THREE singing and dancing women in their 60s are helping farmers in times of drought.
Yes, you read correctly.
Brisbane’s Joy Darmody, 66, Rana Jewell, 60, and Kristy Ulla, 62, are bringing their cabaret show, Hot Inspirations, to Toowoomba in September with 50 per cent of their gross ticket sales donated to the Buy A Bale fundraiser.
The agriculture industry is something close to the group’s hearts given that Rana grew up on a cane farm in Mackay and Joy on a property outside of Canberra.
Their two hour show is a “good old fashioned variety show” featuring music from the 40s to 70s and everything from singing, dancing, instrumentals and comedy.
The trio met in 2012 while competing in the Senior Superstars Competition in Brisbane and have been performing together since 2015.
If you thought being a fit performer aged 60 and over was easy, think again.
The women made “radical diet changes over the years” and between them ditch a range of foods and drinks including alcohol, preservatives, sugar and packet food.
They practice at least once a week, sometimes more, but maintain their fitness by walking, swimming, hula hooping, skipping, doing weights and yoga.
Rana only took up dancing in her late 40s and said there was no end date in sight.
“As long as we are alive and kicking and our joints allow us to, we will go on forever until we drop and you put us in a box,” she said.
Hot Inspirations was the brain child of Joy who came across the idea while watching television decades ago.
“When I was in Canberra on a farm bringing up the kids in the 1980s and watching midday television there was the Phil Donahue show and they had all these American women in their 60s and 70s strutting their stuff in showgirls outfits,” she said.
“I thought that’s what I want to do when I get older and before I knew it I was older.
“I hadn’t even met the girls yet but I started sewing (costumes) and I had it all planned in my head.
“If you’ve got it, flaunt it. That’s our motto.”
The Toowoomba fundraising show will take place on September 8 from 7pm at the South Toowoomba
Bowls Club (331 Hume Street).
Tickets $15 prepaid or $20 at the door and can be ordered online at Stickytickets
or call Rana on 0408 510 001.
Lucy Kinbacher
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
