54:, Australia. His parents were Oswald Henry Bishop, a tinsmith by trade and a stage magician who performed under the stage name 'Alma, the Court Magician', and Rosetta Mary Long, a piano teacher. He was an only child. After his father abandoned the family and moved to the US, his mother forbade the young Bishop (later Alma) from considering magic as a career.
70:, Bishop studied magic in secret, against his mother's wishes. His first performance was at an amateur talent contest at the Burke Road Congregational Church in Malvern at the age of 15 – after which his mother accepted and supported his career as a stage magician.
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In 1949, Bishop changed his name by deed poll to
William George Alma. He enjoyed a successful career as a performer and a manufacturer of conjuring apparatus and props, with a particular highlight being touring Australia and New Zealand with
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Originally a solo project, Alma began working in conjunction with the library to grow the collection in later life, acting as an honorary curator and adviser before bequeathing the full collection to the library upon his death in 1993.
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After having a heart attack, Alma retired from performing and turned his attention to curating the collection of magic memorabilia which would later become the WG Alma
Conjuring Collection.
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public holiday "for service as a magician and to the conservation of conjuring memorabilia." In the same year he received a
Presidential Citation from the
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Yates, Margaret (June 1993). "Will Alma O.A.M. M.I.M.C. 109401993".
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as
Technical Adviser and Technician Levante's 'How's Tricks' show.
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Strasser, Peter (June 1993). "Eulogy of Will Alma".
358:Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia
140:Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia
133:"Order of Australia List, Queen's Birthday 1991"
34:4 November 1904 – 6 May 1993) was an Australian
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104:The WG Alma Conjuring Collection, housed at
50:Oswald George William Bishop was born in
240:"Will Alma - The Magician and His Magic"
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94:International Brotherhood of Magicians
84:In 1991 he was awarded a Medal of the
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316:"And now a touch of real magic".
268:Flux, Elizabeth (15 July 2017).
270:"WG Alma Conjuring Collection"
193:"WG Alma Conjuring Collection"
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343:People from Malvern, Victoria
100:WG Alma Conjuring Collection
96:for his services to magic.
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62:After acquiring a copy of
296:Australian Magic Monthly
170:Australian Magic Monthly
197:State Library Victoria
106:State Library Victoria
40:State Library Victoria
32:George William Bishop;
338:Australian magicians
16:Australian magician
274:The Saturday Paper
86:Order of Australia
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217:"Will Alma".
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68:David Devant
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353:1993 deaths
348:1904 births
46:Early years
332:Categories
318:Herald Sun
279:22 January
250:22 January
202:22 January
146:22 January
116:References
22:Will Alma,
176:: 1, 2.
88:on the
76:Levante
52:Malvern
142:. 1991
58:Career
29:Oswald
27:(born
136:(PDF)
302:: 1.
281:2018
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