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Issue Details: First known date: 1967... 1967 Bellbird
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Film Details - ABC Television , 1967-1977

Producers:

James Davern (1967-1970)
Oscar Whitbread (1970-1977)

Production Companies:

Australian Broadcasting Commission

Composer:

Brian May
Frank Smith

Cast:

1. Regular characters incl: Carmel Millhouse (Marge Bacon), Peter Aanensen (Jim Bacon), Lynette Curran (Rhoda Lang Wilson Greene), Robin Ramsay (Charlie Cousens), Dennis Miller (Constable Des Davies), Sean Scully (Ron Wilson), Elspeth Ballantyne (Laura 'Lori' Chandler Grey), Moira Carleton (Olive Turner), Maurie Fields (John Quinney), Terry Norris (Joe Turner), Tom Oliver (Tom Grey), Julia Blake (Elaine Thomas), Penne Hackforth-Jones (Ginny Hill #1), John Stanton (Leo Hill), Michael Preston (Fr. John Kramer), Helen Hemingway (Caroline), Briony Behets (Claire), Jill Perryman (Cheryl Turner), Penny Downie (Kelly Jamison), Barbara Llewellyn (Linda Roddin), Charles 'Bud' Tingwell (Paul Hadfield), Terence Donovan (unknown), Chuck Faulkner (Captain Doug Daly), Gerard Kennedy (Sir Edward Grey), Lisa Peers (Nancy), Sigrid Thornton (Kim).
2. Rest of cast lit entered alphabetically: Brenda Addie (Ginny Campbell #2), Mark Albiston (Bob Wright), Elizabeth Alexander (unknown), Christine Amor (Josie), Jillian Archer (Sonia), Lesley Baker (Cheryl Turner #2), Jessica Ball (Nancy Bacon), Vincent Ball (unknown), Clare Balmford (Jane Mitchell), Bruce Barry (Michael Foley), Vivianne Benton (Miranda), Carl Bleazby (Col. Jim Emerson), Robynne Bourne (Margaret), Evelyn Bowie (Marlene), Dorothy Bradley (Rose Lang Wilson), Ray Burgess (Des), Laurel Burton (Francis Byrne), Michael Carman (Andy), Alison Cassidy (unknown), Anne Charleston (Wendy Robinson), Julie Claringbold (Nancy), Warwick Comber (Tommy), Syd Conabere (Bernie Austin), Ruth Cracknell (unknown), Margaret Cruickshank (Dr Liz Sinclair), Peter Dahlsen (Richie Bates), Beverley Dunn (Mary Campbell), Keith Eden (Gilbert Lang), Marion Edward (Harriet Downs), John Ewart (Stewart Faichney), Mike Cochrane (unknown), Kate Fitzpatrick (unknown), Sheila Florance (Dossie Rumsey), Frank Gallacher (unknown), Hunter Gibb (Rob), Terry Gill (Reg), Felicity Gordon (Janet Stanton), Sandy Gore (unknown), Sandra Gough (unknown), Gary Gray (David Emerson), Jennifer Hagan (Mrs. Lusic), Olivia Hamnett (unknown), Brian Hannan (Roger Greene), Gabrielle Hartley (Maggie Haesler Emerson), Chard Hayward (unknown), Alan Hopgood (Dr. Matthew Reed), Bob Horsfall (Rob), Melissa Jaffer (unknown), Brian James (Ian Bennett), Joseph Jones (Wang Long), Lynda Keane (Ruth Grossark), Hugh Keays-Byrne (unknown), Jeremy Kewley (Ken Stratton), Bruce Kilpatrick (Robbie Campbell), Matthew King (Greg), Patsy King (Kate Andrews), Stella Lamond (Molly Wilson), Val Lehman (unknown), Joan Letch (Edna), Anne Lucas (Glenda Chan), Kurt Ludescher (August Grossark), Joan MacArthur (Adeline Phillips), George Mallaby (Jerry Cochran), Bob Maza (Gerry Walters), Terry McDermott (Max Pearson), Kris McQuade (unknown), Maggie Millar (Dr Georgia Moorehouse), Chris Milne (Chris), Judy Morris (unknown), Geraldine Morrow (Peggy), Natalie Mosco (Abigail Crane), Rod Mullinar (Scott Leighton), John Murphy (Cliff Stanton), Robyn Nevin (unknown), Gerda Nicolson (Fiona Buckland), Carstairs Davies (unknown), John Orcsik (unknown), Angela Parry-Marshall (Sarah), Christopher Pate (Marcus Lloyd), Sandra Lee Paterson (unknown), Anne Phelan (Kate Murray Ashwood), Louise Phillip (Christine Jackson), David Phillips (Const. Steve Kowsowski), Alex Porteous (Barney), Barbara Ramsay (Hagar Grossark), Warwick Randall (Constable George Cooper), David Ravenswood (Mr Lusic), Anne Reddin (Linda), Margaret Reid (Nell Quinney), Frank Rich (Georgio Lini), Wendy Robinson (Anne Charleston), Tristan Rogers (unknown), Gregory Ross (Chris Lang), Camilla Rountree (Anne Sinclair), Anne Scott-Pendlebury (Cathy), Thelma Scott (unknown), Ken Shorter (Duncan Ross), Ian Smith (Russell Ashwood), Ewen Solon (Alan Mitchell), Rosie Sturgess (Anna Maria Lini), Robert Chen Su (Tommy Long), Ross Thompson (Terry Hill), Marilyn Vernon (Sally Morris), Raymond Westwell (Gregory Wrexell), Bryon Williams (Adam Lockhart), Frank Wilson (Howard Bates), Clive Winmill (Tony Buckland), John Wood (unknown).

Release Dates:

First telecast on 28 August 1967.

Location:

  • Filmed largely at the ABC's Melbourne studios in Elsternwick.

Notes:

3. Bellbird was the forerunner of Network 7's highly successful soap opera A Country Practice, which ran from 1981 to 1993.
1. The last episode aired on 23 December 1977.
2. The most memorable event in the series was arguably the death of central character Charlie Cousens, whose fall from a silo in the episode broadcast on 25 May 1968 became a topic of apparent national importance. Indeed, for months afterwards, the ABC received sympathy messages from viewers.

Settings:
  • Victoria,
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