Tributes have been paid to a Neighbours actress who grew up in Wales. Joan Sydney emigrated to Australia when she was 21 and went on to star in A Country Practice and as fan-favourite character Valda Sheergold in the long-running soap that came to an end last year.
The star of screen and stage has been remembered as "a corker of a character" following her death at the age of 86 in a care facility in Victoria, Australia, on December 29 after a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease.
Her eldest son Tony Braxton-Smith confirmed the news to the PA news agency saying: "I think she will be fondly remembered as a great entertainer with a wicked wit and a warm heart."
