Dame Malvina Major 'WHAT KEEPS ME YOUNG AT HEART'

The beloved Kiwi soprano has faced challenges with anxiety, but has never

- Sophie Neville

Opera star and household name Dame Malvina Major might have retired a decade ago, but she’s far from her swan song. As she takes a moment to share a cuppa with the Weekly, the indomitable dame, 82, tells us about using her voice to support young Kiwi performers and adjusting to life in a retirement village.

Good morning, Dame Malvina. Tell us, who is your handsome friend here?

Good morning. This is Patch. He’s an English springer spaniel and really is the most amazing dog. I wasn’t planning on getting a pet, but I was visiting my daughter Lorraine [53] at her home in Christchurch a few years ago and she had a litter of puppies. All the others were boisterous, climbing and carrying on, but this one came up to me, leaned his head against me and never left my side. At the end of the holiday, my daughter said, “You can’t leave him behind, can you?” Since then, he’s become an accredited assistance dog and he goes everywhere with me, even on planes.

You recently moved from your own home to a retirement village. Was it an easy transition?

I’ve made friends now but it took the best part of 12 months to settle in. It’s a lovely village and fortunately, I have two fabulous neighbours. Being well-known, sometimes you feel like everyone is looking and it can make me a little panicky. I can’t go to the supermarket without someone coming up to talk to me. But people are usually very nice and I’ve learned to cope with this side of my life. Patch very much helps with that.

What made you make the move?

I was quite happy being independent. But then I started having some issues with vertigo and was feeling off colour for a while there. My family, who are spread out around New Zealand, were a bit dubious about me being on my own, and driving and all that, so they decided I should move. My daughter Alethea [54] is here. They said, “You need to be near one of the families.”