Introduction
When I retired, I began writing a book about the Dress Circle Estate in the Sydney suburb of East Ryde, and the fifteen performing
artists after whom the streets were named. I looked forward to interviewing Peggy Sager, after whom Sager Place was named.
My introduction to live ballet had been a performance of Swan Lake (Act 2), with Peggy and Robert Pomie as the Swan
Queen and the Prince. At the first interview at her home in Coffs Harbour, we discussed her life story and looked through
her photo albums. She reminisced over the circumstances of each photo and the various people depicted, dabbing her eyes from
time to time as memories were rekindled. I realised that this was material for a whole book, not just a chapter in a book.
I began writing the two books concurrently. When Peggy’s
health began to deteriorate, I put the other book to one side and concentrated on Peggy’s biography. She was quite thrilled
when I read drafts of the first part of the book to her, and showed her a trial layout, complete with placed photos. She was
destined not to see the finished product.
Many of the reviews quoted in
the book are not attributed. These are from newspaper and magazine cuttings that were labelled with the dates and cities concerned,
but had no indication of the author or the publication from which they came.
I have included a list of CDs
of the music of most of Peggy’s ballets. I enjoyed reading about the ballets while referring to photos of the performances
and listening to their music on these CDs.
I hope my book will be a worthy
memorial to Peggy.
