”I was about 3 or 4 when I started to dance and fell totally in love with Lorna and dancing (I am now 78 and have to use a walker but when I am sitting and there is music, these feet can still tap dance!). I actually had my first job with Lorna. I was so very proud when she asked me to teach the "little ones" on Saturday mornings! I was delighted to earn 50 cents for the morning. I admired Lorna so much, I would have done it for nothing! Lorna passed on her love of dance to me. Glad she is being celebrated!
- Margo Tomalty Valliant
”I started dancing with Mrs Cameron, then with Cheri in her basement on Reagent street. I am now 49 years old. I have so many memories dancing with the "Cameron Dancers". I enjoyed my time dancing in greenfield park, met a lot of people and went to many places. It's amazing to see how the school grew and remained in the family. Congratulations and I wish you all the best on your 90th anniversary.
- Cathy Deans Forsyth
”I was a student of Mrs Cameron from age 5 to 7 and loved it even though my talent was limited. She made every minute fun. Amazing that many of the people in my group are still friends after 62 years. Dance helped cement lifelong friendships.
- Barbara Went
”Being part of the Cameron School of Dance family was an incredible time in my life. I met such amazing people, and always felt part of the family. The community is truly amazing, and I miss every single person there. I will always hold a place in my heart for CSD.
- Emil Aliev
”I belonged to the dance school many years ago. Mrs Cameron was my teacher! I will always remember my few years spent there! Congratulations for all you do and all this school has become!
- Karen Small
”I danced from 1994 until 2015 and taught from 2007 to 2016. CSD is my second family and many friendships have come from my time at dance as well as my determination and confidence.
- Rachel Johnston
”CSD has always been my family, the friendships that I have made will last a lifetime. I shared every big milestone with my CSD family and now that I am almost 30, I’m so glad that I spent 18 years of my life with them, they have made me into the woman I am today and I’m so thankful!
- Tanya Perks
”CSD is my second family and many friendships have come from my time at dance as well as my determination and confidence.
- Rachel Johnston
”We are all thankful for your school and all the time you have invested in the lives of so many. The discipline, skills in dance and in life that have and are being taught are invaluable. The friendships and family support will continue through out their lives. Thank you for your love, support and dedication your mothers vision and legacy has impacted many lives.
- Diana J.
”Mrs Cameron had a way of making all of us scared little girls feel safe and she treated us all like we were part of her family. The kindness she showed and the love for dance she showed to everyone one of us planted the seed that would grow for years to come. After beginning ballet, shortly after I remember starting highland with Cheri. Wow, she really had red hair and amazing turnout! I would scoot down to her little basement after Mom would drop me off and she would be waiting and class would start. She was strict and expected your best but like her mother, Cheri made each and everyone one of us feel like we were a Cameron.
What Mrs Cameron and Cheri and all the girls in the school gave was a sense of being, of pulling out the very best in every dancer and always being there for everyone.
- Adrienne Maerz
”Well, I sure spent many hours in the basement of 488 Vercheres Street in Greenfield Park. This is where our highland dancing classes were always held. I started highland dancing with Mrs Cameron when I was 6 years old and stayed with it until I was 17 years old. It was within a year that I started entering competitions with the Montreal Highland Dancing Association and later the Quebec Highland Dancing Association. We would always do the Highland games in Montreal.and also went to the Maxville Highland games. We were very proud of Cheri as she always did extremely well. Especially proud when she beat Scotty Porter. I did ok for the most part and was very proud of myself when I won the trophy in "67 and beat Angus MacLeod.
I remember we would go to competitions for the whole day. They were long days so what sticks in my mind parents or relatives would drive us in and pick us up. Even your Aunt May Wallace would drive us. Competitions were every month. I don't think we took exams every year as in those days transportation from Scotland was very expensive.. (Perhaps Cheri has a better recollection)
some lessons, I would have tea with Mrs Cameron while Mr Cameron was eating his dinner. Mrs Cameron was a great listener and always took an interest in her students. The most fun was performing for any audience. Sometimes we would ham it up. Lyndsay Cameron was our piper for several years followed by Ian MacIntosh. It was always great fun doing performances in the variety shows at Royal George.
Several times we would be invited to perform for the Eastern Star in St-Lambert. It was always a Thursday Night and we had to wait for their session to be over before we danced getting us home well after 10:00 PM "on a school night" We were always well received and made us proud.
There was also a period of time when Cheri, Susan Harris and myself furthered our dance studies with Mrs Marcia Collard who lived in Beaconsfield. At that time there were no expressways. It would take us 1.5 hours to get there and the same coming back!! After that Mrs Cameron opened up three other dance schools in St Hubert, St Bruno and Chambly. As teens, we felt pretty independent. Cheri was driving then and she would pick me up around 8:00 AM and we wouldn't get home until 3:00 or later.
Even when I stopped dancing and would meet up with Mrs Cameron in the store or her driveway we would talk for a very long time. Thanks for the great memories.
When I lived in Winnipeg I was part of the Charleswood Collegiate Pipe Band. First a side drummer and then when they found out I was a dancer well things changed. Nothing can be more uplifting than having 8 drummers, 4 side drummers and a base playing for you. The last time I danced was about 7 years ago (age 60) when Megan Burnett ( Norm & Carol's granddaughter) and I did the fling at a family reunion!! Now I just dance in my head!!
- Debi Burnett McGrath