Surrey Hills Historical Society Collection
Photograph, Miss Lil Willaton and her calesthenics students, 1930s
... (ms) vera willaton...) sylvia mcgill (ms) vera willaton (miss) lille louisa willaton ...
Miss Lillie Louisa (Lil) Willaton, and her callisthenics students in 1930s celebrating during competitions in Ballarat in which they were successful. Lil held weekly classes in Surrey Hills, Box Hill and nearby suburbs for a number of decades. Students include Nancy Scott, Nancy Hayes, Sylvia McGill and Vera Willaton.
Lil was born in Long Gully, Bendigo in 1904 daughter of Herbert Charles Leopold Willaton and Lillie Jenkins. She had 3 brothers and 3 sisters, one brother dying in infancy. The family lived in Lille Street, Surrey Hills. Both her parents and one sister died in Surrey Hills.
In the 1920s Lil gained her A.L.C.M. (Australian London College of Music) in singing and made a career of teaching gymnastics with calisthenics, rhythmic movement etc.
She arranged the music and lyrics for items and also designed the costumes, as well as conducting the physical training which culminated in annual concerts held in Box Hill and other town halls.
Lil married Leslie Reginald Stephenson in 1934 and they lived at 36 Union Road, Surrey Hills. She died in July 1995 and is buried in Buried Box Hill Cemetery - CE-126-0001.
A black and white photograph of a group of girls posing for a photograph around a monument. They are all dressed in similar clothing of light coloured skirts / shorts and shirt, and wearing hats. The lady in the centre is wearing a darker coloured suit.(miss) lil willaton, callisthenics, (ms) nancy scott, (ms) nancy hayes, (ms) sylvia mcgill, (ms) vera willaton, (miss) lille louisa willaton, (mrs) lille louisa stephenson, (mrs) lil stephenson, teacher, gymnastics, box hill cemetery, lille street, union road