The Mobil Quest was an Australian competition for operatic vocalists which ran from 1949 to 1957, sponsored by the Vacuum Oil Company and broadcast by Melbourne radio station 3DB and relayed to affiliates throughout Australia. It is remembered with wry amusement for judging Ronal Jackson the 1949 winner ahead of Joan Sutherland.
History The quest was founded in 1949 with the stated aim of "bringing to the attention of the public the best vocal talent available in the Commonwealth" The Vacuum Oil Company had an honorable association with classical music in Australia, having supported Opera for the People concerts and broadcasts since 1946.
The contest was run Australia-wide, with contestants first passing an audition conducted by a participating radio station, which then conducted a series of heats to select that station's candidates for the semi-finals. Eighteen winners, three from each State, then competed in Melbourne to select the six who competed for the £1,000 prize at a grand final at the Melbourne Town Hall. The heats were broadcast in the relevant State capitals, and the finals broadcast through all participating stations. Lesser prizes for finalists were, respectively, £300, £100, £50, £25, and £15, later £300, £150, and £50 each for the other three finalists. Each singer who appeared on air received a broadcasting fee and all semi-finalists received an all-expenses trip to Melbourne.
The Mobil Quest radio broadcasts between 1949 and 1956, and the 1957 semifinals, are held in Australia's National Film and Sound Archive.
Winners Year Winner 2nd 3rd Equal 3rd 1949 Ronal Jackson Trudy Daunt William Smith 1950 Joan Sutherland David Allen William Smith 1951 Margaret Nisbett Clifford Powell June Bronhill 1952 Donald Smith Eric Mitchelson Elizabeth Allen Marjorie Conley1953 Elizabeth Allen Robert Allman Raymond McDonald 1954 Ronald Austron John Shaw Raymond McDonald 1955 Marjorie Conley Margreta Elkins Heather Begg Conrad Berensen1956 Noel Melville Heather Begg Lance Lloyd 1957 Nance Grant Robert Bickerstaff Richard Bromley Peter Campbell
Heats and finals Year Queensland New South Wales Victoria Tasmania South Australia and Northern Territory West Australia unknown 1949 1950 1951 Ernest Knight Betty Prentice Joan Aird Eric Mitchelson, Maureen Boyce, Loris Sutton, Edwin Liddle1952 Ernest Knight Audrey Worrad Dorothea Deegan 1953 1954 Valerie Collins Dorothy O'Donahoo Molly McGurk Lance Ingram, Neil Warren-Smith, Edwin Liddle, Ronald Neill1955 1956 1957
Musicians (finals and recital tours) Year Conductor Orchestra Pianist Compere 1949 Australian Symphony Orchestra Christine Whyte 1950 Christine Whyte 1951 Hector Crawford Australian Symphony Orchestra Christine Whyte John Curtis1952 Hector Crawford Australian Symphony Orchestra Henri Penn 1953 Margaret Schofield 1954 Marie van Hove 1955 1956 1957
See also Shell Aria contest Melbourne Sun Aria South Street Society
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