September 22 - 28, 2013: Issue 129

 Denise Drysdale – Ladies Luncheon‏ at Royal Motor Yacht Club

Karen Baldwin and Denise drysdale on Wednesday, drawing the raffle winners. 

 Denise Drysdale – September 2013 Ladies Luncheon‏ at Royal Motor Yacht Club

One of Australia’s favourite ladies is Denise Drysdale, a lady who has been in the entertainment industry for decades. On Wednesday 18th of September ‘Ding Dong’ as she is affectionately known, had the ladies who attended the Royal Motor Yacht Club’s September luncheon in stitches with lots of jokes, some of the best jokes heard in quite a while according to those who attended.

The Gold Logie winning songstress, actress and comedian also spoke about the history of television, where she grew up, her travels to London and her September 1967 tour of Vietnam with Patti Newman, as requested by those serving due to a bikini photo that featured in ‘Everbody’s’ magazine.

Impersonations of when she was on Hey Hey Its Saturday, explaining how the nickname of ‘Ding Dong’ originated with Ernie Sigley (who had a secretary named Denise Bell when working in radio, also nicknamed ‘ding-dong’ due to the ‘bell’ surname – a name Denise also went by when working in television with Mr Sigley) left all laughing.

As with every Ladies Luncheon at the Royal Motor Yacht Club, investing back into Australia is always practiced and $2,000 was raised in raffles on Wednesday. This will go to Denise’s Charity, The Heart Foundation. Denise herself sold the tickets on Wednesday.
 
The Ladies Luncheons at the Royal Motor Yacht Club-Broken Bay always feature amazing speakers who present a wide range of information, share hilarious insights and are raising funds for many worthwhile Australian foundations and charities. Coupled with some of the best food in Pittwater from the RMYC’s kitchen, a panoramic view of Pittwater from the Top Deck Dining Room, this is one very nice way to catch up with friends while doing a bit of good elsewhere.

The next Ladies Luncheon for 2013 is on Wednesday 20th of November 2013.

Royal Motor Yacht Club- Broken Bay
46 Prince Alfred Parade  Newport NSW 2106
Ph: (02) 9997 5511
Website:
http://www.royalmotor.com.au/

A happy raffle winner

 Karen Baldwin, General Manager of RMYC, Denise Drysdale, Kerrie Otto De Grancy and Sarah Hytner.

 Report and Pictures from Sally Bacon, RMYC, 2013.

Denise Anne Christina Drysdale, (born 5 December 1948) is one of our most celebrated iconic Australians, a two time Australian Gold Logie award winning television personality, comedian, Australian Day Citizen of the year 2008, mother of two, lover of Australia's country side and a humble woman with a heart of gold.

Her career as a performer started at well before age 6, Denise was destined for the stage and has had an incredibly colourful life on T.V and in the arts. Denise's zest for life and love for supporting worthy causes shines through her exceptional life biography.

Drysdale's popularity led to an invitation to perform for the troops in Vietnam for three weeks in late 1967, along with Patti Newton, the Strangers, and Doug Owen.  In 1969, she went to the Far East to entertain American troops.

In 1974, she became Ernie Sigley's barrel girl on The Ernie Sigley Show. It was here she gained the nickname Ding Dong. In 1975, Drysdale won the TV Week Gold Logie for the Most Popular Female Personality on Australian TV. She won her second Gold Logie the following year. In the same period, she also won consecutive Silver Logies.

Over the years, Drysdale has appeared regularly on numerous television shows including: The Norman Gunston Show, Celebrity Squares, Young Talent Time, Countdown, Division 4,Homicide and Bellbird. Drysdale has also worked in regional television in Victoria including guest appearances on BTV-6 Ballarat and hosting a morning magazine show on GLV-8 in the 1980s. As an actress, she has appeared in the movies, The Last of the Knucklemen, Snap Shot and Blowing Hot and Cold.

On stage, she has appeared in many plays and musicals including: Salad Days, Grease, The Barry Crocker Show, Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Hello, Dolly! in 1994. She also spent two years in Sydney doing Weekend Magazine and Beauty and the Beast.

In 1989, Drysdale again teamed up with Ernie Sigley to host In Melbourne Today, and in 1991 began a Sydney version of the show In Sydney Today. The two programs later merged to a single program: Ernie And Denise. Also in 1989 Denise was asked to fill in on Hey Hey it's Saturday due to Jacki McDonald leaving. She stayed with the show for over a year and returned in host an episode of Hey Hey it's Saturday in Daryl's absence.

In 1998, Drysdale joined the Seven Network to present her own show for the first time, simply called Denise.

In 2005, Channel 9 chose Denise as one of the most 50 important people on television for the last 50 years.  In 2008, Drysdale released an album entitled What A Wonderful World. The album contains a remake of the single Hey Paula. Originally a duet with Ernie Sigley, the new version features Mark Trevorrow. On 7 October 2009 she made an appearance in the second of the Hey Hey It's Saturday reunion specials.

In 2010, Drysdale joined Network Ten's new morning show The Circle alongside Yumi Stynes, Chrissie Swan and Gorgi Coghlan as host. She remained on the show for two seasons, leaving at the end of the 2011 season.
Drysdale regularly performs around Australia on the club circuit, often with her television partner, Ernie Sigley. Drysdale also does regular guest talks around the country.

See more at: http://www.celebrityspeakers.com.au/denise-drysdale/