Judith A. Lawrence CM (born 1932) is an Australian-born Canadian puppeteer associated with the long-running

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

children's television program ''

Mr. Dressup ''Mr. Dressup'' is a Canadian children's television series, starring Ernie Coombs, a former understudy of Fred Rogers, in the title role. It ran on CBC Television, CBC from 1967 to 1996, soon becoming an iconic presence in Canadian media. Produ ...

''. Her best known characters were Casey and Finnegan, although she also created other occasional characters, such as Aunt Bird and Alligator Al. Lawrence was born in

Bairnsdale Bairnsdale (locally ) (Gunai language, Ganai: ''Wy-yung'') is a city in East Gippsland, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, situated in a region traditionally inhabited by the Tatungalung clan of the Gunaikurnai people. The estimated popu ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and grew up in

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria. Within mo ...

. She came to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

at age 22, earning her living as a kindergarten teacher. She taught at Cockcroft Public School in

Deep River, Ontario Deep River is a town in Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. Located along the Ottawa River, it lies about north-west of Ottawa on the Trans-Canada Highway. Deep River is opposite the Laurentian Mountains and the Province of Quebec. The name "Deep ...

. After a successful audition, Lawrence started work for the CBC, where she soon created her most famous puppet characters for the ''

Butternut Square ''Butternut Square'' was a Canadian children's television series which aired on CBC Television between October 19, 1964 and February 10, 1967. The cast featured Ernie Coombs as Mr. Dressup, whose own landmark television series began production ...

'' TV series and they made the transition to ''Mr. Dressup''. Lawrence retired as the puppeteer of the show in 1989. Lawrence also wrote many books in ''The Young Canada Reading Series'' for Thomas Nelson publishers. Lawrence co-authored a series of books for D.C. Heath on women and work. In 1960, she co-founded The Voice of Women. In the 1970s she was on the first

National Action Committee on the Status of Women The National Action Committee on the Status of Women was a Canadian feminist activist organization that existed from 1971 to 2007. History It was founded in 1971 as a pressure group to lobby for the implementation of the 167 recommendations m ...

(NAC). She continued her peace and feminist activism through newspapers like ''Broadside: A Feminist Review'', which she helped found. She was awarded the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

in 2001 for her work as both a puppeteer and an activist. After retiring, Lawrence moved from

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Hornby Island Hornby Island of British Columbia, Canada, is one of the two northernmost Gulf Islands, the other being Denman Island. It is located near Vancouver Island's Comox Valley, A small community of 1,225 residents (as of the 2021 census), Hornby is ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

with her partner, Thea Jensen, in 1990https://web.archive.org/web/20240308200217/https://www.broadsidefeminist.com/j-lawrence/ where she became a strong community leader for the island, a designer of the recycling depot, and a farmer/environmentalist. Her work on ''Mr. Dressup'' was profiled as part of the 2023 documentary film '' Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe''.Rachel Ho
"TIFF 2023: 'The Magic of Make-Believe' Is a Warm Reminder of the Importance of 'Mr. Dressup'"
''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'', September 8, 2023.

References

External links

* Canadian puppeteers Canadian schoolteachers Australian emigrants to Canada People from the Comox Valley Regional District 1932 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Members of the Order of Canada Female puppeteers Canadian feminists Canadian pacifists Canadian lesbian actresses Canadian children's writers Canadian women children's writers 20th-century Canadian non-fiction writers Canadian women non-fiction writers {{Canada-tv-bio-stub