South Croydon
England

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But what of the Donnie behind the one whom we know so well? It appears that he did well at school, in sporting as well as in academic terms, playing football and other national sports. His parents were amateur dancers and LEA teachers (now professional dance teachers) and he became hooked on dancing from the age of six. Nevertheless he found time to amass no less than 8 `O´ levels and 6 `A´ levels in academic, language and science subjects. (A chip off the old block?) No doubt this was where the taste for achieving in record numbers was acquired.

He edited the school magazine and was a prominent member of the school debating society. This was when a noted journalist of the Glasgow Herald wrote of the 14 year old Donnie "This lad´s presence and assurance at the podium is awe-inspiring in one so young" He then went on to Glasgow University where he studied Law for two years, during which time he continued to compete in amateur dancing.

But dancing was already becoming an inextricable part of his being. He was by then an `old hand´ won the Scottish Open Junior Standard and Latin Championships at the age of twelve. There seems to be convincing evidence that his parents, Ronnie and Vi Burns, would have liked him to have completed his studies and taken a degree in Law but this was not to be. His interest in dancing brought him into contact with Sammy Stopford who thought that Gaynor Fairweather would be a good partner for his leisure activity of amateur dancing. This was a dramatic turningpoint in his life but his parents were devastated when he decided to leave University, giving up his Law studies, to pursue his interest in dancing.

Looking back, Bobby Short was the person who sowed the seeds of desire for the glamour and excitement of the competition arena when Donnie and his partner Sylvia Cameron was chosen by Bobby to join the first ever competing trip abroad for Juveniles. The trip was to Switzerland and it left an indelible impression on the 10 year old boy´s mind. This was to be only the first of many times that Donnie would travel internationally through Bobby Short´s organisation in search of dancing fame. It was also Bobby Short who, at his United Kingdom Championships, gave Donnie the opportunity of replacing Angela Rippon as the TV compere of the event.

Donnie´s academic studies developed in him a gift for languages. Even though English is the universal language, this linguistic facility has helped him on innumerable occasions. A most recent instance was in Japan where he co-presented the WD&DSC 1999 World Professional Latin Championship on television.

Fate had a protective part to play in his life. They had been booked to do a show in America and would have travelled direct from Frankfurt, Germany where they had been working. The show was cancelled shortly before the travel date so Donnie decided to go home and motored up to Scotland. Passing Lockerbie he was horrified to see the wreckage of the ill-fated Flight 103, the aircraft he would have been on if the show had not been cancelled. He and Gaynor raised nearly £5000 for the Lockerbie Disaster Fund.

Civic honours have been given to Donnie, the accolade being the MBE bestowed by the Queen in 1994. Donnie´s vision for the WD&DSC is to develop a strong "United Nations of Dance", where all countries would be equal, regardless of colour or creed, with the prime abjective of improving the lives, conditions and rewards of competitors to bring them closer to that which they deserve.

Harry Smith-Hampshire