"Have flutes, will travel", the heading of an article featured on the front page of The Canberra Times, this day 41 years ago. At primary school, Janet Webb, then 21, of Yarralumla, wanted to learn to play the double bass.
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When she couldn't, she chose the flute instead. Deborah Cox's, then 25, of Farrer, experience with music began as a soprano choral singer. At the age of 18 a friend lent her a flute and she had never looked back.
The two women were to take up a two to three-year contracts as first and second flutes respectively in the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Both were about to complete the Canberra School of Music's tough four-year degree course.
They were among the first group of graduates to have gone through the degree program from its inception.
Both Janet and Deborah had been attracted to the school because of the quality of its flute teachers. Deborah came to Canberra specifically for the course after completing a Diploma of School Music in Tasmania.
Janet was a student of Mr McCubbin's, senior lecturer, at the Canberra School of Music. Today, Janet has stepped down from her position of 35 years as Principal Flute of the Sydney Symphony. For 32 years, Deborah was a Flautist at Sinfonia of St Andrews.
