AustLit

This is book number two in the story of the formation of the infamous, insidious Castlereagh Coach Company and its early years.

'This is the story of the see-sawing fortunes of Lottie Clemens and John ("Jack") Seager in the years from 1880 and later 1900. The title refers to a passenger stage company they set up in the Castlereagh River area of New South Wales.

'This story went on to be made into a 910 episode radio play.' (Publication summary)

Bailey's Bird followed the adventures of a pilot and his teenage son, running a one-plane airline in Southeast Asia. According to Moran, in his Guide to Australian TV Series, the series partook of some of the elements of John McCallum's earlier productions for Fauna Productions, 'except that the locale was the waterways, jungles and villages of South-East Asia rather than an Australian national park complete with kangaroos and other native fauna. Nevertheless the series again had a young boy, father and others much in the "kidult" formula of Skippy, with a series of familiar narrative situations.'

An international co-production, the program didn't match the success of Skippy: according to Moran, 'By the late 1970s, adventure narratives even of the kidult variety were no longer being made in 30-minute units, so that Bailey's Bird could only be screened in children's viewing time.'

Chopper Squad follows the adventures of a helicopter surf rescue team based on Sydney's northern beaches, as they deal with various difficult rescues and occasionally come into close contact with desperate criminals.

The program suffered from long hiatuses between the pilot and series one, and between series one and series two. Furthermore, Don Storey notes, in his Classic Australian Television, that

Unfortunately, the quality of the scripts varied immensely. Some episodes had excellent dramatic narratives, and the viewers would be on the edge of their seats watching the rescue process. Other plots were contrived merely to justify the use of a helicopter, or to show off some other facet of the surf rescue operation, or were just corny. This variation in quality occurred not only from episode to episode, but quite often within an episode.

However, Storey concludes that

If the scripts left a lot to be desired, the same could not be said for the other aspects of the programme. The actors all gave good performances, and the technical quality is excellent by any standards. Extensive external location work was used, with internal sets being kept to a minimum. The camerawork is second to none, highlighting the magnificent scenery of the Sydney coastline to great effect.

Albert Moran, in his Guide to Australian TV Series, notes that 'World distribution rights to the series were bought by Paramount Pictures, which sold the production to Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Britain'.

Another soap opera from Grundy's, The Restless Years followed a group of teenagers from the end of school to early adulthood: the 'restless years' of the title.

According to Moran, in his Guide to Australian TV Series,

On paper, The Restless Years should not have worked because the central idea of a group of teenagers and adults variously involved with a kids' refuge was not a particularly strong one. Nevertheless, the series did click with audiences and the program built up a loyal band of viewers who tuned in each evening to watch this tale of lost, confused teenagers and adults. Chief among the latter was the essentially castrating mother played by June Salter.

Mimicking the title of Lesley Stern's article (below), Moran sums up The Restless Years as 'this most Freudian of serials'.

Set on far north Queensland's Great Barrier Reef, this adventure series revolves around a scientific search and recovery team working for General Trust Corporation (GTC), a large Australian industrial and pastoral group. Led by Captain Ted King and his first mate and diving expert Jack Meuraki (a Thursday Islander), the team of scientists and divers are also often required to carry out missions for the government. The team is highly proactive with regard to conservation and vehemently opposed to any type of exploitation of the Reef.

The centre of operations for the team is a 135-foot windjammer named the New Endeavour. The ship also houses a sophisticated piece of electronic equipment called Minus Five (Mineral Identification Nuclear Undersea Seismography Mark V), which the Endeavour team affectionately call 'Grandma,' after the line in 'Little Red Riding Hood': 'What big eyes you have!' Specifically developed for General Trust projects, Grandma serves a number of functions, including providing accurate geological analyses of the seabed and the earth below it. Though Grandma plays a vital role in the various missions and adventures that ensue, the machine's presence must be kept secret, since GTC and the Federal Government are concerned that foreign political and commercial interests might attempt to get hold of the technology (which includes, for example, the ability to locate mineral deposits or sunken wrecks with valuable cargo).

A spin-off from the hugely popular television series Skippy, the movie version retains the same central characters: Matt Hammond, Chief Ranger of Waratah National Park; his two sons Mark and Sonny; Jerry King, the young Flight Ranger; and Clancy Merrick, the teenage daughter of another ranger, who works part time at Ranger Headquarters.

The narrative sees Skippy discover a ruthless gang of criminals, led by Meredith, who are searching for lost treasure on the ocean floor. Sonny and Clancy try to investigate but are kidnapped. Skippy manages to bring help, and, after a speedboat chase and a gun fight, the villains are rounded up and brought to justice.

Set in the fictional Waratah National Park (NSW), the Skippy series focuses largely on the adventures of a young boy, Sonny Hammond, and his intelligent pet kangaroo, Skippy. Sonny is the youngest child of Head Ranger Matt Hammond. Matt was left a widower in his early forties when his wife Mary died not long after Sonny was born. Other principal characters are Sonny's older brother Mark, Flight Ranger Jerry King (the park's helicopter pilot), and Ranger Clancy Merrick, the teenage daughter of another park ranger.

Two people recently released from gaol inadvertently become involved in a baby-kidnapping.

'Stories of the strange link between men and money, to be unfolded in quarter hour episodes ... [they] will deal with men like Andrew Carnegie, King Gillette, and sir Thomas Lipton.'

Source: 'GUY CRITTENDEN'S 2WL RADIO ROUND-UP', South Coast Times and Wollongong Argus, 31 Dec. 1952, p. 2.