He is a tall man with an infectious grin who maintains the 107-year-old family farm, Mimosa, and keeps their joint venture, Opera in the Paddock, ticking along with healthy optimism and lots of ideas. 

The opera will hit the large stage outside their house yard on March 21, with its 12th production. Besides many other stellar talents, Mimosa will host Australian stage sensation, Teddy Tahu Rhodes in his only regional performance of the year.

Bill takes it all in stride. Growing up as a country kid on the same ground where he now runs his mixed farming operation, he was given an intense education in opera after he and Peta tied the knot in 1977. Four days after the wedding, they travelled to London where Peta had been awarded a three year scholarship to train with the Royal College of Music.

While Peta was busy at the college, Bill embraced London life and found work.

“The first job I got was with an employment agency. I got the sack and I went. I don’t know why I got the job. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing,” Bill laughed.

“He’s very confident,” Peta chipped in.

He never failed to find more jobs, and said some of it was good fun. Sitting on their veranda, the two reminisced about their accommodation and memorable landlords, Molly and Frank.

“I paid the rent, and I said, ‘Look Frank, if I ever forget, please tell me.’ He said “I shan’t but I will notice.’ I don’t think I ever forgot to pay the rent,” he chuckled.

Bill said he grew up with an appreciation and plenty of access of good music, though it wasn’t necessarily opera. Peta lent a hand in the early days, when they would meet after work to see productions at Covent Garden. 

Before the show, she would quickly fill him in on the storyline of the piece, though one night, there wasn’t time.

“It was a couple of hours of really heavy German opera; Salome, by Richard Strauss. We’re sitting separately, no interval, and at the end, we came out and he said, ‘What the bloody hell was that all about?’” Peta laughed.

Now years later, she said Bill has supported her endeavours all the way.

They returned to the land in the recession and drought, did up the derelict house on the place, living with the kids out of a caravan.

”We had a great time,” Bill said.

“Then we realised there was a good place to do an outdoor event, because the sound just hangs here, and it’s a beautiful paddock as you can see.”

Peta believes Bill is the optimist in the relationship. Balancing the vast amount of work to put on the show with the demands of the farm does not deter him. He felt despite the expense and labour, they should take the opportunity afforded by their support from Opera Australia, experience and access to the international talent that takes their stage.

“I’m a very positive person, I knew it would go. Peta didn’t, but I did,” he said.

He affectionately blamed Bingara’s Martin Hansford for the opera’s inception.  Martin was formerly the sound engineer for Sydney Opera House and Bill heard about it on ABC radio.

“Then I knew we could do it, we had our sound man,” he said. 

“They also value their lighting engineer, Roy Jeffery. Roy was lit the first opera at Sydney Opera House and for 28 of his 37 years with the ABC, was the company’s lighting director.

“So we do have some experts here. I’m the only non-expert,” Bill said with a grin.

“It’s ok. You’ll do,” Peta smiled. 

All the same, Bill felt that growing up as a country kid has given him a diverse skill set that he can apply to many things. His ingenuity is often the engine behind the opera production.

“And it’s just not me. Country people are very good at adapting to do things,” he said.