Series Information
This series of short documentaries presents biographical accounts of Australian personalities, both past and present, drawn from various facets of Australian life.
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(ABC Online)
| Date | Episode Information |
|---|---|
|
Wednesday
23 July 10.55am |
01. Dame Joan Sutherland
Joan Sutherland is recognised as one of the world's finest opera singers. She hit stardom in 1959 when she sang the lead role in Lucia di Lammermoor at London's Covent Gardens. After performing in nearly 60 different roles Dame Joan retired in 1990, ending an outstanding stage career of more than 40 years. |
|
Wednesday
30 July 10.55am |
02. Sir Robert Menzies
Sir Robert Menzies is Australia’s longest reigning prime minister. He held the top job for 17 years, from 1949 to 1966, as head of the Liberal Party he created. A charismatic leader, Sir Robert is remembered for opening the door to thousands of migrants after World War II, spearheading the development of universities and guiding Australia through the post-war recovery. |
|
Wednesday
6 August 10.55am |
03. Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop
Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop was a surgeon in the Australian Army whose acts of courage and selflessness are legendary. Captured by the Japanese, he was made head of medical services for prisoners working on the infamous Thai/ Burma railway. Weary's priority was always the welfare of his fellow prisoners-of-war. He saved lives using improvised instruments, and faced execution three times for refusing to agree to the demands of his captors. When the war ended he promoted friendship between Australia and Asia, publicly forgiving those who had captured and tortured him. |
|
Wednesday
13 August 10.55am |
04. Edith Cowan
Edith Cowan is best remembered as the first woman to be elected to an Australian parliament. But she was a pioneer in many other ways as she struggled for equal rights for women and the protection of children. Mrs. Cowan worked with numerous organisations calling for social changes. She fought for the right of women to vote, the establishment of maternity services and the need to have separate courts for children accused of crimes. Mrs. Cowan's portrait appears in Australia's $50 note. |
|
Wednesday
20 August 10.55am |
05. Nancy Wake-Forward
Nancy Wake is one of the most decorated women of World War II. She was a journalist working in Paris when the war broke out. Horrified by Germany's aggression, she joined the French resistance smuggling allied soldiers out of occupied France. The German Gestapo call her 'The White Mouse' because they could not catch her. Later, in England, she trained as a spy, and returned to France as a special agent who sabotaged German installations, distributed weapons and continued to help allied soldiers to escape. |
|
Wednesday
27 August 10.55am |
06. Sir Mark Oliphant
Sir Mark Oliphant is perhaps best remembered for something he would prefer to forget. At the height of World War II - from 1943 to 1945 - he worked on the Manhattan Project, developing nuclear weapons in the United States. Following the dropping of atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Sir Mark campaigned against the use of nuclear weapons. The pioneer in nuclear physics turned his brilliant mind to the research of alternative, environmentally- friendly sources of energy. |
|
Wednesday
3 September 10.55am |
07. Betty Cuthbert
Known as the 'Golden Girl', Betty Cuthbert is one of the fastest female runners Australia has produced. At 18 she won three gold medals at the 1956 Olympic Games held in Melbourne. Eight years later Betty confounded the sceptics, who thought she was too old, by winning gold again at the Tokyo Olympic Games. The same courage, spirit and toughness which won gold on the track is now helping Betty to cope with the crippling disease, Multiple Sclerosis. |
|
Wednesday
10 September 10.55am |
08. Ned Kelly
Ned Kelly is a famous Australian bushranger. His family were poor farmers in country Victoria who sometimes stole horses and cattle. They had many disputes with police and were often blamed for things they did not do. Ned became a bushranger after his mother was sent to jail. The judge had vowed to jail Ned too - if he was ever caught. Ned shot and killed two police officers who were searching for him - so began the hunt for the Kelly Gang. Finally in Kelly’s Last Stand at Glenrowan, Ned Kelly, dressed in homemade armour was gunned down. He lived but was later hanged in 1880. Many regard Ned Kelly’s story as a poor man’s fight against poverty and authority. |
|
Wednesday
17 September 10.55am |
09. R. M. Williams
The name R. M. Williams is instantly identified with the distinctly Australian range of clothing and bush products. Reginald Murray Williams was the son of pioneer settlers and at 15 he packed his swag and worked as a cameleer, drover and labourer. He learned intricate leatherwork and began to sell it during the Depression. An old woman sold R. M. her goldmine which made Meg and his family millions of dollars. But the life of a millionaire, living in a city mansion didn’t bring happiness so he moved back to the country. He still lives on a farm in Queensland and has published a number of books on Australian poetry and helped establish the Stockman’s Hall of Fame. |
|
Wednesday
24 September 10.55am |
10. Sally Morgan
Sally Morgan is an Australian writer and artist whose books and paintings reveal what it is to be Aboriginal. Born in Perth in 1951, Sally didn’t learn of her Aboringinality until she was 15. So began the long journey of discovery to uncover why her mother and grandmother had kept it hidden. Sally’s book My Place is the story of her search, of children being taken away, horrific beatings, slave-like working conditions and the stripping of Aboriginal culture. Sally has held many exhibitions of her works which are regarded as visual expressions of Aboriginality. She has also written and illustrated a number of children’s books and teaches Aboriginal history and art. |
|
Wednesday
15 October 10.55am |
11. Sir Douglas Mawson
Sir Douglas Mawson is Australia’s most famous Antarctic explorer. Born in Yorkshire in 1882, his family moved to Australia when Douglas was two. After graduating in science he became fascinated with geology - especially rocks shaped by glaciers. He joined a British expedition to Antarctica and in 1911 got to led his own expedition - the first Australian expedition. In 1912, while he and two others were mapping the Antarctic coast, his two companions were killed. Mawson completed what was described as “the greatest story of lone survival in polar exploration”. He headed voyages in 1929 and 1931 resulting in nearly half Antarctica being claimed as Australian territory. |
|
Wednesday
22 October 10.55am |
12. Janet Holmes a Court
Janet Holmes á Court is Australia’s richest woman, head of one of this country’s biggest private companies and the largest landowner. After graduating in science and becoming a teacher, Janet married Robert Holmes á Court. He built up a massive business empire, but when he died in 1990 his company was $830 million in debt. Janet took control and restructured to concentrate on basic human needs - food production, entertainment, transport and construction. She believes in people and teamwork as well as environmental and social responsibility. The company’s motto is “Where there’s a will there’s a way. Finding the way is the adventure.” |
|
Wednesday
29 October 10.55am |
13. Jenny Kee
Jenny Kee is a designer and artist. She is a pioneer of Australian fashion design using the vibrant colours and designs of the Australian bush. In this profile Jenny discusses how her art evolved and eventually became part of Australia's fashion design industry. |
|
Wednesday
5 November 10.55am |
14. Doctor Helen Caldicott
Dr Helen Caldicott is one of the world's leading anti-nuclear activists. She spearheaded massive anti-nuclear campaigns around the world from 1975 to 1985 and roused millions of people worldwide to protest and reject nuclear weapons. Helen has received dozens of awards for peace and 18 honorary university degrees. The program includes an interview in which she outlines the reasons behind her passion. |
|
Wednesday
12 November 10.55am |
15. Neville Bonner
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Wednesday
19 November 10.55am |
16. Truganini
Truganini has been described as the last Tasmanian Aborigine. Although she witnessed the murder of her family by white settlers, she played a major role in helping the white missionary, George Robinson remove Tasmanian Aborigines to Flinders Island - a move which led to their demise. To contemporary Aborigines she has become a symbol of their strength and survival. |
|
Wednesday
26 November 10.55am |
17. John Curtin
John Curtin led Australia through the dark years of World War II. He was a poor country boy who became Prime Minister with strong principles, devoted to the cause of the working class. He persuaded Australians to unite and contribute to the war effort. Some say the strain of his years in office killed Curtin, for he died six weeks before the Japanese surrendered. |
|
Wednesday
3 December 10.55am |
18. Nancy Bird-Walton
As one of Australia's pioneer female aviators, Nancy Bird is aptly named. Her first flying lessons were with another hero of the skies, Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith. Mrs. Bird-Walton was the first woman in the Commonwealth to secure a commercial pilot's licence, enabling her to fly the only chartered aircraft in outback Queensland in those days. Her love of flying led her to enter numerous air races, both in Australia and overseas, and she is the founder of the Australian Women Pilot's Association. |