Marjorie Conley was born on 24 June 1931 in
Stanmore,
Sydney,
New South Wales. Her parents were
Queenslanders Henry Conley, a baker, and his wife Evelyn Conley (). Conley was educated at Mascot and Gardeners Road public schools and learned to play the piano at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Convent. She then studied at the
New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music, undertaking advanced vocal work with Florence Taylor. In 1952, she won the national vocal section of the prestigious
ABC Young Performers Awards. That year she toured with the ABC. Conley won the Dame Nellie Melba Cup in 1953 and the
Mobil Quest in 1955. In 1953, Conley sang the lead operatic roles for
Clarice Lorenz's Opera Australia, including at the first performance of
John Antill's
Endymion. After their marriage, Conley and her husband both joined the
Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust (AETT) company for the inaugural
Mozart season of 1956. Conley and her husband had a son together, David, in 1957. She collapsed due to a cerebral
haemorrhage while holidaying with her young family at
Surfers Paradise. She died three weeks later on 11 August 1959 at
Brisbane, Queensland, aged 28. She was buried at Woronora Cemetery, Sydney. == References ==