Initially Daisy was trained as a pupil-teacher. In 1904 married Fred Basham with a number of moves around Taranaki ended up making Ngatea her home for a number of years with a final move to Wellington in the 1930’s. Began broadcasting seriously in 1928 with a powerful singing voice. By 1932 Daisy was the breadwinner (Great Depression) and continued her career through World War II and beyond with outstanding success.
- Her personality was endearing, engaging and relatable to all age groups
- Daisy was the celebrity of her day with an enormous following of devoted listeners to her radio shows
- First lady of popular broadcasting and a powerful advertising force. In 1956 awarded an MBE and was broadcasting up to a few days before her death in 1963.
- Her theme was domesticity with handy hints of being the best of housekeepers and recipes where economy was the hallmark of success
- Her motto was ‘Good morning, good morning … cheerful optimism rang throughout her broacasts
“The Aunt Daisy Cookbook with Household Hints” was and is a runaway success. The cookbook was reprinted in 1977, edited by Barbara Basham and in 2010 saw the 22nd reprint of the book, almost 50 years after Aunt Daisy’s death. Want a copy, it’s still available …
Ants: Stand legs of table in tins of water or tie fur around the legs – prevents them from crawling up.
Bee stings: To relieve a bee sting, take the outside peel of an orange and squeeze it on the sting. The oil in the orange skin relieves the pain.
Beetroot stains: When beetroot stains the tablecloth, soak a piece of white bread in water and lay on. Also good for fruit stains.
Blood stains: Never put anything hot on bloodstains. Try soaking in cold water containing washing soda or salt.
Soup: Always add a little Marmite to vegetable soup and a little chopped mint.
Windows (to clean): Make a pad of newspaper and sprinkle it with ammonia. Rub the insides of the window with this and you may not be troubled with flies.
From the editor’s copy of her Aunt Daisy cookhome …
