Noeleen Batley

Australian Noeleen Batley was born on Christmas Day 1944 and made her show business debut singing on a Sydney radio station when she was five-years-old. She was so short she had to stand on a box to reach the microphone . . .

She continued to sing through her school days – on local radio shows such as 2UE’s Youth Parade, 2UW’s Amateur Hour and the ABC’s Rockville Junction – before making a serious attempt at a showbiz career.

She sat down and wrote letters to the three Sydney television stations asking for an audition. She got them, and a spot on a TV show.

A record company executive saw her and signed her up to a recording contract with local label, Festival records. She made one record, Starry Eyed, which went nowhere.

A few months later, against her better judgement, she made Barefoot Boy. It made her the first local girl ever to reach the Top 10 in the local hit parade.

With its success, Batley became the first Australian female pop singer to have a national hit song and began to appear on TV shows such as Bandstand and Six O’Clock Rock.

She continued to record for Festival until 1969 when she went on a tour of Europe and England. She eventually settled in England, in 1970, and continued to perform there.

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