Joan Sydney

Biography Early life Joan Sydney King was born in Kensington, Central London, England, on 5 September 1936, to Sam and Rose who met while working at hotels. The family relocated to Wales during the Second World War, first to Rhyl and then to Rhuddlan. She was educated at Abergele Grammar School, before receiving her drama training with the Oldham Repertory Theatre in Manchester .

After appearing on stage in her native England, Sydney featured in radio at the BBC and made her screen debut in the 1957 film version of English play When We Are Married. She emigrated to Australia in 1965 with her family as ten pound poms, first settling in Perth and later Sydney in 1974.

TV roles

Sydney was known for playing Margaret "Maggie" Sloan, the no-nonsense but compassionate matron of the fictional Wandin Valley Bush Nursing Hospital in the Seven Network rural series A Country Practice from 1983 to 1990 and over 400 episodes. She won the Silver Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actress for her performance in 1989.

Sydney was the second actress to play the matron of the fictional Wandin Valley Hospital after original actress Helen Scott. Her successor, Anne Brennen (played by Mary Regan), used the more modern title "Director of Nursing". After Brennen left, the title was changed back to Matron during the tenure of Rosemary Prior (Maureen Edwards).

In 1993, after 12 seasons on air, A Country Practice was abruptly cancelled, but rival network Ten picked it up soon afterwards. Production was relocated from Pitt Town, New South Wales, to Emerald, Victoria, and, after having spent time in England, Sydney reprised her role as matron, one of five actors including Joyce Jacobs and Andrew Blackman to return to the new ACP series.

In 2002, she joined the long-running serial Neighbours as Valda Sheergold, initially on a semi-regular recurring basis before becoming a permanent member of the cast for the 2007–2008 season.

In 1990, Sydney briefly joined the new soap opera E Street in the role of publican Mary Patchett. She also had guest roles in many other programs including the sitcom Mother and Son and the dramas All Saints, Something in the Air and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.

In 2013, she featured in the television film Cliffy, based on the life of Australian athlete Cliff Young.

Personal life and death Sydney married her husband, Gerald, in 1960. They had two children. The couple later separated. She had another son from an earlier relationship, Tony Braxton-Smith, who became CEO of the interstate rail company Journey Beyond, a division of Experience Australia Pty. Ltd. (known then under business name "Great Southern Rail"). She was the elder sister of actress Maggie King.

Sydney died aged 86, at her home in Sydney, Australia on 28 December 2022 after a long illness with Alzheimer's disease, having been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Type 1986 Departure Feature film 2005 Martie's Party Joan Short film 2008 Your Turn Joan Short film

Television Year Title Role Type 1957 When We Are Married Ruby Birtle TV film, UK 1978 The Scalp Merchant Annie Brice TV film 1981 Falcon Island Guest role: Mrs. Yates TV series, 1 episode 1983–1993; 1994 A Country Practice Regular role: Matron Margaret 'Maggie' Sloan TV series, 457 episodes 1985 Flight into Hell TV miniseries, 2 episodes 1985 One Summer Again TV miniseries 1986 Hector's Bunyip Maude Tremball TV film 1987 Have a Go Judge TV series, 5 episodes 1988 Sisterly Love Jean TV film 1989 1989 TV Week Logie Awards Herself TV special 1989 The Bert Newton Show Guest with Syd Heylen from 'A Country Practice' TV series, 1 episode 1989 Who's True Blue? Herself Short film 1990 In Melbourne Today Guest TV series, 1 episode 1991 Celebrity Wheel Of Fortune Contestant TV series, 1 episode 1991–1992 E Street Regular role: Mary Patchett TV series, 54 episodes 1992 The Morning Show Guest TV series, 1 episode 1992 Mother and Son Guest role: Merle MacDonald TV series, 1 episode 1992 Tracks of Glory Mrs. Walker TV miniseries, 2 episodes 1994 A Country Practice Regular role: Sister Maggie 'Sloan' Morrison TV series, 30 episodes 1994; 1996 Good Morning Australia Guest TV series, 1 episode 1995 Ernie and Denise Guest TV series, 1 episode 1996; 1998 Good Morning Australia Guest TV series, 1 episode 1996 Monday to Friday Guest TV series, 1 episode 1998 Good Morning Australia Guest (with sister Maggie King) TV series, 1 episode 2000 The Morning Shift Guest TV series, 1 episode 2000 Something in the Air Recurring role: Ruth Dooley TV series, 3 episodes 2001 All Saints Guest role: Mrs. Price TV series, 2 episodes 2002–2008 Neighbours Regular role: Valda Sheergold TV series, 117 episodes 2006 TV Turns 50: The Events That Stopped A Nation Guest (with A Country Practice cast: Lorrae Desmond, Brian Wenzel, Shane Porteous, Anne Tenney, Joyce Jacobs, Josephine Mitchell & Emily Nichol) TV Special 2007 Where Are They Now? Guest (with A Country Practice cast) TV series, 1 episode 2009 Thank God You're Here Contestant TV series, 1 episode 2012 Lowdown Guest role: Concierge TV series, 1 episode 2012 Conspiracy 365 Guest role: Mrs. Fitzgerald TV series, 1 episode 2013 Cliffy Mum TV film 2013 Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Guest role: Mother Aloysius TV series, 1 episode

Theatre Production Year Notes A Lilly in Little India 1968 Old Time Music Hole 1968 Paying the Piper 1972 Small Craft Warnings 1972 The Threepenny Opera 1973 Butley 1973 Note on a Love Affair 1973 Village Wooing 1973 The Typists 1973 After Magritte 1973 Old King Cole 1973 Antony and Cleopatra 1974 Equus 1975 Time and Time Again 1975 A Hard Time 1975 The School for Scandal 1975 Hello Dolly! 1975 Kennedy's Children 1975 The Slaughter of St Teresa's Day 1976 Savages 1976 The Magistrate 1976 Everyone's a General 1976 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 1976 Mixed Doubles 1976 The Edward of Edward the Second 1977 Going Bananas 1977 Cole 1977 Chinchilla 1978 The Seagull 1978 Waiting for Godot 1978 A Happy and Holly Occasion 1978 The Hostage 1978 No, No Nanette 1978 A Plum Job 1979 The Painting 1979 Bossom 1979 The Night of the Badger 1979 No W.A.Y 1979 The Way of the World 1979 Something's Aloof 1979 The Three Sisters 1979 Garden Party 1980 Roses in Due Season1980 Joseph Conrad Goes Ashore 1980 Piaf 1980 Backyard 1980 Oliver! 1980 Tomfoolery 1981 The Importance of Being Ernest 1981 Cowardy Custard 1981 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 1981 Court Napping 1981 The Fields of Heaven 1982 Steaming 1983 Hedda Gebbler 1983 Song from Sideshow Alley 1985 Nunsense Mrs. Klein 1990Prin 1992 I Hate Hamlet 1992 Barmaids 1993 My Fair Lady 1996 Secret Bridemaids Business 1999 Trelawny of the Wells 2000 Are You Being Served? 2001 Talking Heads (national tour) 2002 Deckchairs 2005 Dirty Dusters 2010 (reprise) Be Watching by Gary Files – preliminary readings 1. 2011

Awards and nominations Year Association Category Work Result 1988 AFI Awards Best Performance by an Actress in a Telefeature Sisterly Love 1989 Logie Awards Most Outstanding Actress A Country Practice 2014 Equity Ensemble Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Mini-series or Telemovie Cliffy