COURIER MAIL BRISBANE
February 3, 2011
IT was the most natural thing in the world for Roy Tingay to become an entertainer. His mother was a pianist and singer and his father a baritone who also played piano, banjo and ukulele and taught violin. The family’s modest St Kilda home was always alive with people singing along to the piano.
By the age of eight Roy was singing in the church choir and went on to be a lead boy soprano, earning one and sixpence each week, a small but handy sum as the Depression was in full swing.
It was the start of a career which encompassed radio, the theatre, vaudeville, TV presenting and even modelling. His career took him to dozens of towns and cities around Australia and saw him work with some of the country’s biggest showbiz names including Smokey Dawson, Michael Pate, Ray Barrett, Brian Henderson, Lucky Grills and George Wallace, to name just a few.
Although only 16 when World War II broke out, he put his age up and convinced his mum to sign the relevant papers. He was soon setting sail for war on the Queen Mary.
Six years later, after serving in Tobruk, North Africa, and New Guinea, he was discharged, only to stay on and entertain the remaining troops in Rabaul.
When he finally made it back home, Mr Tingay performed in musicals and dramas, including J.C. Williamson’s Theatre Royal and the touring tent show Barton’s Follies during the 1950s. It was still the pre-television era and the touring shows were a great drawcard. They took place in large tents with a “stage” consisting of two trucks backed together and kerosene lamps for lighting since many towns still had no electricity.
A high point was when Mr Tingay, who played the straight man to the comic, light baritone compere, landed the role of Lieutenant Buzz Adams in J.C. Williamson’s touring show of South Pacific (he even had a telegram sent to cast members by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein).
In between acting gigs, Mr Tingay started to develop a name in radio. In 1951 he became one of the first midnight-to-dawn announcers, working for Brisbane’s 4BC.
His radio career, including several managerial positions, was to encompass Melbourne’s 3AK, Sydney’s 2SM, the ABC and NBN Channel 3 in Alice Springs, among others.
The workload was hectic at times. While with Brisbane’s old Theatre Royal he would start rehearsals at 10am, learning six new songs a day before that evening’s show, before going on to his midnight-to-dawn shift at 4BC.
When Mr Tingay married the love of his life, Trish, radio became a family affair. The couple at one stage hosted a popular radio show in Coffs Harbour called Anything Goes which drew huge audiences. While living there they also helped host the 1970 Coffs Harbour royal tour surf carnival in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip.
Mr Tingay’s first “retirement” was in 1988. He spent it renovating an old Queenslander at Burnett Heads, outside Bundaberg. But after finishing it he moved to the Gold Coast, where he became involved in charity projects.
After 12 years on the Coast he returned to the Burnett, settling in Bundaberg where he took up golf, bowls and swimming and joined the local Air Sea Rescue group.
Roy Tingay passed away on October 8th 2010.
AUSTRALIAN RADIO HISTORY 