Gone but never forgotten — Trixie Laumonte (Lamont), born on December 7th, 1949 in Newcastle-On-Tyne in England, and became a legendary LES GIRLS star, Queen of Sydney’s Oxford Street and Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley mega star.

Trixie and her family emigrated to Australia when she was 10 years old. Trixie Laumonte’s drag career began at the iconic LES GIRLS in Sydney’s Kings Cross from the age of 16 where she worked for 7 years. The quick witted sarcastic and beautiful showgirl was often said to resemble movie star Sophia Loren.

Trixie who identified as a trans woman, after LES GIRLS worked CHEZ IVY, THE BIRDCAGE, CAPS, FOOKES, PALMS, FANTASY ISLAND and others but is famously known as a performer, hostess and MC at PATCHES, a gay nightclub on Oxford Street when on June 24, 1978 Trixie dragged customers out of the bar, literally to the cries coming from the street below of “out of the bars and into the streets”. She joined what turned out to be the 1st Sydney gay rights march / Mardi Gras parade with pride and camaraderie. It was at PATCHS, directly across Oxford Street from my regular Sydney haunt at the ridiculously high dangerous front dance floor at the EXCHANGE HOTEL in Darlinghurst, that I first met Trixie.

In the ’80’s, Trixie moved to Townsville before her final move to the Queensland capital after I agreed to engage her to headline at THE BEAT in Brisbane. Trixie took up residency at THE BEAT as my “hostess with the mostest”, and my bar manager had to dramatically increase the weekly Pernod liquor supply.

She stayed connected to THE BEAT for 30 years along with guest spots at THE TERMINUS, BAD HABITS, THE MEETING PLACE and FLASHES on the Gold Coast. After the much-loved legend of the Valley left THE BEAT, she lived more quietly, and suffered from ill health in recent years. Friends divulged on social media that Trixie had terminal cancer. In mid March 2024 she was moved into palliative care.

Known as Mummy to many within the Australian gay scene, according to nurse @skyeliner on X, Trixie Laumonte passed away at the Royal Brisbane Hospital peacefully around 1:00pm on March 16, 2024.