Honey
A story from Queensland’s musical past
A fascinating and moving story meticulously researched by Juanita and Frank.
Cobwebs of music connecting lives past and present
Epilogue: The Mystery Continues
To honour Honey’s life, I sought a quote to place a plaque on her grave and repair Bon’s headstone. About a year ago, I contacted the Toowoomba and Drayton Cemetery and recently followed up with one of the stonemasons they recommended.
When I called the first stonemason on the list, I explained what I wanted. To my surprise, he interrupted, saying, “Wait a minute, I already know those names!” After checking his records, he returned to inform me the job was already completed. I was stunned—surely there was a mistake?
After some discussion, he explained that only a relative could authorise such work, and it had been arranged in June, with the repairs completed recently. Privacy laws prevented him from revealing who organised it. Intrigued, I reached out to those I thought might be responsible, but all denied involvement. I contacted the cemetery for clarification, and while they shared photos of the restored graves, they couldn’t provide any further details.
Though curious, I’ve come to appreciate the fitting mystery of it all—another twist in Honey and Bon’s story. I’m simply overjoyed that Honey’s resting place is now marked, side by side with her beloved Bon, in recognition of the lives they shared.
Juanita Muller
Lea Bentley, Toowoomba
“A delightful, captivating story illustrating how the people who teach and mentor us in our youth can bring the influences of their world into ours, if we are open enough to let their hearts touch ours. Juanita was intrigued by her piano teacher, who, in her golden years, had brought just a little of her own past - a glamorous life of privilege (including a love-story) - into her young student's life. Years of research, and an alliance with her cousin Frank, led Juanita on a 'detective's' quest to find out the full history of Honey that she didn't know! Please support Juanita and discover Honey's story by buying her book. I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I have.”
Dr Brett Mason, Brisbane
“A beautifully written and moving memoir of the author’s quest to unravel the mystery of her girlhood piano teacher. Part detective story, part historical romance, the author solved the riddle of her enigmatic teacher and in so doing finds herself.”
Emeritus Professor Peter Roennfeldt, Brisbane
“Behind every influential mentor lies a life story deserving of exploration. Biographies rely upon living memory and archival sources, but knowledge gaps and unanswered questions often remain. In her account of ‘Honey’, Juanita Muller has surmounted these challenges. The picture of an enigmatic individual, an older musician whose teaching left a significant legacy, emerges from this well-written and engaging narrative.”
Honey is the story of a beautiful, talented and remarkable young Australian pianist from the early 1900s. Born in Ravenswood, a dusty gold mining town, and the daughter of an owner of the Erin Hope mine and licensee of the Metropolitan Hotel, she led a privileged life of education and travel. Her musical studies took her from the local Mercy Convent in Ravenswood to St Patrick’s boarding school in Townsville, finally to Geelong where she won the gold medal from the Royal College of Music, London. She then returned to teach piano in North Queensland prior to settling in Toowoomba in 1920. In 1915, she had a chance meeting with a mysterious visitor, a self-acclaimed theatrical entrepreneur and educator in music, voice and elocution, who had travelled abroad to London and the United States to study under the world’s greatest masters. Who was this mysterious visitor? And what became of them?
Listen to the ABC Radio interview about Honey’s story here.
Thankyou to Ravenswood Gold for their generous generous sponsorship of the launches.