Toni Lamond has taken her final bow. A legend of Australian Entertainment, she made her mark across many platforms; television, film, theatre, cabaret, recording, concert, author and of course, musical theatre.

She takes with her the personas she assumed across a vast career – leaving us with memories of Reno Sweeney, Nancy, Mrs Pearce, Fraulein Schneider, Dolly Gallagher Levi, Mama Rose, Pirate Ruth, Maggie Jones, Hattie Walker, Bea Miles, Babe Williams, Wildcat Jackson, Sally Durant, and a Wardrobe named Madame de le Grande Bouche …. to name but a few. 

Toni Lamond was a woman of firsts In a time when overseas stars were brought to Australia to lead local productions of Broadway musicals, Toni was first to be given the opportunity to lead an Australian cast, in The Pajama Game. With husband, Frank Sheldon, she was the opening night act on GTV9 as Australian television was finding its feet. She went on to be the first woman to host a tonight show, when filling in for the legendary Graham Kennedy. She’s a descendant of Richard Morgan, one of the First Fleeters, and she even consented to be my very first guest on the STAGES podcast.

Today we remember the great ‘Lamond’ and her legacy, by replaying the episode recorded with her in 2019. She had returned to the podcast to mark the 100th episode. It is bittersweet that she returns to mark our 600th episode; but I suspect she’d be chuffed by that, having been there for episode no:1.

We are joined by her son Tony Sheldon who shares memories to honour her legacy, and then we hand it over to the Legend herself, to tell it in her own words.

Vale Toni Lamond (29/3/32-29/11/25)

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