Catherine Warnes (1949 - 1969)

Born 7 Dec 1949 in Arncliffe, New South Wales, Australia

Died 20 Jul 1969 at age 19 in Da Nang, Quảng Nam, South Vietnam

Biography

Cathy Warnes is Notable.

Cathy Wayne was an Australian singer and dancer who was killed during a concert tour in South Vietnam at a Non-commissioned officer's club at the United States Marine Base near Da Nang, where she was entertaining US troops during the Vietnam War. Performing live since she was eleven years of age, Cathy had won a talent contest and offered a regular role on television variety show, Bandstand, alongside veteran Rock 'N' Roll performers Col Joye and Little Pattie.

Cathy Warnes was born in New South Wales, Australia

Catherine 'Cathy' Warnes was born on 7th December 1949 in Arncliffe, New South Wales, Australia. She was the daughter of George Warnes and Nancy Starnes Buck. She attended Athelstane Public School, where she began singing and dancing classes, and Arncliffe Girls' High School. As an eleven year-old, she began performing in school concerts and local community stage shows.

Cathy was an Aussie singer, killed in South Vietnam whilst entertaining troops

Taking the stage name, Cathy Wayne, Cathy signed with Col Joye's (real name Colin Jacobsen) agency ATA and was managed by his sister, Carole Jacobsen. She first toured South Vietnam with Col Joye at the age of seventeen, in early 1967, to entertain troops stationed there during the Vietnam War. was presented as a modette version of fellow Bandstand regular Little Pattie. In mid-1969, Sweethearts on Parade, an Australian pop group and performing troupe, was established by Sydney promoter Les Maisler to tour South Vietnam on an unsanctioned concert tour. Sweethearts on Parade consisted of Cathy on lead vocals, Clive Cavanagh on drums, Rick Hoare on guitar, Jeff Howison as MC, singer and comedian, Jimmy Taylor on organ and bass guitar, and Jacqui Edwards and Natalia Woloch as Go–Go dancers. Although discouraged by Col Joye and her parents, Cathy toured, partly to be with her fiancee Clive Cavanagh and partly to raise funds to re-ignite her career.

She passed away on 20th July 1969 in Da Nang, Quảng Nam, South Vietnam when struck in the chest by a bullet fired by a US Marine Sergeant whilst performing a concert for Australian troops. As she lay on the stage dying (the bullet severed her aorta), Clive stepped forward and cradled her. ^[1] Cathy was the only Australian woman to be killed in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War (two other Aussie women, Lee Makk and Margaret Moses, were welfare workers who died in an aeroplane crash in 1975, after the war had ended).

Cathy was just nineteen years of age. Her body was returned to Sydney and cremated according to Anglican rites.

Sources

1. ↑ McHugh, Siobhán. Minefields and Miniskirts: Australian Women and the Vietnam War. Doubleday, Melbourne VIC, 1993. pp. 75–76, 104. ISBN 978-0-86824-490-7

See also

• Morrison, Don (under the pseudonym J D Owen). Murder on Stage (1st ed.). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 9 Oct 2014. ISBN 978-1-50274-853-9.
• Rayner, Michelle. 'Warnes, Catherine Anne (1949–1969)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 2002; accessed online 15 Dec 2022.
• Wikipedia: Cathy Wayne; accessed 15 Dec 2022.