‘How lucky was I to work backstage at the Sydney Opera House’

In the late-1970s, I worked at the Sydney Opera House. It was a wonderful experience.

I had just landed in Sydney after living in Western Samoa and New Zealand for several years. As I perused the situations vacant ads, my eye was drawn to an ad for people to fill positions in the Green Room of the Opera House. This sounded like a great job. I had all the qualifications needed so applied right away.

The Green Room, for those who do not know, is the restaurant, sitting room for all the performers, stage hands and ushers.

I was called in for an interview and subsequently got the job of 2IC and weekend relief cook. During the weekdays I worked as a supervisor. I had a team of 10 girls, one male dishwasher and a male cook. I worked from 3pm until 11pm weekdays and then did 6am to 3pm weekends.

The Green Room was hectic. Performers only had about 20 minutes to have their lunch or dinner.

This was not a problem for the ballet dancers as they only ate a leaf of lettuce and half a glass of water. I really do not know how they managed to keep their energy, but they somehow did. The orchestra and opera singers had better appetites with the stagehands eating non stop all day and night.

If both the Halls and the Theatre were operating that meant two orchestras and lots of performers. Sometimes up to 1,800 hungry people all wanting something to eat, and wanting it quickly. After all, they only had 20 minutes. Those times were a blur, but we always managed to get through.

We always knew in advance how many to expect so the food, cafeteria style, was ready and waiting for the rush.

Some of the perks of working at the Opera House were getting to see all the operas, ballets and dramas for free. I also made friends with some of the members of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and used to be allowed to sit in the pits with them during practice times. Being a lover of all the arts, this was indeed a special treat for me.

The many performers that I met, and fed, were fantastic people. Of course there were a couple of very well known ones who were quite nasty, but that happens anywhere.

One Sunday morning, Prince Charles graced us with his presence. As staff, we were not permitted to say anything, we just had to stand and look interested in what he was saying.

New Year’s Eve was another great time. I always worked on NYE and at midnight, one of the security guys who had become a good friend, would take me up into the top of the sails to watch the fireworks. This was the best vantage point ever.

I often think back on my time in Sydney and realise how lucky I was to have had the experiences I had.

Do you have a story to share with Starts at 60? We want to publish it. Sign up as a contributor and submit your stories to Starts at 60. Stories written by over-60s go into the draw for some great weekly prizes. You can also join the Starts at 60 Bloggers Club on Facebook to talk to other writers in the Starts at 60 community and learn more about how to write for Starts at 60.