Some lives unfold quietly, like a soft melody in the background of the world. Others crash in like a glittering confetti cannon, leaving everyone breathless and dazzled. Vonni belongs to the latter. Born in Manchester, England, she arrived in Australia at eleven, but it was Adelaide that shaped her, with its sunburnt streets and narrow expectations, where a young girl first learned that being different could be dangerous, and that humour, courage, and imagination were survival tools. From those early days, Vonni’s path was never ordinary. Bullied at school, she learned to navigate a world that often misunderstood her, eventually stepping into the dazzling yet perilous nightlife of Adelaide in the 1970s. Behind the flashing lights of La Belle, she discovered herself, performing pre-surgery, mastering the art of illusion, learning that striptease was theatre, wit, and resilience all rolled into one. Her journey took her to the glittering touring stages of Melbourne’s Les Girls, to the chaotic, high-stakes strip clubs of Kings Cross, and even inside the walls of Long Bay Gaol, always moving, always sparkling, always refusing to be invisible.
Along the way, Vonni found mentors, friends, and family in feathers and diamonds. Debra Legae, her fairy godmother with a ledger and scissors, taught her the art of makeup, stagecraft, and financial survival. Carlotta, the goddess of Australian drag, whose phone call changed Vonni’s life, led to a friendship that has lasted decades. Together, these experiences forged a woman whose career spans half a century, from cabaret and burlesque to international stages, from running nightclubs to making history as the first Australian transgender woman to play Bernadette in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Vonni’s story is glitter-strewn, chaotic, hilarious, and profoundly human. It’s about courage and artistry, heartbreak and triumph, and the way one woman, by sheer force of personality, talent, and tenacity, turned her life into a stage worthy of applause. Tonight, we settle into her world. The lights dim, the sequins catch the glow, and we talk with Vonni, a living archive of Australian queer performance history, still daring, still sparkling, still unapologetically herself.
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| Carlotta and Vonni at Carlotta's 80th birthday, The Gold Coast Queensland, 2023. |
Vonni: It is my absolute pleasure and honour to take part in your interview. I have floor-to-ceiling mirrored sliding doors on my bedroom wardrobe, so sometimes I wake up, see myself, and think, "Girl, you must have had a big night."
Monika: Speaking of mornings, some time ago I had a minor panic. I noticed my first wrinkle and couldn't sleep for a week. How do you manage such horrors?
Vonni: I am a big believer in keeping my face looking fresh, so I have my twice-yearly Botox and fillers. Not enough to erase all expression, just enough to look rested and fresh.
Monika: You've had such a long and remarkable career, starting from a very young age. What was it like growing up and realizing you were different from other kids?
Vonni: Oh, Monika, it was a wild ride from the start. I migrated from Manchester to Adelaide when I was just eleven, a "ten-pound pom" thrown into the deep end of Aussie life. From the moment I landed, I fell in love with this country, but school, oh, school was a battlefield. I was bullied constantly for being different, sometimes even physically assaulted.
I got so fed up I would deliberately seek detention just so I would not have to walk home or catch the bus with the other kids. Can you imagine? A fourteen-year-old thinking, "Detention is safer than the playground."
Monika: That sounds incredibly tough. How did you cope with that and move forward from such a difficult environment?
Vonni: Eventually, I left school entirely because, honestly, the classroom was not where I could thrive. But I never let it stop me. I went straight into the nightlife scene in Adelaide, and from then on, I have hardly ever been out of work. I guess when life does not give you a safe playground, you create your own stage. And boy, did I ever.
Monika: And speaking of stages, you started performing in strip clubs before transitioning. How did that first step onto the stage feel?
Vonni: Oh, that was magic and terror rolled into one. I was a barmaid at La Belle, the first strip club in Adelaide, and one night they were short a performer. I thought, "Why not me?" I stepped onstage, pre-surgery, and suddenly I had to master the art of illusion.
Taped concealment, carefully placed pasties, the right angles, it was theatre in its rawest, most glamorous form.
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| Les Girls Kings Cross Cast, 1985, photo by Margo Thatcher, Les Girls official photographer |
Monika: How did performing there shape your confidence and approach to life?
Vonni: I learned to make every movement elegant, every glance seductive, and every costume work like a tiny magic trick. That was where I honed my confidence, my resilience, and my sense of humour, the very traits that have carried me through more than fifty years in this crazy, glittered business. And let me tell you, once you have conquered a stage where the spotlight is brighter than your future mortgage, everything else in life feels a little easier.
Monika: Choosing a name is such a deeply personal decision, one that can hold layers of significance and meaning. How did you come to choose the name Vonni?
Vonni: I chose the name Yvonne because I had always loved that name. Then I created a shorter version, "Vonni," for my stage name.
Monika: Do you remember the first time you met a transgender woman in person? What was that experience like, and how did it make you feel?
Vonni: At La Belle, the first strip club in Adelaide, South Australia, there were supposed female strippers plus a few cabaret acts. Many of those "female" strippers were beautiful trans women. It was like a light bulb moment when I realised. I had never seen a trans woman before, and it made me understand that there were others like me. I had never really understood what I was, and suddenly I realised there were others the same as me.
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| Vonni's 1989 publicity pic, makeup and photo by BAMBI. |
Vonni: It was like running away to join the circus, but with more glitter and better heels. I had been doing cabaret-style burlesque since 1975, but stepping into Les Girls in 1978 changed everything. Suddenly I had this incredible artistic community, financial independence, and most importantly, distance from a family environment that, while loving, could sometimes be a little, how shall I say, judgmental.
Monika: What was life like on the road, especially in those remote towns?
Vonni: Touring the outback, to remote little towns you would need a map and a prayer to find, gave me freedom I had not known before. And let me tell you, I was never a natural dancer. Choreographers used to throw their hands up in despair at my two left feet, but I had something else, stage presence, charisma, and the ability to charm an audience while they tried to figure out whether I was a man, a woman, or some sparkly hybrid of both.
Monika: And artistically, what did that period give you as a performer and as a person?
Vonni: I learned from legends, soaked up traditions from the Tivoli days, and received a masterclass in showmanship every night. Every time I walked out onto that stage, even in a tiny outback hall with more flies than audience members, I felt completely alive. It was exhausting, hilarious, terrifying, and glorious all at once. Touring with Les Girls did not just make me a performer, it made me Vonni. And those country halls were packed every night.
Monika: The early 1980s were a huge period of change for you, gender-affirming surgery, moving to Sydney, and joining Sammy Lee's Les Girls. How did all that come together?
Vonni: Oh Monika, it was a whirlwind. I had just had my gender-affirming surgery, which at that time was not something you simply booked online. It was mysterious, complicated, and slightly terrifying. But it cemented who I was, and I felt, finally, like me.
Monika: That must have been incredibly powerful and emotional. What happened next once you came out the other side of that experience?
Vonni: Then came this phone call from Carlotta, yes, the Carlotta, the queen of Australian showgirls herself. She said, "Vonni, pack your bags. You're coming to Sydney. Les Girls needs you." And I thought, "Well, I was born for the stage, right?"
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| Debra and Vonni, 1978, Canberra, Black Opal Steaks Day at Canberra race course, photo by The Canberra Times. |
Monika: And Carlotta did not just bring you to Sydney, she became a huge part of your life there. What was that time like, living and working so closely together?
Vonni: Having her live with me, I learned more about show business, professionalism, and just surviving in Kings Cross than I ever could have on my own. She was my anchor and my partner-in-crime, and that bond has lasted decades. Honestly, without her, I do not think I would have found my footing in Sydney's drag and cabaret scene. And let me tell you, having Carlotta in your life is like having a walking, talking, diamond-studded encyclopedia of fabulousness, you cannot help but sparkle by association.
Monika: These days, a lot of girls head off to Thailand for bottom surgery. How was it back in your day?
Vonni: In the 1970s there were very strict rules in Australia regarding bottom surgery. There was a "Sex Change Board" consisting of doctors, surgeons, psychiatrists, psychologists, and trans representatives.
Trans people, both male and female, had to see these professionals every few months for at least two years. They would have the final say on when a patient was ready for surgery, or whether more time and assessments were needed.
Monika: Did most of the showgirls back then go for bottom surgery, and did having it mean the end of a showgirl's career?
Vonni: Having bottom surgery actually made it easier and more comfortable to pursue a showgirl career.
Monika: Many of us feel the pressure to "pass" as women, and even after surgeries, society keeps judging us. How did you personally deal with such expectations?
Vonni: I am six foot tall, so my height has always drawn attention, mostly in a nice way. However, in this day and age, with trans visibility across all media, it can sometimes be negative. I have learned to ignore any negativity.
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| Vonni and Carlotta, 1989, Les Girls back stage at Kings Cross. |
Monika: Let's talk more about your inspirations and mentors. You've worked with some legendary performers. Who really shaped your career?
Vonni: Oh, hands down, Debra Legae. She was like a fairy godmother, but with diamonds, feathers, and a razor-sharp business mind. She did not just teach me how to do stage makeup properly, she showed me how to build a persona, how to command a stage, and how to carry myself like the showgirl I wanted to be.
She even taught me wig tricks no one talks about, like sewing combs into the front of a wig so you could pull your own hair through it, making it look natural under the stage lights. I swear, it changed the way I moved on stage and the confidence I carried.
Monika: She sounds incredibly hands-on. Beyond performance, what life lessons did she pass on to you?
Vonni: Then there was the practical side. Debra was ruthless about saving money. She would look at me and say, "Vonni, you're making all this money. Why aren't you buying a house? You've got to plan for the future." And I listened. She drilled it into me, always be smart, always think ahead, and never let the glitter blind you to reality.
She did not just care about the show, she cared about my life. In the very beginning of my stage career, she gave me hand-me-down costumes, showed me how to sew feathers and diamonds into my outfits, and gently told me when I needed a reality check.
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| Vonni's publicity photo by NIK V, 2015. |
Vonni: She had this uncanny ability to see what others did not. When I had a broken nose from a fight at La Belle, after being kicked in the face, she warned me when I joined the Melbourne touring show of Les Girls, "Vonni, I think the owners are going to get rid of you unless you fix your nose." I panicked, got it done, and it completely transformed my appearance. She had not even been told by the owners. It was her instinct, her care, and her foresight. That is the kind of friend she has been.
Monika: And after all these years, what does Debra still mean to you now?
Vonni: She is still my closest, dearest friend. We chat for hours on end, catch up whenever I am in Melbourne, and she even came to the opening night of Priscilla. I cried to have her there supporting me. It was beautiful.
Debra was also a phenomenal mentor because she balanced tough love with fierce support. She corrected me when I was heading off track, but lifted me up when I succeeded. She is the reason I auditioned for Melbourne Les Girls, and the reason I learned to manage my career like a business, not just a performance. Honestly, I would not be here without her, on stage, in life, or even just being me. She is fabulous, drop-dead gorgeous, barely aged a day since I met her, and still my ultimate diva inspiration. If I have a pedestal in my heart, she owns it.
END OF PART 1
All photos: courtesy of Vonni.
The main photo: 2018, makeup and photo by Aaron Crocker, aka Twitch.
© 2026 - Monika Kowalska
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