Life Membership

In his early years, Stan began ballet training with Misha Burlakov in Sydney, further studying with Valentin Zegovsky and Leon Kellaway. He graduated to Principal Dancer with the first Australian Ballet Company. He also performed in Buenos Aires Argentina (Teatro Colon Opera House) and the Les Ballets Montmartre (Paris). He joined the FJB Theatres as resident Choreographer and Principal Dancer.

Stan completed Drama training with the Guildhall in London and taught at the Hampshire School of Speech and Drama and Pinelands College.

Returning to Australia in 1956, Stan opened a Theatre School and directed a vast number of Plays and Musicals and worked with Opera students at the Canberra School of Music. Stan constructed the Drama Syllabus for EDTA (known as the ‘Henderson Technique’).

In the late 60’s Stan came to live in the Southern Highlands and in 1968 directed his first local production: ‘The Heiress’ at Clubbe Hall. Many involved in productions at that time were Frensham/Winifred West Staff and Teachers, and also Bowral Choral Society folk, and productions continued into the late 70’s.

Stan served as the Southern Highlands Community Arts Officer for a period.

After a hiatus, Stan returned to Directing in 1986 for the Highlands Theatre Group, directed 13 productions with HTG over the next 10 years. Aged in his early 70’s Stan would travel with his partner (Jim) from Penrose twice weekly for rehearsals.

In the late 1990’s Stan and Jim moved to Breadalbane, and being that Goulburn was now closer for them, Stan directed a series of productions for The Lieder Theatre over a few years.

Stan passed away in 2012, aged 85.

Mike Butcher was an extremely valued member in our music department. He conducted a rejuvenated Highlands Theatre Group Orchestra, and played an integral part in the success of nine of the Group’s major productions over ten years. He assembled and directed the orchestra for Les Misérables, Fiddler on the Roof, My Fair Lady, Oliver, Guys and Dolls, South Pacific, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Miss Saigon, and The Music Man.

During this period, and in order to keep the theatre group orchestra together, he produced and directed the first of the Highlands Proms, which became a very popular annual event with local audiences. In recent years The Proms were performed by the Concert Band. It was in 2010 that the Band gave its first formal public concert to celebrate its 25th Anniversary. Since then, the band has performed two major concerts a year, to packed houses at the Playhouse, and the Band’s present home, the Bowral Memorial Hall.

Mike was the recipient of an OAM in 2001 to acknowledge his services to music in the community, and was made a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International for teaching children with disabilities.

HTG wish to acknowledge Mike’s significant contributions to our group over the years.