March and September Competitions
The advertised dates in March and September were established 60 years ago and have been successfully organised on the corresponding weekend every year since their inception.

The Australasian Championships
The Australasian Championships have also been established for 60 years. These have become a major national event and have been conducted in all states of Australia and New Zealand on a rotation basis.

Event Sponsorship
The Society of Australian Teachers of Dancing is the only dance organisation in Australia who has sponsored amateur and professional competitors for amounts up to $40,000 each year for travel and accomodation each year.

The Society
The Society of Australian Teachers of Dancing Ltd., (known as S.A.T.D.) was inaugurated in 1945 when a group of Stage Teachers invited the late Jack Keating to Chair a meeting with the view to Forming an alternate dance association in Australia. That meeting resulted in a uniting of Ballroom and Stage Teachers and the S.A.T.D was founded. Under the guidance of Jack Keating, together with Des Etheridge (Secretary) and the late Bob Potter (Treasurer), the S.A.T.D. introduced its medal test examinations while continuing to promote Amateur and Professional competition and championship events. In those early years, many prominent teachers became S.A.T.D. members, helping the Association to advance and prosper. Following a visit to Sydney in 1949 by Jack and Val Guthrie of New Zealand, the formation of S.A.T.D. New Zealand was achieved, and since then, it has been the official Organiser of the Australasian Championships in New Zealand.

Co-operation between the Australian Institute of Dance (WA) and the S.A.T.D. (NSW) resulted in teams from Perth (organized by Robert Wrightson) travelling across the Nullabor to the eastern states, culminating in Interstate Teams’ Matches - which were very successfully presented at the famous Trocadero in Sydney. 1950 saw the S.A.T.D, as a major driving force in the organisation of the Australasian Championships. State organisers were appointed and they became responsible for the selection of State Representatives each year, as well as the presentation of the Australasian in their respective States, on a State to State rotation basis.

The S.A.T.D. (NSW) is the official organiser of the Australasian in NSW and continues its commitment of financing large contingents of dancers each year to the State wherever the Australasian Championships are being conducted. The early fifties saw the S.A.T.D. organizing championships in Queensland under the control of the late Ron Steele, and about the same time, S.A.T.D. (Queensland) was granted the right to be the of official Organiser of the Australasian in Queensland. During 1964 the Australian Dancing Board was established and Jack Keating, along with Eileen Kane, Robert Wrightson and the late Mickey Powell played a major role in its formation. In 1978 S.A.T.D. was admitted as a member of the A.D.B. It was the year in which Don Kersnovske was appointed as our Queensland Organiser for the Sunshine State Championships and Australasian Selections, and was also the year that saw the passing of the S.A.T.D. founder, Jack Keating. That year also saw Allan Crane elected as President, and together with Alastair MacIntyre (Secretary) and Doreen Costello (Treasurer), they worked towards the Company incorporation which came to fruition in 1984. Due to the efforts of Allan Crane, the S.A.T.D. was able to acquire real estate whilst maintaining growth in medal test examinations and promotion of competitions and championships. On the retirement of Allan Crane in 1986, Alastair Maclntyre was elected as President with Doreen Costello as Secretary/Treasurer. For personal reasons AIastair MacIntyre retired in 1988 and Bill Duggen, who had been a S.A.T.D. Director for many years, was elected to the Chair. In 1993, Don Kersnovske, a long standing member and organiser of the Sunshine State Championships and S.A.T.D. Director to the Australian Dancing Board, was elected as S.A.T.D. President/Chairman. Following the retirement of Ken Bailey as President and Doreen Costello as Secretary/Treasurer in 2010, Sue Hilyander was elected President alongside Lyn Evans as Secretary and David MacFarlane as Treasurer. Presently, the S.A.T.D. is one of the major dance organisations in Australia. It has been active in its service to the Dance Fraternity for over 60 years. S.A.T.D. is well known throughout Australia, especially for its voluntary work in the sponsorship of couples to the Australasian Championships as well as to other interstate events.

S.A.T.D. is currently a member of the AustraIian Dancing Board and is represented in many areas The Directors are pleased to be able to take this opportunity to extend our thanks to all those Amateurs, Professionals and members of the Public alike, who have supported S.A.T.D. events and so enabled us to achieve our goals. We look forward to a new and exciting era in dancing.