It is with great sadness that we honour Actress Judy McBurney who passed away at the age of 70 after a three year battle with cancer. Surrounded by her family, including her sister Kay and niece, Melissa, Judy died peacefully in her sleep on Saturday 1st December. Her followers first heard the news via her official facebook page – ‘It’s with huge sadness the news has just reached me that Judy passed away at 6.15 this morning at a hospital in Sydney after a battle with cancer,’
She became a household name after rising to fame in the hit TV series The Young Doctors where she played the role of nurse Tania Livingston from 1977 until the series ended in 1982. She then went on to play Sandra ‘Pixie’ Mason in Prisoner, a show inspired by the British television drama Within These Walls. The show gained a cult following for its portrayal of life inside a women’s minimum-security prison.
Judy was also well known as a model and voice-over artist for Television and Radio. In later years, she did many TV Commercial’s in Australia, America and Japan. Judy loved to pass on knowledge so it is not surprising to hear that she also taught modelling at The June Dally-Watkins School in Sydney.
Even as a young girl, Judy experienced a natural affinity for the healing of people who were in pain. She spend a number of years training to become a natural healer, in recent years Judy worked with the Acu Energetic Clinic.
Despite her battle with cancer, Judy always maintained a positive outlook. Her care and concern for her family and friends will be remembered fondly by those closest to her. The late Tony Alvarez, Judy’s on-screen husband in Young Doctors and one of her closest friends used to describe Judy as “a lovely lady who always finds a way to make you feel alive again when you’re feeling very down.”
Losing family and friends at this time of year is always difficult, so ALVA would like to honour Judy by posting her Christmas message recorded for the Perth Station STW-9
Judy’s farewell will be at Macquarie Crematorium – Crn Delhi & Plassey road Macquarie Park – Palm Chapel on Friday December 7th. 11.30am.