Anona Winn

Anona Winn MBE (born Anona Edna Wilkins, 5 January 1904 – 2 February 1994) was an Australian-born actress, broadcaster and singer, who spent most of her career in the UK.

Career

Born in Sydney, she studied at the Redland College For Girls and briefly considered a legal career. She then studied piano and eventually opera at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and Melba Memorial Conservatorium of Music, which the latter was possible due to a scholarship from Dame Nellie Melba. Melba, who convinced her to change her name to Winn, also called her a "human flute" due to her massive range. She became disillusionined with the training, calling it the "strait-jacket of opera training", though she was thankful for Melba's guidance. She would join a touring company of The Merry Widow, but after finding it hard to be a successful singer, she would become a journalist. After playing parts varying from pantomime to Shakespeare in a repertory company, she moved to England. She played the leading part for 8 weeks in "Hit The Deck". Within a few years she had made more than 300 appearances in various radio shows including the BBC's Just a Minute. Winn was a regular in the BBC Radio version of Twenty Questions and Petticoat Line.