Dawn O'Donnell
Encyclopedia
Dawn O'Donnell was a prominent Sydney
lesbian and gay rights activist and entrepreneur/impresaria
. She is often credited with starting the gay
and lesbian
club scene in Sydney's Oxford Street
and Newtown
.
suburb of Paddington
, O'Donnell left school at 15, taught at the Glaciarium ice rink and was reputedly once married to a policeman named Neville Irwin. Her career began as an international ice skater
when she was a teenager. It was while touring Paris
as a performer in the Puss In Boots on ice show, she had her first romance with another woman.
shop in Double Bay
and a parking lot
in Ultimo
, before opening her first gay bar
, The Trolley Bar, off Broadway
in 1968. Next she opened a lesbian
bath-house (above a cake shop in Bondi Junction, New South Wales
), followed in 1969 by Capriccio's, a gay night club on Oxford Street
famous for its drag
shows, which drew visiting celebrities from around the world.
She recognised the gay
and lesbian
potential of Oxford Street
. At this time, homosexual
acts between men were still illegal in New South Wales
, and Dawn O'Donnell was known to pay bail
to release gay men from police custody. Her gay and lesbian venues gave many "a place to come out
".
In 2001, Dawn recounted: "The most fascinating thing in the world for me was eventually to see the New South Wales Police Force have a gay public relations officer. I never thought to my dying day I'd ever see that."
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, O'Donnell controlled a string of lesbian and gay venues in East Sydney
, including:
Some of these ventures were run in partnership with the late French restaurateur Roger Claude Teyssedre and controversial Sydney businessman Abe Saffron
. The clubs attracted gays and lesbians from across Australia
and around the world.
During the 1980s, O'Donnell began to shift her focus from Oxford Street
to the inner-west suburb of Newtown
. She bought the Newtown and Imperial hotels in nearby Erskineville
, transforming the Newtown area into a gay precinct to rival Oxford Street
. The Imperial Hotel featured in the opening scenes of the movie, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
.
According to Graeme Browning (a.k.a. "Mitzi Macintosh") who performed drag
shows at O'Donnell's venues for 10 years, "S]he made the Sydney drag scene what it is, but our gay scene wouldn’t be what it is without her either."Another drag
performer, David Williams (aka "Beatrice") said "she invented the idea of Oxford Street", helping to make Sydney one of the gay capitals of the world.
Their relationship continued until O'Donnell's death from ovarian cancer
, aged 79, on Sunday, 10 June 2007. O'Donnell's funeral service was held at St Canice' Catholic Church in Elizabeth Bay
.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
lesbian and gay rights activist and entrepreneur/impresaria
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
. She is often credited with starting the gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
and lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
club scene in Sydney's Oxford Street
Oxford Street, Sydney
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in Sydney, Australia running from Whitlam Square on the south-east corner of Hyde Park in the central business district of Sydney to Bondi Junction in the Eastern Suburbs. Close to the CBD in particular, the street is lined with numerous shops, bars and...
and Newtown
Newtown, New South Wales
Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west is located approximately four kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, straddling the local government areas of the City of Sydney and Marrickville Council in the state of New South Wales, Australia....
.
Early life
Born circa 1928 in the SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
suburb of Paddington
Paddington, New South Wales
Paddington is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Paddington is located 3 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and lies across the local government areas of the City of Sydney and the Municipality of Woollahra...
, O'Donnell left school at 15, taught at the Glaciarium ice rink and was reputedly once married to a policeman named Neville Irwin. Her career began as an international ice skater
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
when she was a teenager. It was while touring Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
as a performer in the Puss In Boots on ice show, she had her first romance with another woman.
Career
After her promising skating career was cut short by injury, O'Donnell ran a butcherButcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...
shop in Double Bay
Double Bay, New South Wales
Double Bay is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Double Bay is located 4 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra.Double Bay takes its name...
and a parking lot
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
in Ultimo
Ultimo, New South Wales
Ultimo is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Ultimo is located 2 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney....
, before opening her first gay bar
Gay bar
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities...
, The Trolley Bar, off Broadway
Broadway, New South Wales
Broadway is a road in Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The road constitutes the border between the suburbs of Ultimo and Chippendale . Broadway is also an urban locality....
in 1968. Next she opened a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
bath-house (above a cake shop in Bondi Junction, New South Wales
Bondi Junction, New South Wales
Bondi Junction is an eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bondi Junction is located 6 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the Waverley....
), followed in 1969 by Capriccio's, a gay night club on Oxford Street
Oxford Street, Sydney
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in Sydney, Australia running from Whitlam Square on the south-east corner of Hyde Park in the central business district of Sydney to Bondi Junction in the Eastern Suburbs. Close to the CBD in particular, the street is lined with numerous shops, bars and...
famous for its drag
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
shows, which drew visiting celebrities from around the world.
She recognised the gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
and lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
potential of Oxford Street
Oxford Street, Sydney
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in Sydney, Australia running from Whitlam Square on the south-east corner of Hyde Park in the central business district of Sydney to Bondi Junction in the Eastern Suburbs. Close to the CBD in particular, the street is lined with numerous shops, bars and...
. At this time, homosexual
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
acts between men were still illegal in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, and Dawn O'Donnell was known to pay bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
to release gay men from police custody. Her gay and lesbian venues gave many "a place to come out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
".
In 2001, Dawn recounted: "The most fascinating thing in the world for me was eventually to see the New South Wales Police Force have a gay public relations officer. I never thought to my dying day I'd ever see that."
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, O'Donnell controlled a string of lesbian and gay venues in East Sydney
East Sydney, New South Wales
East Sydney is a small inner-city locality in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is situated immediately east of the Sydney central business district, adjacent to Hyde Park....
, including:
- Jools on Crown StreetCrown Street, SydneyCrown Street is a street in the Sydney suburbs of Woolloomooloo, East Sydney and Surry Hills. The Surry Hills section is lined with restaurants and shops, as well as the former Crown Street Women's Hospital.-History:...
- Patches nightclub on Oxford StreetOxford Street, SydneyOxford Street is a major thoroughfare in Sydney, Australia running from Whitlam Square on the south-east corner of Hyde Park in the central business district of Sydney to Bondi Junction in the Eastern Suburbs. Close to the CBD in particular, the street is lined with numerous shops, bars and...
- Flo's Palace
- The Exchange Hotel
- Ruby Reds on Crown StreetCrown Street, SydneyCrown Street is a street in the Sydney suburbs of Woolloomooloo, East Sydney and Surry Hills. The Surry Hills section is lined with restaurants and shops, as well as the former Crown Street Women's Hospital.-History:...
(Sydney's first lesbian bar)
Some of these ventures were run in partnership with the late French restaurateur Roger Claude Teyssedre and controversial Sydney businessman Abe Saffron
Abe Saffron
Abraham Gilbert "Abe" Saffron was an Australian nightclub owner and property developer who was reputed to have been one of the major figures in Australian organised crime in the latter half of the 20th century....
. The clubs attracted gays and lesbians from across Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and around the world.
During the 1980s, O'Donnell began to shift her focus from Oxford Street
Oxford Street, Sydney
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in Sydney, Australia running from Whitlam Square on the south-east corner of Hyde Park in the central business district of Sydney to Bondi Junction in the Eastern Suburbs. Close to the CBD in particular, the street is lined with numerous shops, bars and...
to the inner-west suburb of Newtown
Newtown, New South Wales
Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west is located approximately four kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, straddling the local government areas of the City of Sydney and Marrickville Council in the state of New South Wales, Australia....
. She bought the Newtown and Imperial hotels in nearby Erskineville
Erskineville, New South Wales
Erskineville is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Erskineville is located about 3 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney...
, transforming the Newtown area into a gay precinct to rival Oxford Street
Oxford Street, Sydney
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in Sydney, Australia running from Whitlam Square on the south-east corner of Hyde Park in the central business district of Sydney to Bondi Junction in the Eastern Suburbs. Close to the CBD in particular, the street is lined with numerous shops, bars and...
. The Imperial Hotel featured in the opening scenes of the movie, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a 1994 Australian comedy-drama film written and directed by Stephan Elliott. The plot is based on the journey of three drag queens who travel across the Australian Outback from Sydney to Alice Springs in a tour bus that they have named...
.
According to Graeme Browning (a.k.a. "Mitzi Macintosh") who performed drag
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
shows at O'Donnell's venues for 10 years, "S]he made the Sydney drag scene what it is, but our gay scene wouldn’t be what it is without her either."Another drag
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
performer, David Williams (aka "Beatrice") said "she invented the idea of Oxford Street", helping to make Sydney one of the gay capitals of the world.
Personal life and death
In 1977, aged 49, O'Donnell met her long-term partner, Dutch-born Aniek Baten, who was 26 years old. They later married, both wearing white for the wedding.Their relationship continued until O'Donnell's death from ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous growth arising from the ovary. Symptoms are frequently very subtle early on and may include: bloating, pelvic pain, difficulty eating and frequent urination, and are easily confused with other illnesses....
, aged 79, on Sunday, 10 June 2007. O'Donnell's funeral service was held at St Canice' Catholic Church in Elizabeth Bay
Elizabeth Bay, New South Wales
Elizabeth Bay is a harbourside suburb in eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Elizabeth Bay is located 3 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney....
.