Dame Joan Hilda Hood Hammond, DBE CMG (24 May 1912 – 26 November 1996) was an Australian operatic soprano, singing coach and champion golfer.
Her parents finally married in Sydney on 25 May 1927, the day after her 15th birthday, although there is no evidence Samuel's first wife had died by that time, or that they had ever divorced.
Hammond's fellow golfers in New South Wales raised enough money for her to leave Australia in 1936 to study in Vienna.
Her final performance was at the funeral of her "guardian angel", Lady Gowrie, on 30 July 1965, at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
Working with the then general manager, Peter Burch, she invited the young conductor Richard Divall to become the company's musical director in 1972.
[11] In that time she trained an extraordinary number of Australian singers who had successful careers in Australia and on the international stage.
Among her notable pupils are sopranos Helen Adams[12] and Cheryl Barker, baritone Peter Coleman-Wright,[13] and tenor Steve Davislim.
[14] In 1983, her home at Aireys Inlet was destroyed by the Ash Wednesday bushfires and she lost all her possessions including the memorabilia of a lifetime.
[18] In the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1974 she was promoted within the order to Dame Commander (DBE) for distinguished services to music.
[20] In 1986, the Victoria State Opera created the Dame Joan Hammond Award with Moffatt Oxenbould as its inaugural recipient.