125 stories for 125 years

Helen Noonan

Helen enrolled in the Bachelor of Pharmacy course at the college to please her parents, graduating in 1969 before working in pharmacy and pursuing a performing arts career. Her first job was with Ross Hutchins in Camberwell, where she continued part time for 10 years.

"I love now what I loved then, the contact with people and the ability to make a difference," said Helen. "Pharmacy and singing have something in common – they both require an eye for detail and an appreciation of the importance of precision."

Starting out as a folk singer, Helen soon discovered a talent for opera. She has performed in just about every area of the performing arts, including music theatre, straight plays, TV dramas and soaps. She completed a Bachelor of Arts at Monash in 1984 and also trained at the National Theatre Drama School.

An accomplished singer and actor, Helen has created her own work and collaborated with many composers in Australia and overseas. She sang for the troops in Vietnam during the war, travelling with the ABC Show Band. She was married in the 1970s and spent three years living on the Riviera near Genoa.

Helen's performing career has seen her work with Seduction Opera, the Victoria State Opera, Opera Australia and the Playbox Theatre. She has performed the role of Carlotta the diva in Phantom of the Opera over 1400 times and has appeared in a production of Sweeney Todd for the Melbourne Theatre Company. Her portrayal of Diva in Recital with the Chamber Made Opera has won her international acclaim, touring extensively around the world, and a tour of the USA is planned for January 2007. She has also recorded two CDs – Woman's Song and A Classic Case of Love.

In 2003, Helen was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to travel to London, Italy and the USA, and in 2004 she received an Australia Council Project Fellowship Grant to present Shakespeare Sung, a work that sets four Shakespeare scenes to music.

Helen retrained in pharmacy in 2004 and was re-registered in 2005. She is currently doing locum work.

"The new drugs that are available, as well as the current emphasis on counselling, have made my journey back to pharmacy really exciting," Helen added. "Developments in computer software for dispensing is a spectacular change and very welcome."