Why Judith Durham changed her surname

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I wrote some time back about the death of Judith Durham, lead singer of The Seekers, one of Australia’s most popular folk groups. The band, and Judith, had such an impact on Australian music that she was given a state funeral and we’re just finished watching a state memorial service in her honour. Her nephew spoke on behalf of the family and, among other things, said that Judith, in her young days, was quite naïve. He told a lovely story about her. She was very determined as a young girl and turned up week after week at the Memphis Jazz Club in Malvern, Melbourne, Victoria, asking if she could sing with the band. The owner would tell her ‘come back next week’ so she would. When he eventually relented and let her sing with the band, he was blown away by the purity of her voice. He again told her to ‘come back next week and I’ll give you a fiver (five pounds)’. He then asked her her name. She said ‘Judith Cock’. He said you might want to think about changing your name to which she replied ‘But why? I quite like Judith.’ But she took her mother’s maiden name of ‘Durham’ and the rest, as they say, is history. The photo is another from our house-sit location. Beyond the dam, the ground rises quite steeply and you can see the kangaroos there.