If there is one face that disproves the old adage that familiarity breeds contempt it must be that of Julie Andrews. It seems I’ve known her all my life. Mary Poppins was the first film I ever saw, taken to the cinema by my mum as a toddler in 1964. I remember it all, except sadly the dancing penguins bit when I had to be taken to the bathroom. Films like Poppins and 1965’s The Sound of Music were Christmas staples in the UK, as they still are all over the world. We’ve seen them, and that well-loved face, literally dozens of times. Forgive me then if, waiting in the corridor outside the Sydney Opera House boardroom for an interview with a person who seems somehow ingrained in every fibre of my being, I admit to a touch or two of nerves.

Dame Julie Andrews in Sydney with NSW Minister for Tourism, Stuart Ayres

When I’m ushered in, it’s a surprise and yet just as I’ve always assumed it would be. The face is instantly recognisable – at 80 the years have been remarkably kind – and despite the fact that...