The singing sweetheart

In the middle of the century past, through the 1950s and 1960s, Southland’s singing sweetheart Shirley Manaut (nee Troon) was a hit on the stage of the Invercargill Operatic Society, now Invercargill Musical Theatre.

Former society president Jim Fenton and Repertory Invercargill patron Jonathan Tucker are but two of a number of Southland theatre buffs who recalled Shirley and were saddened at news of her passing in the United States last month.

The death notice was placed in TheSouthland Times by Shirley’s Invercargill cousin, Ted Hill of Bowmont St.

Mr Hill and his late wife Evelyn had kept in touch with Shirley - Christmas cards, his daughters’ birthdays and the like during the years and, after the passing of her American husband John Manaut, Shirley did visit them in Invercargill.

But learning so recently of her death back on July 3 was unsettling, he said.

The news came from Dee, a real estate agent who was her friend and a neighbour in the community where they lived with apologies for the delay but she had trouble locating Ted.

Shirley had non-Hodgkins lymphoma and recently suffered a severe bout of shingles.

She was only weeks away from her 90th birthday.

The Invercargill Musical Theatre archives have many early operatic posters and programmes of shows like Oklahoma in which Shirley starred.

She starred in the first Operatic Society show Zip goes a Million in 1953, followed by Magyar Melody and Wild Violets, and then shows throughout the decade to South Pacific in 1962.

In 1966, Shirley was the assistant producer for Brigadoon and, in 1967, for the third time, she was both assistant producer/ chorus mistress for her final show here, The Pajama Game.

The only child of theatre manager Vernard Clifford – Vic – Troon and his wife Zita, Shirley was an early star but an engaging and modest one.

Her dad, Vic (everyone called him Vic, including Shirley) was the manager of the Regent Theatre in Dee St, an imposing figure in a black bow-tied dinner suit welcoming patrons to the films on show.

Shirley was bright, dux of South School for two consecutive years, then a good student at Southland Girls’ High School.

She loved children and did kindergarten work until taking over office management at Motor Specs at the Dee St end of Yarrow St.

Working there, she met John Manaut who was with the American company Bechtel, engaged in the Manapouri power project.

They married in the mid 1960s, and moved to Lewis St where they entertained and enjoyed racing their trotter Cherokee Bravo in training with Jack Thompson.

Vic Troon, a widower, died on Christmas Day in 1969 and, after his passing, his daughter joined her husband at his next Bechtel posting which may have been in Japan.

Eventually, they returned to the United States and, on Manaut’s retirement, settled in California where at Walnut Creek, a pleasant retirement community, Shirley too passed away.

There was always a special something about Shirley Troon.

People remember her singing in concerts with radio host John O’Connor at the Civic Theatre.

She drew people to her, unconsciously but like Marilyn Monroe; some Southland hearts were reportedly broken when she gave her heart to an American, albeit one who was popular with Southlanders too.