The name of Milner stands out as a mile stone in Australian history of events. First in Ceramic's and second in Country Music.
William Milner's daughter Diana was at one time billed as Australia's only Yodelling Cowgirl and almost became the first female to record in the old days of Hill Billy Music.
William Milner originally came from Alcace Lorraine in France to settle in Australia. He was a talented modeller in clay and a Ceramic chemist.
Just after World War I, a time of great patriotism, William decided to make a couple of items as a gift to the Prince of Wales who was to visit Australia. The two pieces of art were to be porcelain statuettes of members of the Australian Light Horse, one showing a Light Horseman as a Victor excepting flowers from a beautiful girl, and the other showing two Horsemen with rifles at the ready and labeled "ANZAC". A letter from the Prince of Wales to William is dated 16th June, 1920. It was from the Secretary of the Prince of Wales, the Renown at Sea. The Renown was the ship that the Prince traveled out on, the letter stated that the Prince was very pleased to see such praiseworthy Australian Art.
In 1923 William modeled and fired a white Porcelain article made from Queensland Koalin. This was also a test for the Government as to the potential of Queensland clays. The article was made and presented to the Hon. Mrs. Theodore, the wife of the then Premier. By this time William's son Bill had married and had a daughter "Freda", another daughter "Diana" arrived on the 8th December, 1924. She was born in Melbourne.
Bill was so impressed with the Queensland clay that he decided to move to Queensland and set up business. Bill and his family moved to Alderley and settled at Pickering Street. Here he established what was termed the "The Daily Mail" newspaper on the 22nd February, 1929, as a new industry, not only for Queensland but for Australia. Under the hands of this highly trained expert, a high class quality product equal to any manufactured in Britain or Europe was produced. During the depression years Bill got into financial trouble due to the outlay of establishing the factory, and the down turn of the countries economy that followed. He was forced to sell and reestablished at Redbank in 1933.
Diana at the close of school term in 1935 finished school at the age of 11. Her older sister Freda had by this time become an excellent horse woman. This may have had some impression on Diana as she wanted to become a Boundary Rider. At the age of 13 she caught a train to Bribane and went around to Barnes Auto where she managed to get a lift to Chinchilla with the idea of going to Charleville to procure a boundary riding job on some station. After arriving at Chinchilla she then walked to Miles, where the Police picked her up. The Police Department in Brisbane had notified all stations of her intention and to look out for her and send her back. The Constable held her and put her on the next train back east and to be met by her father who had been notified of what was taking place.
By the time Diana was 13, Freda was well known as being capable of handling a rough horse. Diana now back home and at this time there was a champion Whip Cracker by the name of Ken Huntley who also had a Wild West Show. Ken Huntley had learned the game by riding with the Skuthorpes, and he asked Freda and Diana if they would like to travel with the show. By this time Diana had become very good as a singer and yodeller. The arrangement offered was that Freda was to ride and Diana was to sing. The girls accepted. Freda was to be a rough rider, while Diana had to ride around on a Black and White horse singing and yodelling. Part of this act was to ride the horse up onto a stage. Ken of course had no doubt that he would also turn Diana into a rough rider. This never happened. Even though she did ride a few rough horses, Diana admits she simply stayed on because she was determined she was not going to land in the Burr's. Ken at last decided she was not cut out to be a rough rider and dreamed up another act which he called "The Floating Lady" In this Diana was lowered and raised by fine cables. This act did not last too long as the apparatus did not work well and used to jam and there were banging and yelling and finally every thing collapsed onto the ground including Diana. That was the end of "The Floating Lady" act.
At one stage while the show was heading south Ken left the girls in charge of the horses. Money and food was short and the girls noticed some good grass on a Chinese property. The girls asked if they could cut some grass with a reaping hook for the horses. The Chinese gardener agreed to this but as soon as his back was turned they cut some fresh vegetables and put them in the bags. Then put grass over the top to conceal them. That night both the girls and the horses ate well.
When the show reached Sydney they left the show and boarded at Marrickville. Ken ran his show around Sydney all through the war years showing six nights a week. Buddy Williams also sang with the Ken Huntley show in those early forties. Diana managed to get a job at a Milliner making hats at Newton for one pound a week ($2.00). Her board cost fifteen shillings. So that left her five shillings for herself. Freda stayed for a while and then left. Diana was now on her own.
It soon became known that Diana could sing and yodel. One of the girls put her in for a talent quest at the Marrickville Theater. Diana appeared and won easily, for which she received one guinea (one pound one shilling). Hoyt's owned the Theater and asked if she would sing at their other theaters, and was offered thirty shillings a night (one pound ten shillings). She immediately recognized this was more than she earned for a weeks work and if she could do this two or three times a week she would be living in luxury.
After seeing her performing the Stanley and Johnson Music Store, which was opposite 2UE, offered her any guitar in the shop, free of charge as well as any records or music in stock, if she would learn to sing and play the songs and go over to 2UE and sing live to air on their program. This she did and was billed as Australia's only yodelling Cowgirl. This to was where she met Smilin Billy Blinkhorn. Billy took her in hand and taught her more about the guitar and entertaining. Diana was now receiving fan mail from all over N.S.W. Where ever 2UE's air waves traveled, and travel they did. I remember myself out in the back blocks of Queensland after the war with our old valve wireless sets (dry battery), we could throw an aerial over a branch of a tree and pick up Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, etc. no trouble. Twiddle with the dial chasing the Hill Billy sessions, not like today's radio sets where if you are not sitting just outside the door you are out of range.
After hearing Diana on 2UE the Prince Edward Theatre offered her a six week run at their morning and afternoon sessions as well as the night session. It was now 1940 and she was now appearing on ABC radio as well as 2UE. The fan mail was pouring in. I noticed too, on the ABC program she was also appearing on their "Out of The Bag" program for which she was receiving a payment of two pounds two shillings per show. On the ABC she was not allowed to use her own instrument and had to sing to the backing bank of Jimmy Davidson.
By now she was working along side Dick Bently, Dick Cranburne, Jack Carpenter and Nat Hanley, and working Troop Concerts and the likes of the Bondi Spitfire Fund and was approached to record. She was still being billed as Australia'a only Yodelling Cowgirl. I have a couple of tracks of her on the Prestphone Label, but now she was asked to record commercially. The date is now set for test on the 17th March, 1941. Sister Dorrie four days earlier recorded a duo with Tex Morton. If this arrangement had carried through Diana would have been the first Australian Female to record solo for Hill Billy Music, this did not happen and it left the honour to go to Shirley Thoms on the 27th May, 1941, with the late and great June Holm next recording on the 28th January, 1942. As so often happens fate intervenes. Diana had been going out with a sailor in the navy, and overnight he looked like being shipped out. She postponed the recording session and married Doug Ayton. Doug was shipped out, not overseas but to Melbourne. The recording session never did take place. She completed her contracts in Sydney and went off to Melbourne to be near her husband.
In Melbourne she soon began entertaining and also got back into radio. Working a lot for Archie Croft "Radio Revels". Her husband, Douglas Charles Ayton, was shipped out to over seas duty. Word came in December, 1941 that Doug's brother who was also in the navy had gone down with the Sydney. Diana kept entertaining until she was 6 months into her pregnancy. Her son was born in April, 1942. After this she moved back to Sydney where she again did a little entertaining. Then moved back to her parents at Redbank, Queensland in 1944. Shortly after her father passed away. After the war ended Doug was discharged in 1946. After the war Ken and his wife toured Australia and New Zealand until Ken died of a heart attack in 1951. Doug and Diana bought a house at Lindum and she again did a little entertaining.
In 1949 Doug, Diana, and family moved to Sandgate. Her husband has since passed away. Diana is living with her youngest son, Danny. A few months ago Diana had a fall and was hospitalised and had a steel ball fitted into her hip and finds it a bit difficult to get about. Her eldest son, Doug, lives about 3 hours by car away from her. None of the family have taken up a musical career, but there is hope that the line will produce another Country Singer. Diana's first son, Doug, does have a daughter that does sing a good song. She has a good voice and is interested in Country Music and not interested in the popular loud music of today. Only time will tell.
Diana passed away on December 6th 2004, and was laid to rest with her husband in the Armed Forces Section of Pinnaroo Cemetery at Albany Creek on Brisbane's northside.
Diana was awarded a position on the "Rock Of Recognition" in Rockhampton Qld on the 17th May 2008, her son Doug was there to see her name unveiled on the Rock and was honored to be there on stage to receive the posthunous Award of Recognition in Country Music and the certificate in honor of his mother.
Ó July, 2009 by Ian Hands.
