'‘Musical Melbourne owes Mrs Dyer a debt of gratitude that cannot be estimated.’1 These were the words that lawyer, public servant and arts supporter Sir Robert Garran used to express collective appreciation, on behalf of those who witnessed the occasion, for Louise Dyer’s contribution to the first Australian performance of British composer Gustav Holst’s opera Savitri. The memorable event took place on 30 September 1926 at the Playhouse Theatre in Melbourne. It was a successful fundraiser for the city’s British Music Society (Victorian Centre), underwritten and organised by Dyer, its founder.' (Introduction)