I was Helen's first singing pupil. I was recommended by Herrick Bunney who was musical director of the Edinburgh Royal Choral Union. I phoned her and she thought it was a joke as she didn't teach singing but Herrick had been trying to get her to do it. She said "is that you Evelyn" and I repeated my name "Patricia Morrison". The following week I went to her house and the rest is history.

She was a fun person and, as I am a contralto, I found this a benefit. My boyfriend, Ian Knox, who later became my husband, also went to her. In later years I went to a concert where she was performing and was interested to read the final sentence of her history  "and she is much sought after as a teacher of singing".