Candy Devine, MBE (born ca. 1939) is the stage name of Faye Ann McLeod (born Faye Ann Guivarra), an Australian-born broadcaster, singer, and actress. She was a radio broadcaster and singer in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...

for over 35 years.

Early years

Candy Devine (birth name Faye Ann Guivarra) was born in about 1939 in Cairns to a sugar-farming family. Note: Faye Ann Guivarra is 9 years old in May 1948. Devine has a multicultural heritage, with Sri Lankan, Filipino, Spanish, Danish and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds. Her parents were co-founders of the Cairns multicultural music group, the Tropical Troubadours, and later established the city's Coloured Social Club. Devine was educated at St Augustine's School,

East Innisfail East Innisfail is a suburban locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the East Innisfail had a population of 1,855 people. Geography The locality is bounded by the Johnstone River to the north, by its tributary the ...

, a boarding school from 1948 – she provided "incidental music and accompaniments" at their 1952 break-up ceremony. For secondary education she attended Brisbane's

Lourdes Hill College , motto_translation = Look to the Star and Call Upon Mary , established = , founders = Sisters of the Good Samaritan , type = Good Samaritan Education secondary day school , gender ...

from the early 1950s. She furthered her interest in music while at college. Later she studied piano and cello at Queensland Conservatorium before taking to the stage in Sydney. Devine's appearances in Australian television include the series '' Skippy the Bush Kangaroo'' (1968) and fronting for

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

's, ''In Key''.

Life in Ireland

Devine travelled to Ireland in 1969 on what was intended to be a short visit. She was hired for a cabaret slot at the Talk of the Town club in Belfast. She married her promoter and booking agent, Donald McLeod, in Dublin in 1970. They lived in the Republic for five years and moved to Belfast in Northern Ireland in 1975. Devine began a long career with

Downtown Radio Downtown Radio is a Hot Adult Contemporary music radio station based in Newtownards, County Down, that serves all of Northern Ireland using a network of AM, FM and DAB transmitters. As of December 2022, the station has a weekly audience of 3 ...

in March 1976. They had four children, including Brisbane-based celebrity chef, Alastair McLeod. Candy Devine was awarded an MBE on The Queen's 2014 honours list. Her award was for "Services to Broadcasting and to the Community in Northern Ireland". She moved back to Australia in 2013 following the death of her husband, Donald McLeod, the previous year. As of September 2016 she lives in Brisbane, sharing a five-acre property with her son, Alastair and his family.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devine, Candy 1930s births Year of birth uncertain Living people Australian television actresses Australian women singers Australian people of Danish descent Australian people of Scottish descent Australian people of Spanish descent Australian people of Filipino descent Australian radio presenters Australian women radio presenters Radio personalities from Northern Ireland Australian people of Sri Lankan descent People from Innisfail, Queensland Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University alumni People educated at Lourdes Hill College Australian expatriates in the United Kingdom