Empire Day

Diane Armstrong was born in Poland and arrived in Australia with her parents on the SS Derna in 1948. After gaining a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Sydney, she became a freelance journalist. Over 3,000 of her articles have been published in Australia and around the world, winning national and international awards.

Deidre Rubenstein is regarded as one of Australia's most accomplished actresses. As a stage actress, she has starred in productions with all major Australian theatre companies and has created three highly acclaimed one-woman shows which have toured Australia and overseas. Deidre won an Australian Film Industry (AFI) award for Best Actress in the mini-series Palace of Dreams and is also a multi-award-winning narrator. Audiobooks narrated for Bolinda include Elizabeth Costello by Nobel Prize–winning author J.M. Coetzee, Gilgamesh by Joan London, Elizabeth Harrower novels and various ABC titles.