Featured Member - July 2003

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Our featured member for the month of July 2003 is Yvonne Hortin. Yvonne was born in Kellerberrin, in the heart of the wheatbelt but lived at Pantapin where her family had a wheat and sheep farm. Primary School was very small - only 12 pupils in Yvonne's last year - 2 girls and 10 boys and, sadly, she wasn't interested in boys then. Looking back, the odds would have been great! Because of the size of the school there was no opportunity for drama. That had to wait until High School -- Methodist Ladies College as a boarder. During her time there Yvonne had a delightfully eccentric English teacher who ran the Drama Club and Yvonne was soon appearing as Mrs Hardcastle in "She Stoops To Conquer" and the Prince of Morocco in "The Merchant of Venice". She didn't exactly have a male figure but in those days there was strictly no mixing with boys' schools!

After school, busy with nursing training Yvonne had to be content with being a member of the audience many times at the Playhouse. Later she lived in Sydney but even after her return to WA it was many years of family commitments before she could think again of her interest in theatre. She joined Roleystone but, as a nurse, it seemed that every time she wanted to audition she was working afternoon shift and couldn't attend.

In February 1999 she moved to Applecross and, with her long time partner Fred Beauchamp, she joined the Melville Theatre Company with the intention of seeing the shows and perhaps helping a little front-of-house. Before she and Fred quite knew what was happening, he was repainting the foyer and the toilets and she was handling Publicity for 2 years. Welcome to Amateur Theatre Yvonne!

She still handles our Box Office, does Props and Costumes works as Assistant Stage Manager, and recently found time to be our Vice President for a year (plus acting as Secretary for part of that time). Somehow, in the midst of all this Yvonne still found time to play a part in "Here Under Heaven" - as yet her only on-stage role in MTC.

Yvonne loves all facets of Amateur Theatre, as evidenced by her continuing involvement and she is a very valuable member of our Company.

Thank you Yvonne, and may we be able to take advantage of your good nature for many years to come!

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