The Seekers epitomised the 60s. With number ones in the UK, US and all over the world, Judith Durham's voice packed out stadiums and had people humming her tunes across the continent, writes Katherine MacAlister.

Their single Georgy Girl made history when the Seekers became Australia's first US chart-toppers, and their single The Carnival Is Over knocked The Rolling Stones' Get Off Of My Cloud from the top spot and stayed there for three weeks. It sold around 90,000 copies a day at its peak, and in 2002 ranked No. 30 in the UK top 100 best-selling singles.

Judith Durham

But in 1968, after six years with the group, Judith decided she 'wasn't being fulfilled musically', and left. The Best of the Seekers album then reached No.1, knocking the Beatles' The White Room from the top, and stayed in the charts for 125 weeks.

One critic described Judith's move as: "Without any notion of the lasting grief to be suffered by millions of Seekers fans."

Judith, now 59, a teetotal, non-smoking, vegetarian,

settled in Queensland and devoted herself to her own music, covering genres from classical to jazz and pop, and completing nine albums.

The Seekers, on the other hand, never regained the same popularity.

Judith expected the furore of her defection to die down, but 25 years later realised it never would and reformed The Seekers in 1993 for a silver anniversary tour.

"It wasn't easy to recreate that 60s feel. I had to make

my voice as light as possible. And it wasn't easy, emotionally or mentally," she says.

"But the music had come to mean more and more to the fans. I had assumed other groups would come along and take our place, but that didn't happen for them, and I felt I was the burden and the reason it wasn't happening.

"I was more adjusted this time around because I had

accomplished stuff musically on my own, so I could come back to the 60s and enjoy it for what it was and share that."

In 1997, the album Judith Durham: The Seekers Future Road was released, and went triple platinum. The Seekers Live In Concert 1993 video knocked Michael Jackson's Dangerous video from the No.1 spot.

Now that's out of her system, Judith is touring the country solo, for the first time in seven years, which after more than 40 years in the business, she still loves. Mixing The Seekers' hits with some jazz, piano and songs from her new album Hold Onto Your Dreams, her present show is much more diverse.

Such is her pull, fans aretravelling halfway round the world to hear that 'one in a million golden voice' live.

Judith's husband of 25 years was English, and she views England as her second home. Pianist and musical director Ron Edgeworth died of motor neurone disease in 1994.

Judith has lived both in England and Australia over the years, and was in London for four years with The Seekers. "I am very comfortable over here, although my visits are now tinged with sadness," she says.

"I was driving through the East End yesterday, on the way to an interview, and there was so much I wanted to share with Ron and ask him about. But I have to face life without him now. He gave me so much to build on and I had a very happy marriage," Judith says.

"I believe in destiny and I feel I have come full circle. It's an interesting time because I'm coming up to my 60th and a lot of things have been resolved. I was always in conflict when I was in The Seekers, then felt guilty for leaving. But I have stuck to my ideals and believe in the saying 'everything comes to she who waits'."

Judith Durham's diamond tour visits Oxford's Apollo on June 5. Box office 0870 6063500.