made her an ideal exponent of operetta heroines." Death Bronhill died on 24 January 2005, aged 75, in her sleep at a Sydney nursing home. Although she had beaten breast cancer in the 1980s, her later years were marred by deafness and social isolation, and she retired in 1993. Her home town, Broken Hill, honoured her by declaring a minute's silence during the 2005 Australia Day celebrations two days after her death. Mayor Ron Page noted, "She is very special to us; if you ask every householder in Broken Hill, they'll be able to say, yes, they are proud of June Bronhill." Then acting prime Minister, John Anderson noted, "The world is mourning the loss of someone who entertained millions, but it's good to see the local community here recognise one of their own in ... a very proud community celebrating the life of one of their daughters." Autobiography Bronhill's "frank and funny" autobiography, The Merry Bronhill, was published in 1987. EMI Australia produced a compilation album with the same title to publicise the book. Honours Bronhill was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year's Honours of 1976, and was later given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Australian Variety Club. References Sources Operation on Singer, The Canberra Times, (Wednesday, 7 August 1968), p.8. Aust. Singer Better, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Wednesday, 7 August 1968), p.3. O'Connor, Patrick (1992), 'Bronhill, June' in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) External links News report of her death, and photograph June Bronhill in AusStage June Bronhill obituary June Bronhill – Britannica Online Encyclopedia June Bronhill – Hall of Fame June Bronhill dies – Sydney Morning Herald June Bronhill – The Australian Women's Register Bronhill, June (singer) : programs and related material collected by the National Library of Australia 1929 births 2005 deaths Australian operatic sopranos Australian musical theatre actresses Australian television actresses Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Deaths from dementia in Australia Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Broken Hill, New South Wales 20th-century Australian women opera singers Australian people of English descent