“A REAL COCKNEY”

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20911, 16 September 1939, Page 15 (Supplement)

“A REAL COCKNEY”

MRS PETER DAWSON FORMERLY WELL-KNOWN SINGER Mrs Peter Dawson, who laughingly describes herself as "a real Cockney." is visiting Australia with her husband, the well-known Australian bass-bari-tone, states the Sydney Morning Herald. They were married in London years ago, and since then Mrs Dawson has been three times lo Australia with him —in 1918, JP.'li and 19.13. She was a singer herself (Annette George), a soprano, anil operatic arias were her favourite musical media. Now, looking after Peter, gardening, cooking and breeding wire-haired rnx terriers occupy ail her time. She only sings "for her pals." Site was asked if she ever acted as her husband's accompanist. "He Would Curse Me” "I knew from the glint in your eve that that was going to be the next question,” she said firmly. “Well, 1 wouldn't accompany him for £IOOO, because if anything went wrong lie could curse me, whereas if a stranger does the job, he can't!" Mrs Dawson is proud of her husband's gift for composition, which he

started to develop about seven years ago. Already about 16 of his songs have been published, and some of them will he included in his repertoire for the present tour. She also related tiiat he carries a shanghai (catapult) about with him, and takes pot-shots at seagulls from the cabin porthole aboard ship. American squirrels about the Dawson home in Edgeware, Middlesex, England, are the chief target of the shanghai, since, as Mr Dawson explained, they are killing off the English squirrels, and are looked upon as "vermin.” Lumps of sugar are the marksman’s usual “bullets." Gives Friends a Puppy Mrs Dawson's friends are lucky, because when she wants to give them a present, she gives them a thoroughbred fox terrier puppy. “I do this so that I can see the puppies again. I never sell them and I never enter them in shows,” she said. “We have two dogs at present—a boy and a girl, Toby and Tess. Peter puts a pipe in Toby's mouth and Toby trots about the house with it. But we never teach the dogs tricks."