Julie (Lush) Anthony the gal from Galga in South Australia's Mallee stars on London stage; voice for the national anthem
South Australian Music Hall of Fame member Julie Anthony helped out on the family farm near Galga in South Australia's Mallee country before being propelled into a singing career that took her to national and international appearances including the lead role of the musical Irene at the Adelphi Theatre in London.
Images courtesy Julie Anthony and the South Australian Music Hall of Fame
Julie Anthony’s voice became known to millions for singing the national anthem at the opening of the 2000 Sydney Olympics and on its recorded versions for the previous daily broadcast closing time of ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) television and at Australian Football League finals.
But her childhood in country South Australia as Julie Lush was characterised by a dwindling number of people knowing her. He family moved ftom the regional centre of Lameroo in the Mallee country to a farm near the town of Galga (population 15) with five in her class at school. A future life in farm was all she imagined as she helped her father on the family sheep and wheat farm, “driving tractors and being the shed hand while he shore the sheep, classing the wool and all that stuff."
Singing was only something Lush did on family road trips: “We were the von Trapps before the von Trapps were ever heard of." After her father suggested her as the fill-in singer for a local band, Lush overcome her shyness to be a singer with a band on the Riverland on the weekend.
Lush's turning point came when she was nominated for, and won, Adelaide's first televlsion talent quest on the late 1960s show Here's Parry. The prize involved her doing a floorshoor at Hobart's Wrest Point casino. When she was introduced to the audience as "Julie Lush", the screeches of laughter from American tourists suggested the need for a name change, later confirmed by an agent Tony Brady in Sydney. She adopted "Anthony" from his first name. The name change wasn't completely successful as it led to ongoing confusion with Julie Andrews.
After regular appearances on Ernie Sigley’s Adelaide Tonight, now-Julie Anthony moved to Sydney, making television appearances and performing on the club and cabaret circuit, then making international tours. She appeared on Graham Kennedy’s television shows and became a regular on Bert Newton’s shows in Melbourne..
An engagement at the Hong Kong Hilton in 1973 was followed by lead role in the Australian production of the musical Irene. Three years later she starred in the United Kingdom version at the Adelphi Theatre, London. The Play and Players of London honoured her with the Best Newcomer (Actress) for 1976.
She returned to Australian television and appeared in three national specials. In 1977 she won the Sammy and Penquin awards for Best Television Variety Performer. Tours of America followed and Anthony worked with Bill Cosby, Roy Clarke and Merv Griffin.
Anthony played Maria in The Sound Of Music in 1983. For the 1988 World Expo in Brisbane, Anthony was invited to sing with the renewed Seekers, joining the group as lead singer from 1988-89. In 1988 she sang the national anthem at the official opening of Australia’s new parliament house. The same year she returned to the stage in I Do!, I Do!. In 1990, she was awarded AM in the Order of Australia for services to the entertainment industry.
Anthony teamed with jazz musician Don Burrows (reeds/flute) in 1994 for tours, including the Jazz and Blues Festival at the Gold Coast International Hotel in 1995.
A year later she returned to cabaret with a season at the Tilbury Hotel in Sydney. In 1996 she had a cameo role as a band singer in the Bruce Beresford film Paradise Road, starring Glenn Close and Jean Simmons.
She won Australia’s prestigious Mo Award for entertainer of the year three times and best female variety performer nine times.