night. He wasn't a full time musician, having another job during the week. He says playing the double bass at the Town Hall was hard work but he has wonderful memories of those days.

"The dances were a marvellous sight. It was very colourful with women in their beautiful ballgowns and crowds of people watching and enjoying the dances."

He believes the beginning of the end of Joe Brown's Town Hall Dances came with rock'n'roll and pop music: "When rock'n'roll was introduced there wasn't enough room for people to do the ballroom dances. People used to dance with each other, not at each other," he declares.

Mr R has now put away his double bass but his interest in music - particularly jazz - continues. He is a volunteer announcer with Hills AM Community Access Radio, presenting a two hour show every Monday afternoon.