Hello, I'm Kristi Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs Archive.

For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music.

The program was originally broadcast in 1979, and the presenter was Roy Plumley.

This week, our cast away is the portrait painter, June Mendesa.

June, I knew you were born in Australia. Where about?

In Melbourne.

And I know you have a musical background.

Yes, I have. Both my parents, professional musicians.

How much of their musical talent rubbed off on you?

Well, I will never find out. I mean, my passion is music, but of course, with two very busy

musician parents, they never taught me to play, and they didn't send me to anybody else either.

So that was a serious gap.

So you stick to discs?

Yes.

Do you play while you're painting?

Yes, I do. There's no way to listen, but I do.

And do you play your choice or your sitter's choice?

If I have a sitter, I ask them what concept they would like if I happen to have it in the music library.

I get their choice out, and of course, this enlarges my repertoire because I get something

I might not have listened to, but when I buy myself, of course, I make my own choice.

Right. What's the first one you have here for the desert island?

The first one is the Paganini Violin Concerto, number one.

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