LOCAL LIFE

by Greg Martin

I ’ m as sure as eggs is eggs that all of you are all aware of the Divine Miss M – the multi-talented singer , songwriter and actor , Bette Midler .

Well , we are fortunate that we have our own divine singer in our neck of the woods – the Divine Miss E – Divinia Eather .

The 22-year-old singer and songwriter would scoff at being compared to the Divine Miss M , but she is truly an amazing singer and musician who knows where her burgeoning talent will take her .

Plucking her guitar and belting out tunes across a wide range of genres is Divinia ’ s other life – her day job is marketing manager for her family ’ s transport , waste removal and plant hire business , Eather Group Pty Ltd .

Eather Group is one of Western Sydney ’ s major success stories and , after interviewing Divinia , I am of the impression she gets as much joy out of performing as she does in her marketing manager ’ s role .

From little things , big things grow and that has certainly been applicable to the Eather Group .

The company kicked off in 2010 as Eather Transport , with one driver – Peter – and one pink truck , a PH Mack 94 which of

Divinia with her most ardent fans , her parents and mentors at Eather Group , Peter and Sally-Ann Eather . Photo : Clarity Photography by Krystal Dempsey .

course was tagged “ Pinky ”.

A solid work ethic ensured the business would grow and the truck fleet began adding a wide range of heavy machinery as business expanded into other operations .

Eather Transport morphed into Eather Group Pt Ltd in 2012 and 11 years later offers a variety of services to an evergrowing list of satisfied customers , offering solutions on waste to resource , transport , bulk material supply and handling and plant hire .

Divinia ’ s marketing , computer , media and social media skills have added immensely to the business ’ growth in recent years since being appointed to the position in early 2021 .

Fresh out of Penrith Selective High with her HSC in 2019 – she did her early schooling at Windsor and Richmond public schools , Divinia joined her parents , managing director , Peter , and manager , Sally-Ann , at Eather Group .

Peter and Sally-Ann ensured she earned her “ stripes ” working in administration where she quickly lost her L plates with her work ethic and thirst for knowledge about what made the business tick .

Now , back to the divine Miss Divinia and her other life .

Her first venture into performing in front of audiences was in 2019 at the Tamworth Country Music Festival where

she delighted an audience with a half hour set in one of the minor venues .

But Divinia was back in a big way last year – her busking performances lured big audiences and she was selected as one of the buskers to do their thing on the Toyota Main Stage in the Top 10 Buskers competition .

“ I was runner-up singing one of my own compositions as well as The Proclaimers ’ rollicking 500 Miles , earning some prize money but more importantly a gig at one of the main venues this year ,” Divinia said .

That main venue was The Courthouse Hotel where for three hours she entertained a packed house , singing covers such as Joni Mitchell ’ s Big Yellow Taxi as well as her own compositions .

Divinia ’ s wonderful voice , guitar-playing and wide-ranging repertoire of songs ensure she regularly finds a telephone box to change from a mild-mannered businesswoman , into a dynamic and thoroughly entertaining , well , entertainer .

Divinia ’ s musical talent always guarantees she finds plenty of work in her other life .

“ I love singing and seeing the joy it brings my audiences wherever I perform - at weddings , in restaurants , bars , cafes , at corporate events and awards and just busking regularly at the Saturday Richmond Good Food Market ,” Divinia said . Her journey into music began at 11 when she became a student of renowned Richmond singing teacher , the late Aleda Johnson , who passed in 2017 .

The following year Divinia was awarded a scholarship to the Penrith

Songstress with the mostest ! Divinia Eather , in her other life , performing at a wedding .

Conservatorium of Music where she was fortunate to come under the influence of another highly credentialed mentor in North Richmond ’ s Teri Everard .

“ Miss Teri is an incredible teacher , and she significantly increased my previously small vocal range to the stage where I can make deliberate choices on how I sound whilst singing ,” Divinia said .

Not only can Divinia belt out just about any musical genre , but she also plays the guitar , a skill she taught herself over the past couple of years .

“ I learned to play the ukulele in 2018 but fellow musicians recommended I learn the guitar to make me more versatile , so I did ” she explained .

Divinia has recently commenced recording her first album which she says will eventually boast nine songs .

In the meantime , you can gauge Divinia ’ s talent by going to her website , diviniajean . com .

Her voice and skills on the guitar and the accompanying live looping she adds to her musical repertoire , ensure music is paying dividends to the Divine Divinia .

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THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au ISSUE 159 // AUGUST 2023 9