A series of documentaries about Australians from all walks of life, the series was produced and hosted by former television current-affairs presenter Michael Willesee.
Among the best-known people included in the series were infamous singer/dancer Lola Montez, actor Errol Flynn, athlete Betty Cuthbert, actress Lottie Lyell, radio personality Jack Davey, boxer Les Darcy, and Gallipoli hero Private John Simpson. The series also explored the lives of the Durkin family (Soldier Settlers), aviator Clyde Fenton, Sister Mary Mackillop, WWII nurse Vivian Bullwinkle, press baron John Norton, and General Henry Gordon Bennett, who fled Singapore in 1942, just prior to the island being invaded by the Japanese, leaving his army behind.
Lottie Lyell
1987
Z1228074
1987
single work
film/TV
As well as starring in films, Lottie Lyell worked behind the cameras as a script writer, art director, costume designer, editor, and business manager. She worked in partnership with Raymond Longford, Australia's best-known silent-film director.
1987
Lola Montez
1987
Z1587926
1987
single work
film/TV
After discovering that she was terminally ill, Lola Montez, the notorious courtesan and internationally known singer and dancer, undertook a world tour in an attempt to provide financial security for her final years. This documentary looks at the Australian leg of that tour, which occurred during the years 1855-1856.
1987
Errol Flynn
1987
Z1588109
1987
single work
film/TV
During the 1930s and 1940s, Errol Flynn's natural charm and good looks saw him become Hollywood's greatest swashbuckling lover and a matinee idol. This documentary takes an irreverent look at Flynn, from around the time the brash nineteen-year-old adventurer set off from Australia, undertaking numerous escapades on the path to fame and notoriety.
1987
Mary MacKillop
1987
Z1588174
1987
single work
film/TV
Semi-dramatised documentary about the life of Mary MacKillop, an exceptionally single-minded and dedicated woman who became Sister Mary of the Cross in the Order of St. Joseph, Australia's first religious order.
In 1861, MacKillop, working in South Australia as a tutor, decided to dedicate herself to the education of the poor and devote herself to God. Unlike other orders, hers put itself outside the control of the local bishop, causing much resentment within segments of the Catholic faith.
1987
Les Darcy
1987
Z1588267
1987
single work
film/TV
A documentary exploring the short but spectacular career of Les Darcy, rated by many boxing critics as the best fighter Australia ever produced. The program also examines both the tarnishing of Darcy's reputation when his mother twice stopped him from joining the Australian Imperial Forces during World War I (leading to subsequent accusations of cowardice) and his unexpected death in the USA at age 21 from septicaemia (the result of an infected tooth).
1987
Jack Davey
1987
Z1588457
1987
single work
film/TV
In 1954, Jack Davey was arguably the most famous radio personality in Australia. In the same year, he entered the first around-Australia car race, the Redex Trial. This documentary examines Davey's life and career, with a focus on the 1954 Redex Trial.
1987
Private John Simpson
Jack Simpson
1987
Z1588494
1987
single work
film/TV
Tells the story and examines the legend of English-born A.I.F soldier John (Jack) Simpson and his donkey at Gallipoli during World War I. The pair carried hundreds of wounded soldiers from the frontlines to the beach, usually under intense fire from the enemy. Private Simpson was killed only four weeks after arriving at Gallipoli, but his deeds of bravery, cheerful disposition, and tenderness towards the wounded, all under conditions of enormous danger, made him an iconic representation of Australians at war. As the film acknowledges, 'his death was inevitable and he knew it.'
1987
Clyde Fenton
1987
Z1588518
1987
single work
film/TV
Clyde Fenton was a skilled aviator and a brilliant surgeon. With fellow doctor Cecel Cook (the Northern Territory's chief medical officer), he created the Flying Doctor Service. The service was a great medical success, but ran foul of the Department of Civil Aviation. Fenton battled with the department and soon found himself in court fighting to retain his pilot's license and carry on his work. Fenton became a folk hero to the people of the Northern Territory.
1987
Vivian Bullwinkel
1987
Z1588550
1987
single work
film/TV
Vivian Bullwinkel was a volunteer nurse during the Second World War. While she was being evacuated from Singapore, the ship on which she was travelling sank. The small group of survivors who washed ashore surrendered to Japanese occupying Banka Island. In a horrific turn of events, Japanese troops bayonetted the surviving soldiers and ordered the nurses back into the water. Bullwinkel was shot but miraculously survived. Bleeding and in a state of shock, she drifted ashore and hid in the jungle. Discovering a badly wounded British soldier, she realised the only chance of survival was to again surrender to the Japanese troops.
1987
