June Mary Bronhill (26 June 192924 January 2005), also known as June Gough, was an Australian coloratura soprano opera singer, performer and actress, She was well known for light opera, operetta and musical theatre in London West End theatres and Australia as well as on the opera stage. Biography Born as June Mary Gough in Broken Hill, New South Wales, in 1929, the daughter of George Francis Gough (1892-1963), born in Essex, England, and Mary Isobel Daisy Gough (1895-1964), née Hall, She married twice, first to Brian Martin at Marrickville, New South Wales, on 10 August 1951; and second, to Richard Milburne Champion de Crespigny Finny (1925-2003), in Sydney, on 17 January 1963. Both marriages ended in divorce. She had a daughter, Carolyn Jane Finny, in May 1963 by her second marriage. Stage name Like other noted Australian sopranos, such as Elsie Mary Fischer (1881-1945) ("Elsa Stralia"), Vera Honor Hempseed (1890-1952) ("Madame Vera Tasma", after Tasmania), Helen Porter Mitchell (1861-1931) ("Nellie Melba", after Melbourne), Dorothy Mabel Thomas (1896-1978) ("Dorothy Canberra"), Florence Ellen Towl (1870-1952) ("Madame Ballara", after Ballarat), and Florence Mary Wilson (1892-1968) ("Florence Austral"), June Mary Gough adopted the stage name ""June Bronhill" (after Broken Hill), which was her way of thanking her home town for its support in raising money to send her overseas for professional training as a singer. Her European vocal teacher misheard "Broken Hill" as "Bro-n-hill". Career She won third prize in the Sun Aria, now known as the Sydney Eisteddfod McDonald's Operatic Aria, in 1949 and first prize in 1950. She used her prize money to fund a trip to London to further her studies. Bronhill trained in London and gained early exposure with the English National Opera (Sadler's Wells Opera) company in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. She also sang leading roles in Die Fledermaus, The Gypsy Baron, Menotti's The Telephone, Flotow's Martha and Hansel and Gretel. Her roles in Offenbach's operas, with the Sadler's Wells company, included Eurydice in Orpheus in the Underworld and Gabrielle in La Vie parisienne. In 1961 and 1962, she appeared as Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music on the Australian stage. In 1964 she appeared as Elizabeth in the musical Robert and Elizabeth at the Lyric Theatre, London alongside Keith Michell as Robert Browning, a show she took to Australia in 1966. She also appeared in England in tours of two Ivor Novello musicals, Glamorous