Chris
Yes, objects really move quickly through the field of view at high magnification, don't they. If you are showing people, you quickly learn to move the object to where it is just coming into the field of view, then jump out of the way and let your partner observe it move through. Don't start in the centre of the field.
Yes, you want your scope balanced on the RA and DEC axes, but I hope you have also looked at polar aligning your mount:-
http://www.themcdonalds.net/~themcdo...uatorial_Mount
(Except those instructions are for the Northern Hemisphere - here you have to align to the South Celestial Pole)
If you get it pretty close to aligment, you will find that all you have to do is adjust the RA control from time to time to bring the object back to the centre of the field of view. Better still, add an RA drive motor and that will do it for you - hopefully keep the object centred.
To do observing, you don't need super accurate alignment. If the object drifts a little in the DEC direction, a little tweak of the DEC adjustment from time to time will bring it back.