AustLit

List of episodes

Note: these synopses come from the BBC broadcast of the series in 1983.

1. Run Like the Wind

Alan is a happy, active young boy growing up on a small farm in south-eastern Australia. But at the age of 11, Alan contracts polio and doctors confirm his family's worst fears - he'll be crippled for life. (Radio Times, 21 April 1983, p.33)

2. The Weight of Air

Alan gradually comes to terms with his disability, and with the aid of crutches and a wheelchair is soon mobile. His new-found popularity with his schoolfriends brings him into conflict with the school bully. (Radio Times, 28 April 1983, p.41)

3. Starlight

Desperate to be considered a 'normal' child, Alan eagerly joins in with all his friends' adventures. Although forbidden to do so by his parents, he is determined to learn to ride, and develops a fascination for a pony called Starlight. (Radio Times, 5 May 1983, p.37)

4. Crutches Are Nothing

Alan's imagination is fired by the colourful characters he meets on a summer visit to a timbercutter's camp. As he listens eagerly to conversations and arguments, his destiny as a writer begins to take shape. (Radio Times, 12 May 1983, p.33)

5. Bona Fide Traveller

Alan, now 18 years old, determines to make his own way in the world and sets out to find a job and a place to live. His parents are concerned about their son's ability to manage on his own, but Alan proves more than capable of looking after himself. (Radio Times, 19 May 1983, p.37)

6. Getting Your Breath

Alan, now 19, sets off from his home in the bush armed with appointments for job interviews and a manuscript for the Bulletin; His dreams of instant literary success, however, are soon shattered. (Radio Times, 2 June 1983, p.42)

7. Take It Or Leave It

Determined to make enough money to support himself as a writer, Alan secures a position at a haberdashery firm, but his satisfaction is dampened when he is advised that he will receive half-pay because of his disability. (Radio Times, 9 June 1983, p.38)

8. Boots, Boots, Boots!

Working as a part-time accountant in a boot factory, Alan meets his first love, Biddy. Horror at the tragedy of one of their friends, however, drastically affects their relationship. (Radio Times, 30 June 1983, p.31)

9. Walk into Paradise

The boot trade is one of the many to suffer severely in the Great Depression. When Alan finds a discrepancy in the company books he determines to save the factory. (Radio Times, 7 July 1983, p.29)