I was born in April 1939 into a cane-farming family at Yuruga near Ingham, the sixth child of Vanda and Ernest Marshall.
As my mother was always interested in theatre and art, I was introduced to dancing lessons at an early age. A move to Sydney in 1949 meant that dancing tuition started in earnest. For some years my Christmas school holidays involved performing in pantomimes in various Sydney theatres which I loved. One of these was Cinderella on Ice in which the dancers wore special spiked-sole shoes which enabled us to dance without slipping on the ice.
In 1953 I was one of six young dancers chosen by talent scouts to represent young Australian dancers on the vaudeville circuit in England. Our well-chaperoned group left on the Orontes in March 1954 and on tour were one of the supporting acts for world-famous artists like Al Martino, Lena Horne, and Benny Hill. I enjoyed every minute, so on returning to Sydney auditioned for the chorus of the Tivoli Theatre, was accepted and for the next three years performed on a full-time basis (eight shows weekly) with many great artists, including Winifred Atwell, Johnny Ray, and Mel Torme.
A knee injury and family illness saw us return to Ingham in 1957 where I opened the Lorraine School of Dancing. While visiting Brisbane as a finalist in the Sunday Mail Sun Girl competition in 1959, I was asked to perform a tap routine on television, which I understand was one of the first live performances on BTQ7. Following my marriage in December 1960, my performing was restricted to singing with a group called the Keynotes. Between 1965 and 1975, I had 5 children which left no time for treading the boards. However, the lure of the theatre prevailed when in 1979 I embraced amateur theatre in Townsville, performing with the Townsville Choral and Orchestral Society and North Queensland Opera and Music Theatre. My favourite roles were Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls and the lead role of Dolly Levi in Hello Dolly.
After some overseas travel in 1995 we spent some years in Nambour and Brisbane. While in Nambour I joined the Sweet Adelines Barbershop Chorus, a very different but exciting experience. After moving to Brisbane in 2000 I became a member of the Serenata Singers which I also enjoyed immensely.
My last and perhaps final performance was at my 60th wedding anniversary celebration at the Broncos’ Clubhouse in Brisbane on 3 Dec 2020, where I performed the title song from the musical Cabaret, and turned the clock back 40 years with a reprise of Adelaide’s Lament from Guys and Dolls. I have to agree with Ethel Merman: There’s No Business like Show Business!
