A Story with No Rhyme or Reason
I met Queenie Royal when I was a small child. We had lost our dog. It was very dark and stormy that day. My brother and I kept knocking on doors asking if anyone had seen our dog. Many houses later, we came upon a suburban oasis with a wonderful rose garden. This was Queenie’s house. She was a kind hearted lady who had found our dog and we were very grateful to see our dog, get out of the rain and be fed by this lovely lady. We visited her many times after this and she shared some of her stories . She was always very kind and welcoming to my assortment of brothers and sisters and myself. To me she was very special as she taught me to appreciate the beautiful things in life and to look for the beauty within people and around us. The photo of Queenie Royal above is from the State Library of New South Wales which has an album of theatrical photos by Sam Hood. The photo below is also from the State Library of New South Wales Collection of Sam Hood images. The Capitol Theatre Ballet is advertising Jantzen costumes and Miners Lemon Creme moisturizer at Tamarama Beach, Sydney in 1933.
An article from the Sydney Morning Herald dated 19 November 1935 describes a ‘Dance Recital by Queenie Royal and Andrae Swayn at the Conservatorium before they departed for London to continue their training. They were students of Miss Frances Scully. In 1945, Queenie married Craig Baynes, a documentary film producer in London.
Sometimes you unexpectedly meet people who have a huge effect on your life. There is no rhyme or reason, it just happens. It was meant to be. Real life stories.
Thanks to the State Library of NSW for permission to use these photos.
Explorers Tree 
We used to live next door to this wonderful lady
My dad still lives next door however her magical house and garden succumbed to the wheels of progress and hideous townhouses
Rip queenie Baynes
How wonderful to hear from you Michael. My siblings & I spent many weekends helping her weed the gardens and clean the pool. Perhaps you remember her rose gardens too. The town houses don’t have any of the character or sense of beauty and wonder that we shared with her. All the best. ET
Yes I remember the rose garden, Craig’s rovers, her sunbeam alpine , the pool and waterfall, the cats, the frogs, the noisy sparrows in the palm tree and above all her cheery positive attitude – all part of a terrific childhood growing up in Frederick street
Thank you Michael, it seems we are reviving a few memories.ET
Just found your lovely story after doing a little bit of searching on line about Queenie.
This has been prompted by a conversation (on Facebook) with a gentleman who has her Sunbeam car.
He has the original paperwork from when she purchased it & he’d been told she ran a house ‘of ill repute in Blacktown’.
It didn’t take too much digging to prove otherwise.
Up until then, I had never heard of Queenie but it seems she was quite a character & I’m disappointed that I didn’t know her.
The car is still in pretty good shape & is being well looked after by it’s current owner.
He’s a lucky man to have such a gem.
Glad you liked the story Fiona & that I was able to correct any misunderstandings. Would it be possible for to get a photo of the car, or perhaps he may still have one of her with the car? That would be fantastic, especially if we were able to show a then and now. If he doesn’t want them put in this blog, I would appreciate seeing them anyway, ET.
I can ask if he’s willing to share pictures of the car.
Don’t think he has any of Queenie with the Alpine, only the car itself.
The Alpine now lives with me in Melbourne. It’s still registered but driven rarely. One of my Grandsons will inherit it.
Hi Dave,
It was lovely to be able to tell this story. Thanks for sharing it with us.
That’s great news Dave
Would love to see a photo of it if it’s no problem to share
Cheers Michael