Watching from afar as the small Queensland town of Mackay picked itself up from the destruction left by Cyclone Debbie in March, Point Cook’s Margaret Fisk knew she wanted to be involved.
So to Queensland she went with the crew from her show A Fine Romance: The Magic of Fred Astaire, gathering more than 200 people to break the Guinness world record for the largest tap dancing lesson.
She had been touring with her team around Australia, conducting shows and lessons for communities.
“I heard about the floods and the damages from the cyclone the community had to endure,” she said. “I decided it would be great to get the community together.
“The main reason was to try to build up community spirit … just to put a smile on the faces of people in Mackay.”
A total of 274 tappers attended the lesson and broke the record. The venue was filled with people of all ages, with the youngest being four and the oldest 88.
“It was such a crazy idea and they were crazy enough to jump on board,” she said.
While in Queensland, she held a number of classes for children with disabilities and the elderly.
She was awarded the Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2016 for helping thousands of Defence Force families with children or spouses with special needs.
By Dewi Sherry
