Draft:Jean Trundle

Jean Amalie Trundle (24 March 1905 – 23 July 1965) was an Australian teacher, actress and theatre director, known for her significant contributions to the cultural scene in Brisbane. She founded the Brisbane Amateur Theatres.

Early life and education
Born in South Brisbane, Trundle was the elder daughter of Frank John Trundle, a Queensland-born plumber, and his wife Jemima Jane, née Archibald, who came from Scotland.

Trundle's passion for the arts led her to study speech and drama in Brisbane under the tutelage of Barbara Sisley, eventually earning qualifications as an associate (1922) and licentiate (1924) in elocution from Trinity College of Music in London.

Career
Trundle became involved in the Brisbane Repertory Theatre Society, appearing in plays directed by Sisley and Rhoda Felgate. Notably, she performed in October 1926 as a lead in A Happy Family, a play applauded for being "purely Australian". She founded her speech-straining school in 1925. With her students, she formed the Jean Trundle Players, presenting stage productions to benefit charities in suburban and rural areas.

In 1936, Trundle and her husband launched Brisbane Amateur Theatres. Under her direction, B.A.T. presented a diverse repertoire that included Shakespearean plays, modern works, and adaptations of literary classics, in which she would also act.

In 1966, the Jean Trundle Drama Competition for Queensland secondary school students was created posthumously to acknowledge her devotion to the arts.

Personal life and death
In 1935, Trundle married Victor James Hardgraves, a commercial traveller and actor.

In 1965, at Ashgrove, Trundle died of lobar pneumonia.