Summary

Souvenir programme from the 'Folies Bergere Revue', during its Tivoli circuit tour of Australia and New Zealand in the 1950s. This programme is from the performances at His Majesty's Theatre in Perth, Western Australia. The programme includes reference to the piece 'L'Enfer Des Femmes' with 'The Dove played by Bernice Kopple who had migrated from Scotland to Australia, in December 1950 onboard the ship New Australia'. The programme has a black and white photograph of Bernice and Ron Devine posing in character and costume.

Bernice Kopple was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1930 and migrated to Melbourne on board the ship New Australia in 1950. She was nineteen years old and travelled alone, her mother and three siblings following later. Bernice was crowned Miss New Australia during the voyage, and went on to be Miss Torquay at the Sun Beach girl contest in 1951. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s Bernice worked as a model, entertainer, showgirl, snake dancer and animal handler on entertainment circuits around Australia and New Zealand. She pursued her passion for animals as a keeper at the Melbourne Zoo, lecturing on wildlife in schools and on television and developing her snake act in theatres, clubs, tent shows and drive-in cinemas.

In the 1970s, Bernice moved from Melbourne to Adelaide and worked as a mature model for daywear, bikinis and lingerie. She toured Australia with her dog and caravan, cultivating her reputation as a modern, independent woman, mustering, cooking and jillarooing in the Northern Territory and becoming manager at the Cairns Oceanarium. During the 1980s and 1990s, Bernice continued with modelling work and animal care in Adelaide until 2002, and she died in 2011. Bernice was well known for her energy, beauty, and wit and also remained proud of her Scottish heritage.

Physical Description

16 page souvenir programme with red and white front cover featuring an illustration of a dancing girl. The inside pages features variety of black and white photographs of portraits and performance stills of the performers, advertisements and a performance programme. There is also a black and white photographed adhered to the left hand centre page.There is no date of publication.

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