Author Profile : Doris Leadbetter Author and Teacher 28 December 1927 - 27 November 2004 "When I die don't let them keep the bones to marvel at the load they bore; nor the ashes to wonder at the quantity." from The Fat Lady's Song. Doris was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, on 28 December, 1927. Her enduring interest in Roman history probably came from living near Roman ruins in her home town. She attended Bradford Girls' Grammar School and then, just after the Second World War, studied at London University, attaining a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. She was a member of the Bradford's Playhouse and Theater School and participated in many productions, working both as a director and backstage. It was here that Doris received her theatre training that made her such a great poetry performer in later years. She worked with theatre luminaries such as Ken Russell, Dirk Bogarde and Dame Judy Dench. Ken Russell was godfather to Doris's son, Dominic. In 1963, she migrated to Australia with her mother and her children, Vicki and Dominic. She met her second husband, Richard Leadbetter, in Perth in 1968 and they were married in 1969.