If you have ever been to see a BATS Theatre Company Inc. production, you would have noticed the attention to detail in the costuming. BATS have been privileged with having on board the dedication and expertise of an extraordinary costume mistress, Nancy Moule.

Nancy was born in Cairns in 1939, to English parents. After leaving school she started her employment with Penny’s, now K-Mart from 1953-1954 and later worked in a frock shop. We need to bear in mind that in those days all the calculating was done in your head, and, of course tills did not add up or subtract.

Nancy married and had a family. Her and her family moved to the Sunshine Coast in 1971 and finally set up a permanent home in 1973. Nancy joined BATS Theatre Company Inc in 1973 as a member because her eldest daughter, who was eleven years at the time was interested in performing. In 1974 BATS produced Oklahoma where Nancy and her two daughters were part of the chorus. Nancy volunteered to do the children’s costumes for the show. After that BATS produced Sound of Music where Nancy and her children were also performing. In 1977 she became instrumental in making costumes for My Fair Lady. From 1977 until the present, Nancy has been responsible for all the wardrobe requirements for BATS. These requirements included anything from designing and creating costumes for short plays, musicals and full-length plays including classic, period, Victorian etc, from the 1920’s to the present.

With her passion for costume design, Nancy needed to research into what the requirements were for the plays, reading books, going to the library etc. and collecting what was necessary including all the adornments. She is self taught in this craft mainly because of her love of the theatre and passion to see the end result of her work and the production. In addition, Nancy has been active in giving support to other theatre groups on the Coast. Apart from the above, she has done a great deal of charity work for organisations such as the Red Cross Singers, and also other charity work where the proceeds were donated to other groups, i.e. Life Line, Friedreich Ataxia (FA) (a rare inherited disease that causes progressive nervous system damage), Motor Neurone, St. Vincent’s de Paul Society, Quota and others.

BATS awarded Nancy Life Membership in 1990, for her seventeen years of service. 1990 was the opening of Annie Get Your Gun for which Nancy made the costumes for, of course. (Nancy said she made them in a motel room in Brisbane). Apparently, the Buderim War Memorial Hall had been renovated at that time and this was BATS first production in the newly renovated hall.

Nancy recalls the days when our current Props’ Room had a dirt floor. The stage steps had cracks and gaps in them. The original building was very old and there were no steps to the wings on one side and the cast would need to run up the side of the hall and climb up a ladder. Adding to her credit Nancy still does charity and voluntary work, ten years at Buderim Views Aged Care and helps at her church (Uniting).

Nancy says she has four families: one, her own family; two, the BATS family; three, her church family; and four, the Buderim Views family. Nancy does not think about retiring, believing she will continue making fantastic costumes forever. Nancy is one of the longest serving member of BATS. She has a high regard for all wardrobe mistresses on the Coast and considers them all her friends and hard working.