Adelaide Victoria Evelyn Lucas (1897-1958)
Adelaide Victoria Evelyn (Evelyn) Lucas was a pianist and singer who trained under Dame Nellie Melba. She was also a music teacher and entertainer in Bunbury for over thirty years, from 1921 to 1952.
Early Life
Evelyn was born in Southern Cross and was Thomas and Elizabeth Lucas' only child (reference; reference). Thomas and Elizabeth both came from Victoria to Western Australia. Thomas had emigrated from Ireland as a very young man, and Elizabeth was the daughter of Alexander and Sarah Harkness - a pioneering family from Kangaroo Ground in Eltham, Victoria (reference; reference). Thomas had joined the Western Australian Police Force and married Elizabeth in 1895 in Perth. He was stationed at Southern Cross when Evelyn was born. When Thomas transferred to Greenough in 1898, Evelyn must have stayed in Perth because she initially studied music with Miss Palmer at the Brisbane Academy in Perth (reference; reference).
In 1901, Mr Lucas was transferred to Williams, and not long after, he purchased land at Williams and left the police force to become a farmer (reference; reference). Evelyn wrote about her farm life in several letters to the Western Mail's children's columnist, Aunt Mary. The first was published on 5 January 1907: "Dear Aunt Mary. I have a wish to write. I am nine years old, and the only child. I have a pony, and I can ride. I have two pet lambs. We have four dogs and three cats, and one canary. Will you please send me a collecting card? Your loving niece, EVELYN LUCAS" (reference).
This was followed by one on 16 February 1907: "Dear Aunt Mary, I hope you received my stamps safely. We have ten horses and twenty-five cattle, and about six hundred sheep. I drive five miles to school; it is a half-time school. We have one pig. We have a big stable and cowshed. We have a lot of watermelons ripe now. We live fourteen miles from the Williams township. Monday was my birthday and I was ten years old. I have an old magpie and he can talk. From your loving niece EVELYN LUCAS" (reference).
Then three years later, in March 1910: "Dear Aunt Mary, I wish to become a link of the Silver Chain, so am sending my subscription, one shilling. We are having hot weather now the bush fires have started. I have two ponies, and a nice foal, which I am very fond of; also a pet lamb, three canaries, and a dog, four kittens, and two cats. I have no brothers or sisters. Enid Wallace goes to my school; she is one of your nieces. May I enter for the competition this month. This is all the news this time. Love to all. Yours sincerely EVELYN LUCAS. P.S. I am thirteen years old (reference).
August 1910: "Dear Aunt Mary,-You will think me very lazy, as I have only collected two shillings. After I collected this I put my card away and I can't find it anywhere now. If you could be so kind as to send me another, I will collect again, and add the two shillings on to the new card. This rain is dreadful, isn't it? If it rains much more I will have to get a boat. I have a little flower garden; the stocks are all out now, and I have nine different kinds, and they smell so sweet. I have four little pet Iambs, and they are such darlings. We had twelve fowls laying, but this cold weather has made six of them stop. Tho crops are not very much this year, as the rain has stopped them from growing. If we get a little warm weather they will come on, but it is so cold down here. I suppose there has been a lot in Perth. We get the "Western Mail" every week, and I enjoy reading it. I haven't sent those books yet that I promised to send, as I have not been in to the post office yet; the roads are so boggy, and I am frightened of going down in the bog. It is horrible going to school in the wet. I don't like getting wet, but it's all right in spring. I like watching the ducks swim and dive on the water, they are so pretty. This is all the news this time. Wishing the Silver Chain every success, and love to all from your loving niece, EVELYN LUCAS" (reference).
And the final letter published on the 10 December 1910: "Dear Aunt Mary, It is a long time since I last wrote to you, so I thought I would write to you today. I am going up to the Christmas Tree at Arthur River. Enid Wallace and some of her friends are getting it up. I think she is going to have it on 14 December. We have a few nice flowers out now in our garden. Our orchard is looking nice now. We have some cherries ripe. They are so nice early in the morning. We have just about finished shearing. The Iambs are very hard to put in the pens because they are so wild. I am coming down to Perth at Christmas, so I will call and see you. This is all, hoping the sick children are better. With lots of love from your loving niece, EVELYN LUCAS" (reference).
In Williams, Evelyn first studied music with Mrs Correll of Arthur River before changing to the Convent of The Sacred Heart at Wagin (reference; reference). At the convent, she flourished. When she was 18 years old, she attained her Associate of Trinity College (A.T.C. L.) diploma in 1914, becoming the first person in the Williams-Narrogin District to accomplish this (reference).
As well as being an accomplished musician, Evelyn was popular at the convent and, in 1915, on the recommendation of her fellow students, was awarded a gold medal for good conduct and amiability (reference).
In 1916, after finishing school, Evelyn suffered from a severe illness and was hospitalised for some time (reference). The following year, Mr Lucas retired from farming, and they moved to Bunbury (reference).
Conservatorium of Music
Shortly after the family moved to Bunbury, Evelyn went to Victoria to study music at The Conservatorium of Music in Melbourne under the direction of Dame Nellie Melba. She completed the three-year course in two years and graduated in 1920 (reference). While in Victoria, she connected with her mother's side of the family and played a piano solo for an occasion at the Kangaroo Ground hall (reference).
Bunbury
Entertainer
Throughout her time in Bunbury, Evelyn contributed to the town's entertainment in many ways by organising and supporting well-known artists to perform in Bunbury and providing opportunities for the young talent of Bunbury and performing herself for many charitable events.
As a young girl in Williams, Evelyn entertained at fundraising events. While on vacation from her studies at the Conservatorium in December 1919, she sang at the large outdoor reception on the Esplanade for General Birdwood, who visited Perth on his Australian tour after the Great War (reference; reference; reference).
During the same vacation, on 6 February 1920, Evelyn gave a recital in the Bedford Hall in Bunbury, which was very well reviewed (reference). Although she was a classical singer, Evelyn was also apparently a good whistler and included a whistling solo in the concert. Her whistling became a signature act of hers at most of her performances.
The following year, after completing her diploma, on 24 February 1921, Evelyn organised a concert at the Lyric Theatre with another local music teacher, Miss Myrtle Knight. They included several Perth artists and the young local musicians, Eilleen Rooney and her three younger brothers, who played the violin for this concert. One of the younger brothers, Sydney Rooney, was later awarded a scholarship to study music at the Melbourne Conservatorium when he was just 14 years old (reference). In July of the same year, Evelyn and Myrtle were accompanists at the reception for the then-new Labor Representative, Mr Alex Cameron (reference).
Evelyn also supported some well-known musicians who gave concerts at Bunbury. In February 1922, Evelyn and Mr Harry Trenoweth were support performers at a recital given by 19-year-old prize-winning pianist and violinist, Edward Black who was studying at the Adelaide Conservatory. (reference). Mr Black went on to win several prizes for his compositions and, as president of the W. A. Music Teachers Association from 1945 to 1971, inaugurated country music festivals around the state. Later, in the 1950s and 60s, Mr Black was well known to music students everywhere in the state as an examiner who regularly travelled to country centres for the Australian Music Education Board (A.M.E.B.) (reference). Later that year, Miss Lucas supported a recital for Ernie Duffield, who had just returned from South Africa (reference). Ernie was a world-famous jockey as well as a musician.
Evelyn was also the pianist for the first Bunbury Orchestral Society in 1924 and although not a Catholic, she sang at the occasional Mass and at the St Patrick Day concert (reference, reference; reference).
In 1923, she was a vocalist at the farewell concert for violinist Albert Lynch who was going to Belgium to study under Emile Marchot at the Conservatoire Royal de Musique de Bruxelles (reference; reference). Albert later became a Catholic priest and composed church music, including some of the masses for the 1970 visit of Pope Paul VI to Australia (reference).
Over the years, Evelyn performed many times for different fundraising efforts. Some of these included raising funds for a new hospital bed at Balingup, the Bunbury Ambulance Association, Parkfield School prizes and library, Narrogin Lazy Men competitors as well as benefit concerts for people in need (reference; reference; reference; reference; reference). She was also a member of "The Optimists" a music costume comedy club formed to raise funds for the children's hospital (reference).
Music Teacher
In 1921, Evelyn began teaching music at her parent's home in Austral Parade, Bunbury (reference). In the same year, she was appointed secretary of the Bunbury branch of the London College of Music (reference).
In 1922 and 1923, Evelyn offered a scholarship for free tuition for one year in singing. In 1922, there were a surprisingly large number of applicants from several districts and Mrs Rigg, who had only recently arrived in Bunbury, won the scholarship (reference). The following year, it was one by Miss Lima Gibbs (reference).
Evelyn moved her studio to 145 Stirling Street and taught music from there until at least 1952 (reference; reference)
Later Life
In later years, Evelyn was involved with the horticultural society and won prizes for her flowers and garden (reference; reference). Evelyn remained close to her mother's family and often had cousins visit. One cousin was Flora, the wife of Sir Ewan Paul Cameron, a federal member of parliament from 1948 to 1953 (reference).
Evelyn was 61 years old when she died in Bunbury in 1958 (reference).
Researched by Gaye Englund for the Museum of Perth