BILLY
RAYMOND
1991-2
In January 1991 Billy staged two children’s shows, “Winnie the Pooh” and “Little Red Riding Hood”, Lorrae Desmond from “A Country Practice” TV drama series, the musical “Oliver!” and Alan Ayckbourne’s “Noises Off”. One of the stars of this show was Tom Oliver, of “Neighbours” fame, whom some consider to be a “look-alike” to Billy!
Other shows later in the year included Charlie Pride, the stage version of Australia’s biggest ratoing TV series “That’s Dancing”, Kenneth McKellar, “The Wizard of Oz” and a bi-monthly show called “Morning Melodies”.
In June Billy came out of performing retirement for 3 weeks to tour the show “Sounds of Scotland”, with Arthur Spink and Jennifer Shaw, touring New South Wales and throughout the theatre circuit from the Gold Coast to Cairns as part of the “Morning Melodies” series.
Billy also visited New Zealand for the annual Theatre Managers’ Conference in August 1991, at which time Billy held the title of Vice-President.
In April 1992 Billy returned home to Scotland, as part of his remit with the Burdekin was to “extend its links internationally”. In an article in the Glasgow Evening News dated 21 April 1992, Billy said (referring to Ayr in Scotland): “The Scots Ayr is a famous theatrical town, with the Gaiety and Civic Theatres, operatic societies and drama groups. Our Ayr (Queensland) is also a coastal town - north of Brisbane and on the Pacific. Our town and district has 22,500 residents, and my theatre seats 530. It would be great to have a cracking Scots show all the way from Ayr, Scotland to Ayr, Queensland. We’ve had star names like Eartha Kitt, Rolf Harris, Ronnie Corbett and Des O’Connor and now we want to book Scottish acts. There are many folk with Scots links in our down-under Ayr, all thinking of home. They would love to see Scots acts in their local theatre.”
He reminisces: “I did my first show at 18 in the old Victory Theatre, down by the River Cart. I worked beside the favourites of the Scottish music hall, like Donoghue and Ramsay, Billy Rusk, Bert Bendon and many more. Tom Conti, who also hails form Paisley, was at that time about the start drama studies in Glasgow. Lads running around the classrooms of my old school, Paisley Grammar, included Andrew Neil - now editor of The Sunday Times - John Temple, who went on to produce “Coronation Street”, Ian Christie, who puts the Edinburgh Tattoo on world television, and Roger Love - head of drama at Scottish Television.”
Other shows later in the year included Charlie Pride, the stage version of Australia’s biggest ratoing TV series “That’s Dancing”, Kenneth McKellar, “The Wizard of Oz” and a bi-monthly show called “Morning Melodies”.
In June Billy came out of performing retirement for 3 weeks to tour the show “Sounds of Scotland”, with Arthur Spink and Jennifer Shaw, touring New South Wales and throughout the theatre circuit from the Gold Coast to Cairns as part of the “Morning Melodies” series.
Billy also visited New Zealand for the annual Theatre Managers’ Conference in August 1991, at which time Billy held the title of Vice-President.
In April 1992 Billy returned home to Scotland, as part of his remit with the Burdekin was to “extend its links internationally”. In an article in the Glasgow Evening News dated 21 April 1992, Billy said (referring to Ayr in Scotland): “The Scots Ayr is a famous theatrical town, with the Gaiety and Civic Theatres, operatic societies and drama groups. Our Ayr (Queensland) is also a coastal town - north of Brisbane and on the Pacific. Our town and district has 22,500 residents, and my theatre seats 530. It would be great to have a cracking Scots show all the way from Ayr, Scotland to Ayr, Queensland. We’ve had star names like Eartha Kitt, Rolf Harris, Ronnie Corbett and Des O’Connor and now we want to book Scottish acts. There are many folk with Scots links in our down-under Ayr, all thinking of home. They would love to see Scots acts in their local theatre.”
He reminisces: “I did my first show at 18 in the old Victory Theatre, down by the River Cart. I worked beside the favourites of the Scottish music hall, like Donoghue and Ramsay, Billy Rusk, Bert Bendon and many more. Tom Conti, who also hails form Paisley, was at that time about the start drama studies in Glasgow. Lads running around the classrooms of my old school, Paisley Grammar, included Andrew Neil - now editor of The Sunday Times - John Temple, who went on to produce “Coronation Street”, Ian Christie, who puts the Edinburgh Tattoo on world television, and Roger Love - head of drama at Scottish Television.”
