Nola Luxford was among the first New Zealand actors to appear in Hollywood films during the 1920s. She built a remarkable career as a writer and pioneering broadcaster and during World War II, founded the Anzac Club in New York City to support service personnel.

Her story features in The Auckland Museum Podcast – The Amp, Episode 11: Defining Diva, which also highlights the lives of several notable New Zealand women.

This Online Cenotaph Story and podcast are released alongside our new exhibition DIVA (28 June – 19 October 2025), which celebrate influential figures in music, fashion, and performance. Find out more and book tickets.

Early Life

Nola Luxford was born Adelaide Minola Pratt on 23 December 1895 in Hunterville, Rangitīkei. She moved with her family to Hastings as a young child, where her parents, Adelaide Agnes McGonagle and Ernest Augustus Pratt, owned and operated a bookstore.

From a young age, Nola showed a strong interest in performance. She learnt the piano and frequently took part in local repertory productions. In 1923, the Thames Star noted that she “always interested herself in amateur theatrics, and had a pretty face as well as considerable talent.”¹

After leaving school Nola worked as a ledger keeper at the Union Bank of Australia.² Her life was upended in April 1919 when her father eloped with a young assistant from his shop, which caused a local scandal.³ As a result, Nola, her siblings, and their mother faced gossip and public scrutiny. ⁴

During these years Nola began to establish herself in the film industry. By 1927, newspapers in New Zealand were referring to her as “New Zealand’s sole screen star at Hollywood”, especially as she was one of the few actresses to successfully transition from the silent film era to what were then colloquially known as ‘talkies’.⁶ She worked with Katharine Hepburn, Basil Rathbone, Norma Shearer, and Mary Astor, and starred in a theatre group that toured the West Coast of America and Canada.⁷

Career Success

After garnering success in Hollywood, Nola turned her attention to radio. In 1932, she persuaded executives at the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) that she should be the Australian and New Zealand commentator for the Los Angles Olympic Games.⁸ This proposal suprised NBC leadership, one manager reportedly asked “Who ever heard of a girl broadcasting sports events?”⁹

During this time Nola was navigating a prolonged and highly public divorce from William Bauernschmidt. The four-year legal battle attracted international attention. In July 1937, The Truth ran the headline “Nola Luxford Preferred Night Life, Says Husband” in which William accused her of having extravagant tastes beyond his means. ¹¹ The media portrayed Nola as a symbol of the ‘modern woman,’ often casting her as selfish, materialistic, and unwilling to conform to expectations of domestic sacrifice. The divorce was finalised in 1939.¹² Nola was awarded their Bel Air home alongside a lump sum of $25,000 (approximately $578,200 USD today).¹³

Despite intense public scrutiny, Nola’s career continued to advance. That same year, she was hired by NBC as one of the first female network news announcers. On 3 September 1939, she made history once more, announcing to the American public that Britain had declared war on Germany. During the conflict, Nola used her platform to facilitate broadcasts from servicemen to their families in New Zealand and Australia—messages that, in some cases, were the last contact before deployment to the front lines.

That simple request heralded Nola’s transition from celebrated broadcaster to dedicated fundraiser and organiser.¹⁵

The New York Anzac Club

What began as an informal offer of hospitality soon evolved into an organised and essential support network. The New York Anzac Club, located at 106 West Fifty-sixth Street, supported Australian and New Zealand service personnel visiting the city after training through the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) in Canada.

The BCATP was a joint World War II initiative between the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It aimed to provide advanced aircrew training before personnel were deployed to Europe or the Pacific. Between May 1940 and March 1945, 360 schools and ancillary units were established across 231 Canadian sites.¹⁶ In total, 131,553 aircrew graduated from the programme, with an average of 2,230 trainees gaining their Wings each month.¹⁷

During training, airmen were often granted weekend leave or fortnightly leave.¹⁸ Many used this time to travel, with cities like New York offering cultural experiences and social opportunities. Organisations such as the New York Anzac Club and the Women’s Division helped coordinate hospitality, providing accommodation, meals, and social events with American and Canadian families. These services were especially important for New Zealand personnel, whose pay was considerably lower than that of their Australian, British, or Canadian counterparts.¹⁹

After graduation, most airmen were afforded an additional two weeks’ leave before deployment. It was during this window that they often travelled from Canada to New York City. One such visitor was Flying Officer Don Adams, who trained in Calgary and spent time at the New York Anzac Club in 1944. He later recalled his experience fondly. While he did not see much of Nola Luxford directly, he remembered that “she was working around the club all the time.”²⁰

Nola’s tireless efforts ensured that visiting airmen had access to affordable accommodation, meals, concerts, parties, and city tours. She soon had the support of over 100 volunteers, mainly women, and coordinated a network of more than 500 homes where ANZACS could relax and enjoy themselves before they left to join the war effort in Europe.

By the end of the war, around 35,000 service personnel had passed through the New York Anzac Club. The club, officially closed on 1 February 1946, as reported by The New York Times on 26 January 1946. It also welcomed well-known performers and public figures such as Gracie Fields, Tallulah Bankhead, and Vera Lynn. In recognition of her contribution to the war effort, Nola Luxford was appointed an honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire and received both the American Award of Merit and the Queen’s Service Medal.

"This exchange of hospitality means much not only for today but for the world tomorrow.”²¹

The Rockefeller ANZAC Memorial Garden

Prime Minister Peter Fraser dedicated the space on 27 August 1941, and it officially opened on 2 June 1943, with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in attendance.

Now maintained in partnership with the Australian and New Zealand consulates, the garden continues to host ANZAC Day services. Though the plantings have changed, the site remains a lasting tribute to those who passed through the Anzac Club—and to those who did not return.²²

Legacy and later life

After the war, Nola remained a prominent public figure. She published a children’s book, Kerry Kangaroo, and lectured widely in the United States on themes of peace and the South Pacific. She also became an active conservationist and refugee advocate. In her personal life, Nola reconnected with Glenn Russell Dolberg, the NBC manager who had hired her to cover the 1932 Olympics. The two married on 1 August 1959 and settled in the Los Angeles hills, where they remained engaged in community life. Nola Luxford died on 10 October 1994. Her legacy spans New Zealand military history, broadcasting, and advocacy, and her work resonated both at home and overseas.