Australian born Donald Shanks retired from the Stage in 2004. He has an extensive list of major dramatic roles to his credit from Die Walküre, Tannhäuser, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Tristan und Isolde, Lohengrin, Boris Godunov, Simon Boccanegra, The Flying Dutchman, Macbeth, Don Carlo, Forze del Destino, Nabucco, Aida, Fidelio, The Eighth Wonder, Faust, L'incoronazione di Poppea and The Magic Flute. His repertoire also includes comic roles from The Marriage of Figaro, Don Pasquale, The Abduction from the Seraglio, The Italian Girl in Algiers, The Bartered Bride, The Barber of Seville, La Cenerentola, and belcanto roles in Lucia di Lammermoor, I Puritani, Norma, Roméo et Juliette, La fille du regiment, Eugene Onegin and Samson et Dalila. He chose to perform mainly in Australia but did sing with Paris Opera, Canadian Opera and Covent Garden . Over the years he performed with Opera Queensland and the Victoria State Opera, and appeared with ABC Orchestras in concert. He was awarded an OBE in 1986 and an AO in 1987 for his services to Opera.