Newspaper Article 1986 – It felt like an OBE for Janet

It felt like an OBE for Janet

“It felt like an OBE,” is how retired singer Janet Poppelwell described her feelings when she was elected patron of the Hastings Choral Society last month.

The society asked Mrs Poppelwell to be patron as an acknowledgement of the singing she has done in Hastings.

“She did a lot of war-time concerts with her husband (Harry) and sung for many years in various church choirs,” said the society’s president, Peter Price.

Mrs Poppelwell has been singing since she was a bonnie lassie in her birthplace of Scotland.

“I remember singing my first solo when I was 14…. I’ve never been so nervous in my life,” said Mrs Poppelwell.

She left Scotland with her family when she was 15 years old and arrived in Auckland aged 16. There she joined St David’s Presbyterian choir where she performed many solos.

After 11 years in Auckland she married Harry and moved to Hastings. Almost a year after they married they built a house in Charles Street, Hastings, where they are living today – 52 years later.

Though Mrs Poppelwell has not been involved with the Hastings Society or many music groups in Hastings, the honour of patron was bestowed on her in recognition of her musical efforts elsewhere.

“There’s not many singing groups around. I’ve belonged to many in the past but Hastings isn’t a very musical town. If I belonged to a group it would have been a church choir,” she said.

Mrs Poppelwell performed for the last time two years ago.

“I can’t recall where it was but I remember it was a solo. It wasn’t as if I’d planned it as my last performance, I just decided to give up afterwards.

“As you get older you lose the enthusiasm of practice… it was the saddest thing in my life giving up singing,” she said.

Mrs Poppelwell said she received a lot of help in her career from two women. Mrs Betty McClutcheon – who’s dead now – gave me great help. Losing her was hard on me, it was a terrific loss. Another woman, Mrs Mary Bell, also helped me. She never turned me down as an accompanist.

“It was a great joy to sing, I loved it and I wish I could do it now,” said Mrs Poppelwell.

Photo caption – Janet Poppelwell…“giving up singing was the saddest thing in my life.”