Aunt Daisy: Difference between revisions

| name = MaudDaisy Ruby TaylorBasham

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1879|08|30|df=y}}

| birth_place = [[London]], England

| death_place = [[Wellington]], New Zealand]]

'''Maud Ruby Basham''' {{post-nominals|country=NZL|MBE|size=85%}} (née '''Taylor'''; 30 August 1879 – 14 July 1963), usually known as '''Daisy Basham''' or professionally as '''Aunt Daisy''', was a well-known [[New Zealand]] [[radio]] [[PresenterRadio personality|broadcaster]] from 1930 to 1963. Her various nicknames included "New Zealand's First Lady of the Radio", "Everybody's Aunt" and "The Mighty Atom" due to her 'radio activity' but also a comment on her small stature.<ref>{{Cite news|url=|title=An Amazing Personality: Death Stills the Voice of Radio's 'Mighty Atom'|last=|first=|date=12 July 1963|work=Evening Post|access-date=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=}}</ref>

She was born in [[London]], England, to Robert and Eliza Taylor. Her father died shortly after she was born and her mother soon emigrated to [[New Plymouth]] in 1891. She went to Central School and New Plymouth High School, and was active in a choir, concerts, play performances and debating contests.<ref name=":1" /> At 16 she began a four year teachers training course at Central School and also teaching at South Road School, New Plymouth.<ref>{{Cite news|url=|title=A Famous voice is silent|last=|first=|date=15 July 1963|work=Taranaki Herald|access-date=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=}}</ref> She married Frederick Basham in 1904, and they had three children. Her husband worked as an engineer in New Plymouth but lost his job during the depression. His unemployment led to Daisy seeking work to support their family.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=|title=Morning Glory|last=Hawes|first=Peter|date=9 July 1988|work=NZ Listener|access-date=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=}}</ref>

Daisy's first radio work was for the 1YA station in Auckland through singing engagements. This expanded during the 1920s as Daisy broadcast programmes on the lives of composers illustrated with song.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.monumentalstories.gen.nz/bio_41.html |title=Daisy Basham |last=Monumental Stories |accessdate=24 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720085810/http://www.monumentalstories.gen.nz/bio_41.html |archive-date=20 July 2011 }}</ref> In 1929 she became a full-time announcer on the 2YA station initially to "fill up Wednesdays" as the radio station previously had not broadcast on these days. In 1931 she was fired when 2YA became nationalised and public service rules decreed only one woman was allowed to be employed at each station in an attempt to provide more work for men. Daisy moved to a smaller private station [[River City FM (Wanganui)|2ZW]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=|title=Daisy was First Lady of Radio|last=Maxwell|first=Susan|date=9 June 1979|work=New Zealand Herald|access-date=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=}}</ref> Daisy continued to shift stations as more became nationalised and hershe and other staffers moved to private stations.<ref>{{Cite news|url=|title=The Aunt Daisy Story|last=|first=|date=6 September 1957|work=NZ Listener|access-date=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=}}</ref>

In 1933 Daisy began work at the private "Friendly Road" station 1ZB in Auckland run by [[Colin Scrimgeour]] (Uncle Scrim). When the government nationalised broadcasting and set up the National Commercial Broadcasting Service in 1936, she moved to the new network, eventually moving to Wellington. Her 30 minute daily morning show ran from 1933 to 1963. Her role was primarily to promote householdsponsors' products by interspersing anecdotes and recommendations into a free-form, fast-flowing patter, a predecessor of the modern infomercial. Audiences believed she would never recommend products she did not personally endorse and a deep rapport was established with her (largely female) listeners. As well as cheery product promotions she read homilies and gave advice (such as a piece about marriage in [https://www.ngataonga.org.nz/collections/catalogue/catalogue-item?record_id=197939 this programme] from 1950). She also answered letters with listeners' problems, and is credited with helping to boost morale during [[World War II]]. <ref name=":0" /> She was renowned as a very fast talker, averaged 202 words a minute during her shows and her morning showwhich opened to the song '[[Daisy Bell]]' and the greeting "Good Morning, Good Morning, Good Morning everybody".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/4b11/basham-maud-ruby|title=Basham, Maud Ruby|last=Downes|first=Peter|date=1998|website=Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand|access-date=19 March 2020}}</ref>

DueOwing to her popularity, the Governmentgovernment sent Daisy to Navy, Air Force and NavyArmy stationsbases to visit women stationed there and report back on them in her radio show. This was part of New Zealand's government propaganda efforts during World War II. In 1944 Daisy went to the United States to promote New Zealand. She was invited to a tea with the first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, where she passed on messages from the American troops and nurses stationed in New Zealand. She continued to record morning shows informing New Zealanders of what she encountered in the United States. The results of her American tour were published in ''Aunt Daisy and Uncle Sam.''<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://museumofsouthtaranaki.wordpress.com/2017/07/05/celebrating-independence-day-with-aunt-daisy-uncle-sam/|title=|last=|first=Celebrating Independence Day with Aunt Daisy & Uncle Sam!|date=|work=5 July 2017|access-date=23 July 2017|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-urlpublisher=Museum of South Taranaki}}</ref>

In the [[1956 New Year Honours (New Zealand)|1956 New Year Honours]], she was appointed a [[Order of the British Empire|Member of the Order of the British Empire]], for services in the fields of entertainment and broadcasting.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=40671 |date=2 January 1956 |page=44 |supp=y }}</ref>

A recipe book, "The Aunt Daisy ''Cookbook'' with Household Hints", was a natural result of the popularity of her show, edited by her daughter '''Barbara Basham'''. It ran to several editions, and is still being reprinted almost 40 years after her death. Seven others of her cookery books were also published. The cookbook was reprinted in 1977, edited by her daughter Barbara Basham and published by [[Hodder and Stoughton]]. 2010 saw the 22nd reprint of the book, almost 50 years after Aunt Daisy's death.<ref>[{{cite web |url=http://michaelxja.tumblr.com/post/394790579/aunt-daisy-and-umbrellas |title=Household hints for the early 21st century, Aunt Daisy and Umbrellas |website=michaelxja.tumblr.com |access-date=26 January 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.istoday/20130717221813/http://michaelxja.tumblr.com/post/394790579/aunt-daisy-and-umbrellas ]|archive-date=17 July 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Category:New Zealand radio personalitiespresenters]]

[[Category:EnglishBritish emigrants to New Zealand]]