She’s a talented bird, our Hilda

Hilda Bird has packed up her headphones after 22 years in broadcasting – but she might not have given up the microphone just yet.

At the age of 90, Hilda is now considering a new career in public speaking.

Hilda’s Tea and Talk program had been a weekly feature on Central Coast community station Radio Five-0-Plus, but she retired a few months ago after deciding that dealing with technology in a modern radio studio was becoming a bit much.

“If I made a little mistake my listeners would forgive me, but everything’s computerised now. You have to react quickly and I’m not as quick as I used to be.”

Born in Portsmouth, England, Hilda was involved in sport, particularly hockey and tennis, and took a keen interest in amateur theatre from a very early age.

“It started when I was just five years old and was cast as the Christmas pudding in the school’s Christmas play because I was the fattest girl in the class!

“I was not at all pleased at first, but when I heard the laughter coming from the audience I was hooked. I enjoyed the laughs.”

Working as a lay magistrate and being involved in several volunteer roles, Hilda went on to perform with a number of amateur theatrical groups, developing a particular love for musical theatre.

“I loved music but couldn’t really sing, so I was given roles in which I had to perform pieces such as the old music hall song Burlington Bertie, which is half recitation.”

Living in South Africa for five years, Hilda again worked as a volunteer, teaching English and making recordings for the sight-impaired.

After retiring to Australia with her husband in 1986, Hilda worked as a marriage celebrant, took painting classes to help patients at a mental health clinic and ran a course on Music Hall for U3A.

She also resumed her interest in theatre, but found it was very different to her experiences in the UK.

Settling on the Central Coast, she joined Woy Woy Little Theatre and discovered members there were expected to do “a bit of everything – not just perform. It was hard work.”

She is still a member of that group, although her last performance was about 12 months ago.

“That made me realise you can’t have senior moments on stage and wait too long for a cue.”

In fact, it was her theatre work that led to her long stint on radio.

At the time Hilda was producing the David Williamson play Travelling North and was invited to talk about it on a local station.

“It was the start – they roped me in. But I soon learned the ropes of radio.”

Hilda’s involvement with community radio would span 22 years.

After her retirement the great-grandmother was recently invited to be a guest on a program on a commercial station, talking about music and stories of 100 years ago.

Could this become a regular event?

“I don’t think so – that program starts at 5am and I’m not even alive then!” Hilda is recovering from a heart attack, but is thinking about a new venture, this time in public speaking.

“I am going to use my old scripts to get myself ready for public speaking – perhaps with illustrations from music on my laptop.

“I’m waiting for my get up and go to get going again.”

There’s one stipulation: “I don’t want to have to advertise that I’m available – I want someone to ask me.”

No doubt there will be plenty of invitations and then it will be all get up and go for Hilda – again.