COMMUNITIES in rural Australia during World War II had a true blue way of keeping spirits up – singing. Theatrical agent Joy Hruby was in the thick of it, growing up in the NSW central western town of Dubbo. Joy, now 81, and her three closest teenage friends sang together, helping to keep up morale. In 2003 Joy told their story in a book, The Dubbo Dazzlers – The Memoirs of Four Young Girls During the Second World War. The popular book, reprinted in 2006, is now being turned into a film script.
In 2007 Joy was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her contribution to the entertainment industry. As a theatrical agent she helped many young actors on the road to stardom.
Her long career also covers writing and producing for the Sydney Children’s Theatre, teaching speech and drama in schools and colleges, playing organ in the Aboriginal Church at La Perouse, adjudicating eisteddfods and running the Festival of Australian Poetry. Joy’s television program, Joy’s World, has been running on community television since 1989. It gives young people the chance to hone their skills before and behind the cameras. |
