Lynda Topp


Dame Lynda Bethridge Topp is one half of the Topp Twins, a music comedy duo of New Zealand, the other member being her twin sister Jools Topp. Lynda Topp has been singing and entertaining with her sister for decades, touring live music and comedy performances as well as TV and film. Both sisters were appointed Dames Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours.

Background and personal life

On 14 May 1958, Jean Topp gave birth to twin sisters Lynda and Jools in Huntly, New Zealand. They have an older brother Bruce and their father is Peter. Lynda Topp grew up with her family on a dairy farm in Waikato. Topp attended Ruawaro Combined School during the 1960s and early 1970s. Lynda and Jools started singing together for other people when they were five years old, when they were nine their brother bought them a guitar from money he had saved up.
After leaving Huntly College in 1976, Jools and Lynda Topp joined the New Zealand Territorial Force and were posted at the Burnham Military Camp near Christchurch for six weeks. When they were 17, they performed at the Victorian Coffee Lounge. This brought them into contact with radical lesbian feminists. They both started identifying as lesbian from the late 1970s. Much of their life has been in the public eye and their mother was interviewed by Radio New Zealand about the closure of the Women's Weekly magazine in 2020 talking about how much her children had been featured in these magazines.
Lynda enjoys hunting and fly fishing, which is why she chose to live in the South Island of New Zealand. Lynda has done many things in addition to being an entertainer, including running a café with her partner Donna in Methven, Canterbury. In March 2013, Lynda married her long-time partner Donna Luxton, a preschool teacher. At the time of their marriage, same-sex marriage was not legal in New Zealand, so the couple entered into a civil union as a substitute for marriage. Same-sex marriage was made legal in New Zealand just a few months after the wedding.
On the birth of a new generation with Lynda being a grandparent and Jools being a grand aunt they admitted they didn't expect it when they were younger because as they said: "We're all gay", referring also to their brother. Both Lynda and Jools Topp use their celebrity status with humour to inform people of issues such as feminism, Māori land rights, homosexual law reform and nuclear free and have been recognised by the LGBT community as being inspirational.

Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill

Before the third reading of the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill, which ultimately passed and legalised same-sex marriage in New Zealand, the Topp Twins publicly endorsed the bill in a post on their website. In a statement, Lynda said:
Everybody should be able to stand up and say "I'm getting married". A Civil Union is demeaning, this idea that you will never be good enough, that your love is somehow less than or not as worthy. There's no romance to it. And today, I feel more romantic and more in love than I've ever felt in my life.

Breast cancer

In March 2022 Lynda and Jools revealed that they had both been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021.

Local politics

Topp ran for election to the Ashburton District Council Western Ward in the 2022 local elections. She was unsuccessful, coming third with 777 votes.

Career

Lynda Topp along with her sister Jools has had a long career in entertainment in New Zealand. They sing country and folk music with harmonies often to raise people's social consciousness. As entertainers Lynda Topp leads the comedy and "works the audience", and mostly Jools plays the guitar and leads the song making. Lynda focused on yodelling. The Topp Twins' popularity arose from a regular stint busking in Auckland when they were in their early 20s. They got taken to court for causing obstruction on Queen Street because their crowd was too big. They won the case and benefited from the publicity. Soon after that they travelled and performed to university crowds around New Zealand. They are well known for their costumed comedic characters such as Ken & Ken, and Camp Leader and Camp Mother. They have been a lot on TV in character including in 2000 hosting a quiz show called Mr and Mrs, in which couples answered questions about how well they knew each other, and a 2014 to 2016 cooking show called Topp Country.

Awards

Aotearoa Music Awards

The Aotearoa Music Awards are an annual awards night celebrating excellence in New Zealand music and have been presented annually since 1965.
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Screenography

  • Give us a clue. 2021, As: Ken – Television
  • Wellington Paranormal – Covid-19. 2020, As: Mrs O'Leary – WebFunny As: The Story of New Zealand Comedy. 2019, Subject – TelevisionFunny As: The Story of New Zealand Comedy. 2019, Subject – TelevisionWellington Paranormal. 2019–2021, As: Officer O'Leary's Mum – TelevisionPoi E: The Story of Our Song. 2016, Subject – FilmTopp Country. 2014 – 2016, Presenter – TelevisionThe Topp Twins and the APO. 2010, Presenter, Presenter – TelevisionThe Topp Twins: – Untouchable Girls. 2009, Subject – FilmKen's Hunting and Fishing Show. 2007, Director, As: Ken Moller – TelevisionKen's Hunting and Fishing Show – Tongariro. 2007, As: Ken Moller, Director – TelevisionThe Adventures of Roman Pilgrim. 2005, As: One of the Fates – Short FilmMr and Mrs. 2000, Presenter – TelevisionIn Search of the Lonesome Yodel. 2000, Presenter – TelevisionThe Topp Twins – Highland Games. 2000, Performer, Writer, Producer – TelevisionThe Topp Twins – Speedway. 1998, Performer, Writer, Producer – Television1998 Hero Parade. 1998, Subject – TelevisionDestination Planet Earth. 1997 – 1998, Subject – TelevisionHighwater. 1997, As: Marge – TelevisionThe Topp Twins. 1996 – 2000, Writer, Musician, Producer – TelevisionThe Topp Twins – The Beach. 1996, Performer, Writer, Producer – TelevisionThe Topp Twins: Do Not Adjust Your Twinset. 1996, Presenter – TelevisionBeyond a Joke!. 1995, Subject – TelevisionThe People Next Door. 1994, Subject – TelevisionCamping Out with the Topp Twins. 1993, Musician – TelevisionRivers of NZ. 1992, Subject – TelevisionGreat New Zealand River Journeys. 1991, Presenter – TelevisionTopp Twins TV Special. 1986, MusicianThat's Country. 1980 – 1984, Performer – Television

Books

2018 Topp Country: A Culinary Journey Through New Zealand with the Topp Twins by Jools Topp and Linda Topp Hardcover
She has also released five best-selling children’s audio books.

Discography

The Topp Twins have released a number of vinyls, tapes, and CDs.