Madame Kira Bousloff, a ballerina with the Ballet Russes, had travelled with the company to the east coast of Australia in 1938. She settled in Melbourne after her commitment to the Ballet Russes was complete, later moving to Perth with her second husband, composer James Penberthy. She fell in love with the city, declaring that the beautiful coastline reminded her of the French Riveria and later stated "When I came to the airport in little Perth at the end of the world, I put my feet on the ground, I looked around and I said loudly and strongly, 'This is where I'm going to live, and this is where I'm going to die ... this is my place'".