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- Ballina-based former police officer Lance Ferris dedicated his life to fixing the plight of the pelicans.
- A lawyer and host broadcaster Susanna Lobez, well known in the legal fraternity as the host of ABC Radio National's "Law Report".
- Fred Hyde is an 81 year old dynamo from the Queensland bush who has single-handedly set up and maintained an organisation which is providing schools for thousands of children in the poorest area of Bangladesh.
- Cold Wind in August centres on the baffling death of 15 year old Sydney schoolboy Eric Wilson in 1997.
- Marian Watson was a respected and high profile Canberra professional. She had been awarded the Order of Australia medal for her work as a drugs rehabilitation campaigner and administrator. But Marian Watson was living a double life.
- The Australian bush welcome extended to two families fleeing the troubles in Zimbabwe.
- Agony, ecstasy and unintended hilarity as a group of ordinary policeman are driven to the limits of endurance. They are attempting to become members of the Special Operations Group.
- Simon Tedeschi is famous as Australia's pint-sized piano prodigy.
- Former Olympian Raelene Boyle introduces this Australian Story, about long time friend and surfing legend Kim McKenzie.
- A League of His Own: This story is an unusual and revealing look at the personal side of a normally very private individual. Ken Cowley is Rupert Murdoch's top man in Australia for News Limited, and is the chairman of Ansett. We join him in the Queensland outback where he talks about his passion for the bush, his love of roses, and his long-standing friendship with the legendary R.M Williams. He reveals major turning points in his life, and provides insight into his business life and his relationships with Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan. The guest presenter for this story is Lachlan Murdoch. PLUS: Twilight Rebel: This is a story about a man who could not be more removed from the corporate manouverings of News Limited. His name is Harry Reade. He's a pensioner and he lives on a small boat. Reade is a passionate old leftie...a former cartoonist, children's author and revolutionary who went to Cuba to fight with Fidel Castro and Che Guevara.
- Michael Willesee dominated Australian current affairs television for nearly three decades. For a long time everything he touched, inside and outside the media industry, turned to gold, seemingly without much effort on his part. In the late eighties, after a couple of highly publicised controversies, he walked away from his on camera life and pursued a number of outside business interests including a thoroughbred horse stud. The son of a Whitlam Government Cabinet Minister, Sen. Don Willesee, young Michael says he fell into journalism by accident. Now in his late fifties, twice divorced, father of five and grandfather of one, Michael Willesee seems to be engaged on his own search for meaning. He is increasingly committed to making documentaries about subjects he considers important.
- A little known horse breeder from Gunnedah - Bridget "Bud" Hyem - the woman behind two of Australia's most successful horses.
- Randall Clinch didn't even learn to read and write until he was thirty-two. It was then he discovered he had a natural talent for communicating with people, especially children, and helping them to change destructive attitudes.
- Wayne Bennett is coach of the Rugby League Premiers, the Brisbane Broncos and is generally regarded as one of the most interesting and enigmatic figures in Australian sport.
- When Tan Le was just four years old she fled Vietnam in a boat with her mother. They endured a dangerous and terrifying voyage before eventually being accepted into Australia as refugees. They had no money, no possessions and no male breadwinner. But both Tan Le and her mother Mai have achieved personal success. Mai was last year voted mayor of Maribyrnong. Tan is in the last year of a law degree. Both have made outstanding contributions of their local community as volunteer workers. Tan is an enthusiastic AFL supporter and is the Bulldogs No.1 ticket holder. Receiving her Young Australian of the Year Award, Tan paid tribute to the acceptance she and her family had received in Australia. "I accept this award as a young Australian on behalf of all Australians and on behalf of all those who have been welcomed and on behalf of all those who continue to welcome," she said. "We are all Australians. We can all be proud of it and work towards a country that accepts everyone, not for the way they look or because they are wealthy or successful but, because of the person they are. And when we have that as a fundamental benchmark I think Australia can be a much better place." PLUS: Top Brass: One hundred years ago Bill and Charles Downing forged a business that has been passed from father to son, and relies solely on good, old-fashioned values and quality workmanship. Alderice Brassfounders survived the Depression, and two world wars, and recently the company held its Centenary celebrations in Warrnambool, Victoria. The business has occupied the same building since 1920, with virtually no modern equipment and only the occassional lick of paint - even the receptionist has been with Alderice for 52 years. This is a lovely story about an enduring family tradition, defying the forces of economic rationalism.
- The story of former model and TV presenter Patrice Newell and her decision - together with her partner, Phillip Adams - to move to a ten thousand acre beef cattle property in the Hunter Valley, where they now also grow olives.
- Former NSW Police Commissioner Tony Lauer and his family.
- Matt Laffan likens himself to the character in the movie "Babe" - a pig that doesn't know it's a pig. He is severely disabled but only notices it when others point it out.
- Seven years ago Annabel Walsh received a call from the local police informing her that her husband, John, had been involved in a car accident. She wasn't too worried, aware that he often drove too fast and there was no other vehicle involved. However, Annabel was shocked when she saw the extent of his injuries and she realised that her life would never be the same. John was left with serious brain injuries, able only to squeeze her hand. He will never recover and is permanently hospitalised. Consequently, Annabel decided not to sell the farm as she was being urged to do, but stay there with her three children and attempt to run it herself. She has done this with aplomb - managing not only the property and the children, but finding time for community work as well. Annabel resumed her pilot's licence to make it easier to get around and threw herself into the task of making the land pay. Many of the people she meets thinks she is remarkable for running the property on her own, but she sees it as just getting on with life. PLUS: Chariots of Fire Gavin Sandford-MorganMotoring journalist Peter Wherrett introduces the story of Gavin Sandford-Morgan who has turned a passion for vintage cars into an internationally successful restoration business. It started with death of Gavin's wife when he was 62. Anxious to keep busy he set up a workshop in Adelaide to restore his own cars and those of friends. One thing led to another and now cars are sent to him from all over the world.
- 1996– 28mTV EpisodeA Soldier's Story: Sir William Keys reflects on his use of Chinese medicine to combat his cancer. PLUS: Wild Stallion: Glen Innes farmer Robert Watchirs applies natural horsemanship techniques to catch and train a wild stallion in the bush. PLUS: Dante's Inferno: From Canberra, a look behind the scenes of Neil Cameron's spectacular production of Dante's Inferno featuring a huge amateur cast and real fire. The cast and crew overcome adverse weather to stage their poetic and inspiring work in an outdoor setting.
- In 1997 a manuscript turned up at Penguin Australia in Melbourne. Penguin editor, Claire Forster expected to scan and discard it in a few minutes but she found she couldn't put it down and three hours later she was still reading it.
- Dr John Crozier is a Sydney surgeon with a wife and two children and a Lieut. Colonel in the Army Reserve, and at any time of the day or night a phone call may summon him to a global crisis spot to provide urgent humanitarian aid.
- Matt Ponsoby is blind. He's only got one leg. And he's dying. But that hasn't stopped him from working in the highly competitive field of voice over production in Sydney.
- Film maker and author Pamela Traynor introduces the story of two amazing and indomitable young Australians, Allana Arnot and Mark Bagshaw.
- A Wing and a Prayer The inspirational story of Marion McCall, wife of the Anglican Bishop of the Willochra area in South Australia. Her husband's diocese takes in nine tenths of the state. Three years ago as the youngest of her five children approached adulthood, Marion decided she needed a new challenge. Her husband was away a lot of the time driving round his vast diocese. So she hit on the idea of becoming a pilot so she could be with him and fly him around the bush. The idea captured the imagination of the local community who came up with the idea of purchasing shares in the Bishop's wife to raise the $10,000 or so needed for flying lessons. At first Marion was "scared to death" and convinced she was going to die every time she landed or took off. But now she is a qualified pilot and has obtained her night licence. Marion's next plan is to raise funds to buy a plane for the diocese. A charming but candid portrait of the life of the rural clergy and their continuing importance in the bush. PLUS: His Own Trumpet Singer and trumpeter Vince Jones is one of Australia's best known jazzmen. He's been performing and recording for years but has rarely talked about his private passion... the environment. Our story reveals a surprising serious side to Vince Jones ... not the Mr Cool of the late night jazz clubs but the committed greenie who puts his principles into practice ... sometimes at considerable personal cost and risk.
- A Woman's Place: Mary Kostakidis from SBS Television introduces the first story which is about Mary Kalantzis - and yes, lots of people get them mixed up. They have both taken a very high profile in the 'multi-cultural' arena. Mary Kalantzis came to Australia as a small child. Her parents felt that a good education was only required to improve her status as a potential bride and she was married straight from school - the marriage arranged by her parents. Since then Mary has gone on to educate herself and become one of the best known academics in the country. She is a professor at James Cook University. She holds passionate views about Australia and the need for individuals to be pro-active in their communities. She believes that multi-culturalism is much more than singing and dancing and being happy with our differences. She is intense and passionate in her views - and great fun - a woman of wit and substance with a surprising passion for Elvis Presley. PLUS: Song of Joy: Another woman of substance, this time in the operatic arena. Elizabeth Whitehouse is one of the great opera singers in the world currently singing the lead in The Flying Dutchman at the Sydney Opera House. This is her first trip home to Australia in many years, and her enthusiasm for the country and its major icon, the Opera House is unbounded and infectious. This film is a wonderful blend of Elizabeth's personality combined with stunning pictures and music.
- Dan Halloran, now on the verge of adulthood has helped write a book to try to assist other families dealing with schizophrenia.
- Accidental Hero: Introduced by Caroline Jones, this is the amazing story of Josh Yeldham, the young Sydney film maker and painter who, at the age of 23, picked up an Emmy award and an Oscar nomination for his very first film. Josh, the son of two prominent Sydney business people, based that successful first film Frailejon on his own real life experiences in the mountains of Venezuela when only the intervention of a hermit saved him from probable death. He made Frailejon on a tiny budget by persuading twenty friends to pay their own expenses to fly to South America and film the movie. Somewhat disconcerted by the instant acclaim that followed, Josh took off, alone in a combi van and headed into outback New South Wales. He ended up bogged and stranded with water supplies fast running out. Once again, only the intervention of chance passers by saved him. He was befriended by people in the district and took up residence in an abandoned double decker bus where he started thinking through ideas for his next film ... a project involving acclaimed young actor, Claudia Karvan. Some of his elaborate storyboards for the movie made their way into a Sydney art gallery where they promptly sold like hotcakes as works of art in their own right. Of his propensity for turning accidents into successful art, Josh says, "If you travel, you're ultimately an observer until you have an accident or a collision or a situation that just throws you into other people's lives." Actor Chris Johnson who played Josh in Frailejon says "I think Josh has a touch of craziness about him.. good craziness or eccentricity. I mean he's a stable member of society but he's touched by something that is exciting, the kind of thing that was able to take twenty people up a mountain." But at the heart of this moving and beautifully photographed story is a father-son relationship. Josh's father, Tony founded Sydney's successful Squire Shops. When Josh was young he was very tied up with his business. Mr Yeldham recounts his own strong reaction to Frailejon which he interpreted as "a son saying to his father, hey here I am and where were you. What were you doing when I needed you. "And I was really rocked. Every father thinks he's great and doing the right thing so when it dawns on you that you've been neglectful in many areas ...it was a huge shock to me. I could hardly leave my seat in the theatre." PLUS: A Girl Like Alice: A short story about Alice Bennett, a young woman who shares her father's passion for photography.
- For two decades the Halvagis family worked hard to get everything they ever wished for, four happy and healthy children and a thriving business. But in a few frenzied moments, it all came crashing down.
- Follows RSPCA Inspectors on an eye opening variety of raids and investigations, as they gather evidence and attempt to bring perpetrators to justice.
- The man credited with pioneering a new approach to crime and justice, in Australia - and increasingly around the rest of the world.
- Arthur, desperate for a break from Maggie, plans a two week holiday with a girlfriend, to exciting Wellington, New Zealand. He keeps it secret from Maggie lest his plans be foiled.
- Arthur gets a sitter for Maggie when he wants a night out with his ex-wife, Deirdre. Maggie scares the sitter away and she and Arthur quarrel. He still goes out, but so does Maggie, and she ends up at the same place as Arthur and Deirdre.
- 1996– 28mTV EpisodeAustralia Street: Australia Street is a project by the Australian Museum and the University of Technology in Sydney, to document Australian suburban life on the internet. Everyone living on an Australia Street around the country was asked to participate - and a surprising number agreed. Every aspect of their lives and homes has been recorded. The project has proved the philosophy of Australian Story - that everyone has a tale to tell. We catch up with just two of the participants who reveal the richness of Australian suburbia. We get to know everything about them from their hobbies, their intriguing pasts, their photo albums even their bathroom decor. We will catch up with other participants in future editions of Australian Story. PLUS: Mother and Sons: A poignant story from the Northern Territory about a Vietnam Veteran bike rally that has been travelling around Australia. The story features "mother" who used to be a singer for the troops during the Vietnam War - and now acts as a counsellor for the vets - and her "sons", the vets. We also meet "Grub", a veteran who has felt lost for many years but has rediscovered his family and a sense of belonging through the mateship on this rally. PLUS: The Underwoods of Riveren: The story of life in what city folk would consider to be the harsh and isolated conditions of Riveren Station on the headwaters of the Victoria River in the Northern Territory. A true love story - our heroes met when he was a patient in a city hospital and she was his nurse. He told the patient in the next bed that this was the woman he would marry. That was 30 years ago and since then they've built a station from nothing and raised 4 children. The Underwoods consider themselves to be modern pioneers. They represent the dying era of the family owned cattle property. The Duracks, the Vesteys, the Quiltys, the Buchanans have all gone - replaced by corporate management - but the Underwoods survive.
- Putting the 'real' back into reality TV, the award-winning series with no narrator and no agendas, just authentic stories told in people's own words. For 26 years we have been telling the stories of extraordinary Australians.
- Chairman of the ACCC, Prof. Allan Fels is one of the most powerful men in Australia. He has copped a lot of flak from big business which fears the country's best known regulator. For the ordinary consumer he's a hero. This week Australian Story delves into the unusual private life of an enigma. For the first time, Professor Fels tells of the impact his professional life has had on him and his family.
- 1996– 29mTV EpisodeAn unlikely friendship between two blokes from the bush and how they teamed together to "save the bilby" with remarkable results.
- Ben's Gift is a story about giving and receiving the greatest gift - the gift of life. It is also about the unravelling of a mystery and about a unique friendship forged out of tragedy.
- Best of Blokes: The final program in the series concentrates on some of the memorable men featured on Australian Story. There's the quintessentially Aussie saga of Robert G. Barrett... the butcher who became a best selling author and the scourge of the literary set. (See Program 3 - 12th June). This is followed by the story of Robin Mogg, who suffered from Motor Neurone Disease, yet still cheerfully embraced the issues most of us spend our whole lives avoiding. Robin died just prior to the original airing of his story, but his wife has been contacted by people from all over the world telling her how touched and affected they were by his courage. (See Program 6 - 3rd July) The series concludes with a reminder of some of the other Aussie Blokes featured on the show.
- Helicopter pilot Nick Ross talks exclusively to Australian Story about why he gave a kidney to his close friend and employer, Kerry Packer.
- Best of Relationships: This week's program is all about relationships. There's Betty & Me, the moving story of a marriage trying to come to terms with the burden of Alzheimers Disease. (See Program 8 - 17th July). This is followed by Dante's Inferno, an extraordinary tale of a group of strangers battling the elements to stage an outdoor theatre production, under the direction of Neil Cameron. (See Program 1 - 29th May) The program finishes with a montage of several of the many characters who've shared their lives and relationships with Australian Story over the past six months.
- Betty & Me: Betty and Me is a love story. It is the story of Betty and Dudley Hyde who have been married for over 60 years. Dudley was a methodist minister and feels that Betty had to give up a lot of things that she loved in order to marry him. She loved to dance and be with friends, but as a minister's wife she had to forgo many of life's pleasures. Dudley, now 86 wants to make this up to her and make her last years as happy and fulfilling as possible. The story is made all the more poignant by the fact that Betty has Alzheimer's disease. She can recall very little of their lives together - but she does remember when they met and fell in love on the train in Gosford. Dudley takes Betty back to events and locations that will prompt her memories. Australian Story shares these moments with them. Dudley has written a book about their lives, a latter day love story called Betty and Me. The story is introduced by Peter Hollingworth, the Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane. He describes the book as remarkable and moving. PLUS: The Barber: To the casual eye, this Brisbane Barbershop has remained unchanged for decades. It is reminiscent of a Gentleman's club - a rather beautiful and elegant setting. But times have changed - the jokes are less bawdy and the magazines provided for the clientèle are more likely to be Time or The Bulletin than Playboy. This gentle story takes a look at the changing relationship between men and their barber in an environment where judges and tradesmen can mix with equality. PLUS: Life on a String: Robert Hart had a very simple dream. He gave up a steady job with the police force and his home to travel in caravans in order to fulfill that dream - to teach the children of Australia how to fly kites. Generations of Australian children have subsequently grown up with his kites. Robert's own children are now in the kite business, although they say when they were growing up they wished their father had been more normal, perhaps a plumber. Robert feels that people need more play and beauty in their lives and kite flying is the way to go. Life is short - enjoy yourself!