In Australia, Noni Hazlehurst is a household name, initially developed through her role on the ABC’s iconic children’s show Play School, then as host of Channel Seven’s long-running lifestyle show Better Homes and Gardens. Hazlehurst’s longevity on the stage and screen has providedfamiliarity and as such, it’s easy to feel like we know her, but her new memoir DROPPING THE MASK gives us a peek behind the curtain to profile a strong woman whose resilience helped produce a remarkable career. There is much to be learned about Hazlehurst herself as well as offering insights into the realities of the entertainment industry and a reflection on how much the world has changed within her lifetime.
The memoir is told in a linear, straightforward manner, which matches Hazlehurst’s no-nonsense approach to telling her story. In the prologue she expresses gratitude for being lucky enough to live a simple life on the other side of the world where she can be herself before moving on to explicitly state her intentions for this memoir – not a tell-all, but rather to describe her ‘journey over the past seventy years as a female, an actor and as Australian, and to try and dispel some of the assumptions, judgements and generalisations so often prompted by those three words.’
And that’s exactly what you get with this memoir. She writes frankly about her life, offering a pragmatic explanation of her life and contextualising her upbringing and experiences within the changing social context in which they occurred. Her appreciation for the opportunities she has been afforded is always present, but that doesn’t stop her from recognising the challenges associated with being an artist.
As a fourth generation performer, Hazlehurst was under no illusions about the nature of the industry, and she uses the motif of the mask to show how her mother’s advice. ‘Don’t let anyone know what you’re really like’ both served her as she ascended to the point where she was fortunate enough to make a living as a performer, but also presented obstacles to creating her own authentic reality.
From the outset where she describes being raised by parents who migrated to Australia, now recognising her mother most likely suffered from PTSD, Hazlehurst relays stories from her rambunctious childhood with humour and good grace. Recalling the challenges of university as a student and into the early stages of her career, she maintains a strong position in conveying the vital role that the Arts have in our society and makes her political stance clear as she serves to reinforce the need for funding to ensure the value and viability of the industry.
As she reflects on her career and the fame that came with it, Hazlehurst’s professionalism and dedication to her vocation isclear and not without challenges. The pride she maintains in her well-deserved accolades is balanced by an honest assessment of the industry and the working conditions, economic considerations and the fallibilities of the people she worked with as well as her own. The memoir is littered with funny anecdotes that reveal Hazlehurst’s wicked humour and make this an entertaining stroll through the life of an Australian icon.
