Winifred Atwell plays 'Waltzing Matilda' on the piano while construction workers at the Sydney Opera House site look on. Note: the first 20 seconds of this clip is silent.

This clip has a charming spontaneity and is surprisingly well recorded. At first it seems the piano playing may have been dubbed in post-production but the microphone picks up Winifred singing and the workers applauding at the end so it was recorded live. Most probably the microphone was placed directly into the sound board of Winifred's beloved upright honky-tonk piano, which would also explain why clip is silent at the start.

This short clip makes the most of a single camera shoot with a number of pans, cutaways and close-ups and is very effective in capturing Winifred's performance and the appreciation of the construction workers around her.

Construction on the Opera House commenced in 1959. It was envisaged that it would take four years to build but it wasn't until 1973 that it was finally completed.

Winifred Atwell is interviewed by Mike Walsh in 1981. In this clip she discusses her start in music and her training for an alternative career as a pharmacist. She talks about how her mother taught her not to be a musical snob, and how she switched from classical to honky-tonk piano. At her peak, Winifred practised the piano for 10 hours a day!

From The Mike Walsh Show Episode 1087, broadcast on 17 June 1981.

Host Roger Climpson describes how Winifred Atwell's first hit record - 'Black and White Rag' - came to be made in 1951. He then introduces Colin Bailey, Winifred Atwell's drummer from the 1950s and they reminisce about their first gig together.

Taken from Episode 4/024 of This is Your Life, broadcast on 25 June 1978 on ATN-7.

Winifred Atwell was a ragtime pianist who enjoyed great success in the UK and Australia, including two number one singles in the UK (in 1954 and 1956).

A note on the back of the photo reads:

'Long before she went to Australia, Winifred Atwell had an ambition to meet up with a real live koala bear. Here she is pictured with one at the Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney, when she toured the zoo as guest of Sir Edward Hallstrom.

'Australia keeps a careful eye on its koalas, and before one is allowed to be taken out of the country the authorities first have to be satisfied that the right kind of food (locally grown) can still be supplied.'

Winifred Atwell plays her signature tune, 'Black and White Rag', as part of her farewell performance on The Mike Walsh Show Episode 1087 on 17 June 1981.

Winifred introduces the song in her characteristic warm and understated manner to an appreciative audience. The three-camera shoot focusses solely on Winifred's playing. She playfully winks and connects with the studio audience. It's a professional production but could have been improved if we were given the opportunity to see the audience enjoying the performance as well.

The Winifred Atwell Show was a British radio series. It starred pianist Winifred Atwell with guest performers. The show was sponsored by Currys, a UK chain of stores retailing electrical goods.

By the 1950s Britain was still emerging from the experiences of the Second World War. Television was taking off but radio was still a popular medium. Upbeat programs like The Winifred Atwell Show represented the mood for a more hopeful future and Britain was going through a brief honky-tonk craze.

In the mid 1950s, the pre-rock’n’roll days, Trinidadian-born Winifred was undoubtedly one of Britain’s most popular entertainers with her cheerful personality and honky-tonk ragtime music. In 1954 she had a number one hit with 'Let’s Have Another Party' and became the first black musician in the UK to sell a million records.

This episode of The Winifred Atwell Show captures Winifred's virtuoso playing - she plays in a beat and Latin style, as well as her usual ragtime numbers - but not her personality. It seems far too formal a presentation for her larger-than-life personality. Similarly, without being able to see Winifred playing, it fails to capture her charisma and the way she could connect with her audience. Honky-tonk music was meant to be played in smoky drinking houses frequented by the working class; its rough energy doesn't readily transfer to conservative British radio.

This is program no. 7128, broadcast on 13 December 1953.

On This is Your Life, host Roger Climpson reunites Winifred Atwell with her famed upright honky-tonk 'other piano'. She obliges by playing the opening to her signature tune, 'Black and White Rag'.

Winifred toured with this piano around the world for many years and its distinctive sound featured on many of her hit records.

Taken from Episode 4/024 of This is Your Life, broadcast on 25 June 1978 on ATN-7.

A publicity image of Winifred Atwell listening to an old gramophone.

Having gained international attention as a piano virtuoso, Winifred toured the world extensively, building a keen fan base along the way. Her popularity peaked in 1955 when she broke box-office records during her Australian tour, making her the highest-paid star from a Commonwealth country to visit Australia.

A colour-painted studio shot of Winifred Atwell.

Throughout her prolific music career Winifred broke numerous records; she was the first black person to have a number one hit on the UK Singles Chart and is currently the only female instrumentalist to have achieved this. Winifred was also the first female pianist awarded the Royal Academy of Music’s highest grading for musicianship.

Winifred Atwell at the piano while being filmed in Australia by John Hearder with George Lowe.

They are filming with a Mitchell 35mm camera and a Mitchell tripod head, with Dutch tilt (titling to side) on camera.

John Hearder ran a photograhy studio in Sydney while George Lowe was a cinematographer in the 1950s and '60s. In 1958 George joined Artransa Studios as a television commercial and documentary cameraman and later worked at Supreme Films.

This is Your Life host Roger Climpson introduces Jack Neary, the tour manager for Winifred Atwell's first tour of Australia in February 1955.

Neary talks about Winifred being the first superstar he ever met and the endless curtain calls at her memorable concert at the Tivoli Theatre in Sydney.

Taken from Episode 4/024 of This is Your Life, broadcast on 25 June 1978 on ATN-7.

A note on the back of this photo reads: 'Winifred Atwell had a backstage visit from actress Betty Hutton, when the American star was also appearing in Melbourne.

'Betty asked if she could have a go on Winnie's famous 'Other Piano', and at the ensuing impromptu backstage performance, Winnie led the theatre staff in singing some current pop songs while Betty played the Atwell upright.'

Betty Hutton was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedian, dancer, and singer. Her films include Annie Get Your Gun (George Sidney, USA, 1950) and the Oscar-winning Best Picture The Greatest Show on Earth (Cecil B DeMille, USA, 1952).

A studio portrait of Winifred Atwell, date unknown.

An accomplished songwriter, musician and performer, Winifred Atwell was also a generous philanthropist. After she moved to Australia, she performed every Sunday on her 'day off' at her local parish church in Narrabeen. When she died in 1983, she left a large part of her estate to the Guide Dogs Association of NSW (as it was then called).

Winifred Atwell holds a large bouquet of flowers surrounded by fans.

Publicity shot of Winifred Atwell seated at the piano and turning to face the camera, date unknown.

Winifred Atwell and her mother with Roger Climpson, host of This is Your Life, at the recording of episode 4/024 on 23 June 1978.

Winifred was born in Tunapuna in Trinidad and Tobago. She left Trinidad in the early 1940s, first to study with pianist Alexander Borovsky in the US. In 1946 she gained a place at the Royal Academy of Music and moved to London.

Winifred Atwell autographing a record sleeve, date unknown.

In the 1950s, she had two UK No. 1 singles and 11 Top 10 hits, and spent 51 weeks in the Top 10 across the decade. 'Let's Have Another Party' was No. 1 for five weeks (from 2 December 1954) and 'The Poor People of Paris' reached No. 1 for three weeks on 22 March 1956.

She was the first black artist to sell a million records in the UK.

Autographed photo of Winifred Atwell, who is sitting at a piano and looking up at the camera. It is signed 'Love Winifred Atwell'.