Montague Choristers have advised: Vale Bill Hawkey
"We will miss you very much. Your musical contributions as long-time Conductor and Musical Director of the Monties, Artistic Director of the Visiting Artists and more widely up and down the coast will not be forgotten." Montague Choristers The ANU School of Music’s former director Emeritus Prof William (“Bill”) Richard Hawkey died at Moruya District Hospital over the weekend. He was 87. New Zealand born Emeritus Professor William (Bill) Hawkey retired in 1999 from the position of Director and Professor of Music at the Australian National University. Bill had a distinguished career in music as an educator, administrator, orchestral and choral conductor, composer , pianist and organist. Bill founded, and conducted the Canberra Community Choir for 10 years, and was founding Musical Director of the School of Music Community Choir (later named The Llewellyn Choir). In New Zealand he had been the long-term music conductor of the Christchurch Harmonic Choir. In retirement on the south coast of New South Wales, he was the musical director of the Montague Choristers to be sought after around Australia as an adjudicator for Eisteddfods. Honoured with an MBE (NZ) in 1974, he later received an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 2014.After once again “retiring”, this time to Dalmeny, NSW, he died surrounded by his family on the evening of Friday, February 1, and is survived by his widow Elizabeth, children Sue, Chris, Dave, Jill and their families. In 2002 Emeritus Professor Bill Hawkey became the Music Director of the Montague Choristers. Under Bill’s guidance the choristers went on to present a series of concerts each year: two by the choristers, sometimes combining with the Merimbula based choir the Nomads, also under Bill’s baton, and five by Visiting Artists of a very high calibre. A service to celebrate his life will be held at the St Paul’s Anglican Church, Tilba Street, Narooma, from 11am on Thursday, February 7.
