Cindy Ray - Australia
Bev Robinson who went by the stage name Cindy Ray did the same thing for Australia and New Zealand in the 1960’s, as Betty Broadbent did for America - Making her first appearance as a tattooed lady at the Sydney showground in 1962.
Before appearing in many agricultural shows where she was described as the ‘classy lassie with the tattooed chassis’ and the woman who put the oo into tattoo. She was also known as Miss Technicolor at one time - and she appeared in the book ‘The Story Of a Tattooed Girl’ (about a tattooed lady traveling with a Country show) in 1960 - as well as being associated with an Australian tattoo supply company before going on to become an accomplished tattoo artist in her own right.
Bev started tattooing after marrying Danny Robinson Sr after his divorce from his first wife in 1964 – And after Bev and Danny divorced in 1978 - Bev went to tattoo with Vaughn Griffiths and Kevin Coppin at ‘Sailor Bill’s Grotto’ at 490 Flinders Street studio in Melbourne.
In 1981 saw Bev teaming up with her ex-husband Danny once again - but this time only in a business partnership - where the pair tattooed out of a studio at 50 St Kilda Road – before Bev moved on to her own tattoo studio in Williamstown, Melbourne, where she still works from today (2007). Cindy Ray (Bev Robinson) was inducted into the San Francisco ‘Tattoo Hall Of Fame’ at the ‘Old School Tattoo Expo’ held on the 11th to the 13th of November 2005 in St. Louis of the USA.
Copyright Paul Sayce.
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