Audrey Cooper was one of six debutantes presented at Lodge Courallie’s 2026 Debutante Ball at the Moree Services Club Auditorium on Saturday night. Photo: Moree Online News.
Six young women stepped into the spotlight at Lodge Courallie’s 2026 Debutante Ball on Saturday night, continuing a Moree tradition spanning generations on an evening that also delivered a $15,000 donation to Gwydir Industries.
Peyton West and Mitch Cronin, Jaydah Duncan and Marley Swan, Kate Hall and Beau Bridge, Audrey Cooper and Kyle Rummery, Kirby Conroy and Rayma Honour, and Sienna Cronin and Xander West were formally presented at the Moree Services Club Auditorium on September 19.
For the debutantes, the night was the culmination of weeks of preparation and rehearsals, but their introductions also offered a glimpse beyond the ballroom, revealing six young women with interests ranging from sport and music to horses and travel, and ambitions already taking shape for life after school.
Ms West hopes to attend university and become a nurse, while Ms Duncan would like to become a beautician. Ms Hall hopes to work with horses and travel, and Ms Conroy plans to study physiotherapy and see more of the world. Ms Cooper enjoys music, guitar, singing and netball, and hopes to study nursing before pursuing a career as a paediatric oncology nurse. Ms Cronin’s interests include netball, music, travel, the outdoors and spending time with family and friends.
That sense of looking towards the future was reflected in remarks to the debutantes by Right Worshipful Brother Todd Shadbolt, representing the Most Worshipful Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
“It’s about stepping forward with confidence and grace into the next chapter of your lives, supported by family, friends, and a community that has shown up for generations to celebrate young people just like you,” RW Bro Shadbolt said.
The evening’s focus on community extended beyond the debutantes when a $15,000 cheque was presented to Gwydir Industries on behalf of Masonicare.
Gwydir Industries treasurer Scott Carrigan accepted the donation, telling guests the organisation had its beginnings in 1963, when a group of families recognised Moree needed professional support for people living with disability. More than six decades later, it continues to provide opportunities for people with disability to develop confidence and life skills, take part in supported employment and contribute to the community.
Mr Carrigan said recycling, engraving and shredding undertaken through Gwydir Industries generated income for the organisation, alongside government assistance, but community support remained important.
“The contribution of the community is what’s keeping the Gwydir doors open,” he said.
“The Masons do a lot of work in all of our communities, and often that work goes unnoticed, but certainly we’re quite noticing now what you guys are doing for us here tonight, and we really, really do appreciate it.”
There was also recognition for one of the people responsible for keeping the ball itself going. Co-ordinator Gwanita Hill was presented with the Grand Master’s Award of Merit, with her work organising rehearsals and the many hours spent behind the scenes acknowledged during the presentation.
Gwanita Hill had previously received the Grand Master’s Distinguished Service in the Community Award for her work with the event.
It was a fitting recognition on a night where tradition was never far from the proceedings. RW Bro Shadbolt told guests Lodge Courallie first held its debutante ball in Moree in 1906, placing Saturday night’s six debutantes within a tradition stretching back more than a century.
“It says something remarkable about this community that a tradition can survive that long, not out of habit, but because it still means something,” RW Bro Shadbolt said.
With the formalities behind them, the focus returned to the debutantes and their partners, who took to the dance floor as the 2026 Moree Masonic Ball was declared open.
