Winners (Australian TV series)

Winners is an Australian anthology television series which was first screened on ABC in 1985. It featured eight self-contained telemovies and stories. “Winners” describes the underlying theme of the series which is the wonderful capacity of young people to achieve and to win out in life, even when the odds are set against them.[1] The Foundation was confident that “Winners” would be a landmark in the development of quality children’s television which would go on to set the standard nationally and internationally for future children’s productions.[1] More Winners is the second season of this Australian anthology television series which was first screened on ABC in 1990. It featured six self-contained telemovies and stories.

At the forefront of the Winners and More Winners creator’s minds was the importance of Australian children having access to a rich and diverse choice of programs which reflect their own society and which are appropriate to their particular stage of development.[2]The episodes deal with themes of aspirations, friendship, competition, conflict, jealousy, families, lifestyles, independence, decision making and personal growth.[3] The series has a general theme of young people winning over their circumstances, accepting challenges, gaining confidence, making their own decisions, coming to terms with life and growing up.[4] The stories bring back the experience of youth which parents were able to share with their children whilst watching the program with them.

Winners broke new ground for television and for the classroom.[5] The series provided the very best modern Australian television along with novels that proved very successful with their audience.[5]

Plot

Winners is an anthology about challenging contemporary social issues. It is an entertaining and moving series which raises many issues young people are thinking about and wanting to talk about.[5] It incorporates comedy, science fiction, historical drama, adventure, fantasy and social realism.[5] Winners shows the struggle young children have in growing up and learning to make their own decisions[6]. It shows their resilience and resourcefulness.[6] The series asks parents to consider the pressures on their children as well as those on themselves. [6] Each of the eight Winners films was written about and for children in Australia and raises issues that are important to children: parents and family life, friendship, independence, authority, peer-group pressure, education, employment, recreation and the threat of nuclear war.[7]

More Winners explores the unlimited world of the imagination through fantasy.[6] It was designed as a series of six hour-long tales of the imagination.[6] Aimed primarily at the 9-13 age group, it encapsulates fun and fantasies of a generation.[6] Despite its particular aim at a engaging a younger audience, it provides tales of the imagination for the child inside us all and bridges the gap between the fantasy world of children and adults.[8]

The series aimed to provide experiences that stimulate and delight children’s imaginations as well as documenting the environment and social situations in which they live.[6]

Winners episodes
  • Room to Move

Writer: John Duigan[9]

Producer: Richard Mason[9]

Director: John Duigan[9]

Carol is an excellent 1500m runner coached by her enthusiastic father.[10] Angie is a new girl at school who Carol meets.[10] Angie is an object of ridicule and avoided by many because of her punk look.[10] At a school carnival Carol wins the 1500m event and afterwards she hears music coming from the gym.[10] Coral goes to investigate and is surprised to find Angie practising a difficult dance routine.[10] Carol wishes she could learn to dance, but the classes Angie attends conflict with Carol's athletic training.[10] Angie and Carol develop a friendship and Coral manages to find a way to come to one of Angie's dance classes and watch.[10] Carol wasn't previously aware how much hard work goes into learning how to dance.[10] Angie has a father who doesn't care much about Angie.[10] In between working a part-time job and facing her troubles at home, Angie has little time left to complete her homework or get a good night sleep.[10] Angie arrives late to school and starts falling asleep in class which lands her in trouble.[10] One day Angie flees the classroom-she can't take any more of the treatment she gets at home or school.[10] Carol misses training in order to comfort Angie and let her know she's decided to take up dance classes.[10] Angie is thrilled, but Carol's parents are not.[10] Carol's father is very upset and lectures Carol on how important it is that she remains dedicated to her training.[10] Carol wants to be a successful athlete, but not if it means she can't be successful at anything else.[10] Despite the strong parental pressure, Carol remains adamant. [10]

  • Just Friends

Writer: Jan Sardi[9]

Producer: Jane Ballantyne[9]

Director: Michael Pattinson[9]

Susan Foster is new to town and is practising at the roller staking rink.[11] Buzz is the ring leader of his gang and a good skater himself. [11]He looks on appreciatively at Susan, but Francine and Mags (the girls in his gang) aren't impressed.[11] When Buzz is about to approach Susan, the talented newcomer, she leaves the rink with her father. [11]However, Buzz and his gang get to know her because she returns to the rink the next day.[11] Buzz is the rink's undisputed champion, but he doesn't treat his friends well.[11] Susan joins his gang when they go to the movies, on their romps around the city and gets involved in some light mischief.[11] Susan feels uneasy about engaging in these activities and turns down their invite to an improtu party, saying she wants to stay home.[11] The gang is not impressed with her decision.[11] At home Susan's parents and sister have their own problems and don't have the time to listen to hers.[11] The tense atmosphere at home means she can't get the guidance she desperately needs.[11] In fear of being left out, Susan decides to go along with the gang.[11] Unintentionally, Susan gets in between Buzz and Francine (Buzz's girlfriend).[11] Francine returns the friendship ring Buzz gave her, and Buzz immediately gives it to Susan.[11] Francine pretends it's not a big deal, but when Buzz kisses Susan at the rink in front of everyone Francine leaves the rink angry and her best friend Mags is mad[11]. Buzz wants to be more than 'just friends' with Susan, but she's very unsure and eventually ends their relationship. [11]In pursuit of revenge, Buzz tricks Susan during a skating competition and wins.[11] Buzz and his gang reject Susan as a member, but she has learnt to believe her own judgements and stand up for herself.[11] She fixes things at home and the next time she encounters Buzz at the Rollerena for a competition she is very confident in herself.[11] She does her best and wins in multiple ways. [11]

  • Quest Beyond Time

Writer: Tony Morphett[9]

Producer: Richard Mason[9]

Director: Stephen Wallace[9]

Mike is the protagonist of this tale which blends reality and fantasy.[12] He loves hang gliding because it allows him to escape from his daily worries and cares.[12] One day Mike is swooping through the air admiring the vast city beneath him when suddenly everything disappears.[12] In the twinkling of an eye, Mike has somehow glided one thousand years into the future.[12] Now Mike really does have a problem.[12] He lands near the house of Clan Murray disoriented and confused.[12] He meets the Cheiftan who tells him of the Holocaust and the clan had been praying for a man with a machine that could fly.[12] Their prayers have been answered, but Mike is convinced he has landed in a lunatic asylum.[12] He tries to distract the clan by pretending everything's okay while planning his escape.[12] When night comes Mike flees, but soon finds he has a very short life expectancy in this land as someone who is unable to wield a sword.[12] Mike is forced to return. He learns of The Sickness which has been gradually reducing Clan Murray's numbers.[12] Mike is informed by the Cheiftan that there is a cure to be found with the wise women who live on an island isolated by nuclear waste.[12] Mike reluctantly agrees to try and reach them alongside Katrin, the young female warrior part of Clan Murray.[12] On their journey to the sea cliffs they pass through territories of many enemies and have a skirmish with the Forest People and the River Vikings.[12] They have to leave their new found friends, Brother John and Woodcat, to fight an attack with the Patchies. Mike and Katrin are left as the last airborne on Mike's glider. Katrin, who has The Sickness, is worsening and falls into a coma.[12] As they reach the island Mike fights to hold her onto the glider.[12] The wise women are already aware of Mike and 'his difference'. They cure Katrin of The Sickness and tell Mike about how he is not the first visitor they've had from the 21st century.[12] They know he will be called back to his own time soon.[12] Mike isn't sure whether he wants to return because he has started to like the group nature of future society.[12] Mike and Katrin return to the Clan Murray with the cure for The Sickness and Mike can feel his own time calling him.[12] He leaves the way he came.[12]

  • The Paper Boy

Writer: Bob Ellis[9]

Producer: Jane Ballantyne[9]

Director: Paul Cox[9]

The paper boy is a story about 11 year old Joe.[13] It's December 1st 1932 and he is his family's sole means of financial support.[13] Joe's father was given notice from his job. In order to help his family survive, Joe works day and night.[13] He is confused by the catastrophe of his young life and attends a communist party meeting with an agitator he met on the streets.[13] At the meeting Joe finds himself impressed by what he hears and takes some leaflets home to share with his family.[13] His father forbids Joe to have any more interactions with the 'Commos' and cancels celebrations for Christmas.[13] Later Joe leaves home to live on the streets, but his mother eventually tracks him down and begs him to return home for Christmas.[13]

  • The Other Facts of Life

Writer: Morris Gleitzman[9]

Producer: Sandra Levy/Julia Overton[9]

Director: Esben Storm[9]

Ben understands lots of things, like how two thirds of the world's population are starving, and how the globe can be on the brink of complete nuclear annihilation, and even how governments can torture and murder their citizens.[10] What Ben doesn't understand, is how people are able to carry on living happily when there is all this injustice and potential disaster going on in the world.[10] Ben starts shutting himself away with video cassettes and magazines and his parents are concerned, assuming he is researching a more common preoccupation for a twelve year old.[10] Ben's dad is sent in to explain the facts of life to him, but he discovers that Ben asks questions that are far tougher than he expected and he doesn't really have answers to them.[10] Ben's family's lack of response to his world of concerns lead him to mount a one-person awareness crusade.[10] At a neighbourhood barbecue, Ben appears as a starving Biafran and when his dad is entertaining business guests on his launch, Ben makes an entrance as a corpse.[10] He becomes an embarrassment to his family and a neighbourhood nuisance.[10] Ben's parents follow advice from their friends, they seek help of 'experts' and it all leads to no avail.[10] Ben's father is a workaholic, pursuing his own obsession of building his own wholesale meat business to Rockerfeller proportions.[10] At the same time, Ben meets Esme, an elderly animal liberationist, who cares and is doing something about these things she is concerned about.[10] The two raid a chicken farm and Ben gets caught by the police.[10] His distraught parents resort to faking family illnesses in an attempt to distract Ben from the larger troubles of the world.[10] Despite this, it is Esme's near fatal appearance at his father's opening of the new wholesale meat store, and his father's consequent heart attack that cause Ben to re-focus his energies on helping his family.[10]

  • Top Kid

Writer: Bob Ellis[9]

Producer: Jane Scott[9]

Director: Carl Schultz[9]

Top Kid is set in 1947 and follows the story of a 10 year old boy who is the third child in a large, poor, Catholic family named Gary Doyle.[13] Gary is able to recite whole pages of poems and is praised by the headmaster in front of the other children.[13] The other kids think Gary is a teacher's pet and beat Gary up on the way home from school every day.[13] Gary's life changes when he has a guest appearance on a children's radio quiz program.[13] He receives further praise from his teachers and adults for his fleeting stardom, but gets beaten up again by his bullies on the way home.[13] The incident results in a newspaper article and Gary's stoic acceptance of his black eye leaves adults admiring him further.[13] Gary becomes a regular on the quiz show, but the show's declining ratings cause radical changes to the program.[13] When Gary seeks advice from his priest, he is told how the 'inside track' works in life and leaves Gary to resolve his moral dilemma. [13]

  • On Loan

Writer: Anne Brooksbank[9]

Producer: Jane Scott[9]

Director: Geoffrey Bennett[9]

Lindy is a thirteen year old living with her Australian adoptive parents, Marj and Geoff Baker.[12] She believes she is a Vietnamese orphan who was adopted when she was three.[12] Every now and then, Lindy wonders about her background, but for the most part she is a carefree teenager who is very happy with her ordinary Australian family who love her.[12] This lifestyles suddenly ends when Lindy receives a letter from Thailand-it's her father, Le.[12] Le has spent years searching for Lindy and he's overjoyed that he has finally found her.[12] Le is coming from Thailand to see Lindy.[12] Lindy and her adopted family are plunged into emotional turmoil.[12] Marj and Geoff are uneasy and anxious and attempt to stop Lindy from meeting her biological father.[12] Everyone is very defensive when Le arrives, but Lindy is deeply moved by her father's presence.[12] She learns about Vietnam and being Vietnamese from her father.[12] He introduces her to relatives and to the Australian Vietnamese community customs.[12] Lindy starts to feel confused by the conflicting Australian and Vietnamese cultures and customs.[12] Between both families, a tug of war over Lindy begins.[12] Le wants to take Lindy back to Thailand, but her Australian parents want Lindy to stay in Australia.[12] She finds herself torn between her old and new parents, but finally makes her choice to stay in Australian.[12] She has decided that she is Australian, but intends to visit her father in Thailand when she gets older.[12] Lindy writes a letter to Le which illustrates how his visit has changed her and how she has developed a sense of identity that she did not have before. [12]

  • Tarflowers

Writer: Terry Larsen[9]

Producer: Tom Jeffrey[9]

Director: William Fitzwater[9]

Tarflowers is a magical story flowing between fantasy and reality about Kev and a community who loves and supports him.[11] Kev lives in an inner subrub Sydney suburb and Tarflowers are his favourite flowers, even though most people can't see them.[11][11] He thinks they flourish best in the bitumen of narrow streets and in the concrete of backyards. He's not like other kids-he lives with his mum who won't put him in a special school, so he stays at home.[11] A common day for Kev includes collecting scraps on his usual rounds and beautifying the suburb with his murals.[11] Kev is always accompanied by his dog named Big.[11] He has a four year old friend, Mary, who watches the singing garbage men go to work.[11] Mary waits for Kev to come and play 'go messages' with her and visit old Alec and Guy.[11] Mrs Pearl is part of the 'Welcome Inn' people and she makes live quite uncomfortable for the neighbourhood by enforcing rules and simply taking the enjoyment out of life. Another threat Kev faces is the fact that Mary has to go to school soon. He's upset, but he understands what growing up means and he decorates the schoolyard with Tarflower murals as a present for Mary.[11] To the authorities however, this is the last straw.[11] The dog-catcher takes Big away and Kev is put in the 'Welcome Inn Hostel Workshop'.[11] Kev faces some trouble at the workshop and runs away.[11] All of Kev's friends are searching for him until he's eventually found atop a ladder in the schoolyard. beneath Kev is an entire wall covered with a mural of a parkland.[11] Despite the authorities anger, large crowds gather and the mural bursts into life when the happy finale starts.[11]

More Winners episodes
  • Boy Soldiers

Writer: Cliff Green[14]

Producer: Margot McDonald[14]

Director: Mark Joffee[14]

Boy Soldiers is an historical drama based in part on events that occurred in Australia from 1911 to 1915.[14] It was shot at Fort Queenscliff, on the Victorian coast in December 1989. [14]The Australian Government passed a law in 1910 that required all boys between the ages of 14 and 17 to undergo compulsory military training.[14] Boy Soldiers tells the story of one boy, Will Barnes, among the 30,000 boys who failed to obey the introduced law and were prosecuted.[14] Will is 14 and a conscientious objector. At the Fort he refuses to wear his uniform or take part in any military training. He meets much opposition, but also wins a number of admirers for sticking to his beliefs.[14]

  • His Master's Ghost

Writer: Roger Simpson[14]

Producer: Margot McDonald[14]

Director: Steve Jodrell[14]

His Master's Ghost is a tongue in cheek horror telemovie shot in Eltham, Victoria in November of 1989.[14] The telemovie is set in Monstalvat, a Gothic mansion where a vacation music camp brings a group of children together.[14] Some of the children attending the camp don't have music at the forefront of their minds.[14] The mansion has an air of mystery about it and one of the children, Flea, becomes fascinated when he hears a ghost might be living in it.[14] Flea becomes obsessed with tracking down the ghost.[14] This in combination with his tendency to play practical jokes constantly leads him into trouble with the teachers at the camp. [14]

At the same time, a rather serious boy named Jason is working on a concerto that has a very difficult passage.[14] He wants to get his Concerto for Rock Group and Orchestra played at the final concert. [14]

The mansion's caretaker is a figure of mystery himself.[14] During an orchestra rehearsal Greta and Flea attempt the difficult solo passage.[14] Despite Flea not being known for his musical talent, both play like virtuoso's when fixed in the eye of the caretaker. [14]

  • Mr Edmund

Writer: Steve J. Spears[15]

Producer: Anthony Buckley[15]

Mr Edmund was shot in Sydney in 1990 and is story of unexpected friendships, dreams and fulfilling them.[14] Mr Edmund is a rather poor guest staying at Cherry William's mother's boarding house. Mr Edmund dreams that he will sing at the Sydney opera House one day.[14] Cherry, a 12 year old girl, befriends Mr Edmund. She also has a dream, but hers is that one day she will be a lawyer.[14] Cherry's mother learns of their respective dreams, she believes they are foolish and urges them to both 'grow up'.[14] Later, Mr Edmund, Cherry and her younger brother Sam save old Mrs Finkel from a bag snatcher. Mrs Finkel also hears about Mr Edmund's dream and she insists on hiring the Opera House Concert Hall for one night so he can fulfil it.[14] The big day arrives along with news that Mrs Finkel is dying in hospital. They discover that she didn't really have the money to hire the Hall. Cherry starts to believe her mother has been right all along and that dreams really are just for kids.[14] Mr Edmund on the other hand, partly as a memorial to Mrs Finkel, but also as a celebration of hope, is determined to have his moment and to sing on the Concert hall stage.[14]

  • Second Childhood

Writer: Morris Gleitzman[15]

Producer: South Australian Film Corporation[15]

Director: Mario Andreacchio[15]

Second Childhood is an adventure/drama shot in Adelaide, South Australia in February of 1990.[14] Annie, Mark and their friends believe in and are fascinated by the concept of being someone else.[14] Annie is convinced she's the reincarnation of Phar Lap (famous Australian racehorse) and Mark is convinced he was previously Henry Ford.[14] In the same vein, Mark's friends start to believe they were Albert Einstein and Queen Victoria.[14] A major school assignment requires them to research the life of a prominent historical figure, and for a while they revel in their new found identities.[14] However, as a result of their research it is revealed that their past lives were collectively responsible for a number of current world problems.[14] In response, the children set out on daring mission to rectify what they've previously done.[14] Along the way Mark gains new strength and self-awareness while trying to make amends. [14]

  • The Big Wish

Writer: Steve J. Spears[14]

Producer Antonia Barnard[14]

Director: Esben Storm[14]

The Big Wish is a story filled with fun and fantasy shot in NSW around Sydney in December of 1989.[14] Faeries in the Enchanted Realm are in trouble.[14] There is a rule written in the Charter of the Grand Master which states that Faeries must grant seven wishes to the humans every one hundred years, or lose their magic powers.[14] It was 99 years and 364 days earlier that the last wish was granted.[14] Earth is a world of sceptical and disbelieving humans, but Prince Wilton is sent there to give away the seven wishes before sundown.[14] Christopher Walter Pratt (C.W.) is the only human who will believe in Prince Wilton and make a wish.[14] However, one thing C.W. doesn't realise is that the last wish lasts forever.[14] Wilton takes C.W. back to the castle with him and they arrive just before sundown.[14] C.W., the Faeries and the Goblins are saved and the lessons that C.W. teaches and learns leave a mark on himself and those that he met throughout a truly magical day. [14]

  • The Journey

Co-writer/Director: Ken Cameron[15]

Co-writer: Jane Oehr[15]

Producer: Richard Mason[15]

The Journey is a tale of adventure and magic set in 1850 that was shot in NSW (Sydney, the Jenolan Caves and the Megalong Valley-Blue Mountains) in March 1990.[14] Justus Zukerman is a wealthy prospector who lives with his daughter, Ada, on a windswept mountain plateau.[14] Martha and her daughter, Agnes, have been employees of Zukerman to run the household since Ada's mother died.[14] One day Justus falls and is fatally injured.[14] Just before his death he orders Ada to travel south and find her true inheritance.[14] Ada does this and Agnes joins her.[14] Martha is in fact a witch and has been envious of Justus' wealth for many years.[14] She is determined to find the hidden fortune first and secure it for herself.[14] She orders Agnes to kill Ada and steal the map once they reach the forest.[14] However, Agnes is not able to kill Ada and the two girls grow closer.[14] The two girls experience a number of adventures before finally discovering a secret cave.[14] They unearth the buried treasure and find a letter from Justus and the purpose of their journey becomes very clear.[14]

History

In the 1980s, Australian adolescents were a much neglected television audience[16]. Despite their television viewing increasing at the time, there were few programs which catered to their particular needs and interests in the 80s-their relationships, problems and joys[16].

The Foundation, in association with the Victorian Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation, commissioned a major research project to develop a format, characters and series concept for a serial aimed specifically at Australian teenagers[16].

Researchers conducted preliminary work in 1983 on case studies and recent survey data with assistance from the Institute of Family Studies[16]. The Foundation wanted to provide a real representation of Australian life in the telemovies and to move away from stereotypes.[17] The writers then undertook extensive interviews with the police social workers, youth workers, governed departments, educators, parents and, naturally, many young people in the projected age range. [16] In particular, Don Edgar, Foundation Director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies, briefed writers on the nature of real Australian families and what actually went on in Australian homes in the mid 1980s.[17]

Winners attracted not only Australia’s best writers, producers and directors at the time, but also Australia’s leading business identity, Mr. Robert Holmes a Court, who provided a worldwide distribution guarantee for the series and also agreed to invest in the series.[13]

Initially Winners was not screened as a series nor was it placed in a regular time slot on the same night of the week.[6] This meant the impact of the series as an anthology was lost and the audience found it difficult to find the series.[6] But Perth ran the series at 6:30 pm on a Sunday evening throughout December and January with pleasing results.[6] From June 21, 1986, ten Network stations in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and regional stations in Hobart and Launceston ran Winners at 5:00 pm on Saturday evening over consecutive weeks.[6]

The promotional support given to the series varied markedly in different States.[6] In 1985, there was still much room for improved understanding between the networks and the producers of children’s television in order for families to benefit from the Australian children’s drama quota.[6] The programming placement of Winners ensured that the Network did not exceed its children’s drama quota of eight hours only for the financial year.[6]

Winners to the National Film & Sound Archive:

‘The Winners series is a landmark in Australian children’s television and we look forward to including this significant series in our collection’.[18]

This was the response of the National Film & Sound Archive when the Foundation deposited all the film components of the Winners series at the Archive in Canberra in March 1987.[18] Along with the scripts, novels, press and Study Kits, and posters pertaining to the series, the film components were catalogued, and an entry was created in the Archive’s data base detailing each item.[18] The materials were stored under controlled conditions to aid their preservation.[18]

In 1990, the Foundation sent a mail out to all Australian schools in June to notify them of the screening for More Winners.[14] The mail out included a newsletter, a study kit, a poster for display and an entry for a More Winners competition for children to enter to win a set of More Winners School Video packs for themselves and their school.[14]

To coincide with the screening of More Winners on Australian television, the Foundation held a competition which was publicised through its newsletter Care for Kids Television News.[19] The national winner of the More Winners series was Alissa Kate Marie, a student of Darling Heights Primary School in Toowoomba, Queensland.[19]

In 1991, the Winners and More Winners videotapes were captioned by the Australian Caption Centre and were made available from CBS/FOX Video.[19]

In 1992, to celebrate Film Victoria’s first decade as a funding body and supporter of film and television production, a week of promotional screenings and events was held in March.[20] As part of this ‘Viva Victoria’ celebration a retrospective of children’s films was presented.[20] The Foundation sponsored this event for children with a donation of $2,000. The Paper Boy and Top Kid of the Winners series screened on 9 March 1992.[20]

Children were found to prefer telemovies where the protagonist was their own gender.[17] They were also found to most enjoy watching watching characters that were slightly older than them.[17] This discovery through the production of Winners was used as a template for future shows created by the ACTF. [17]

Production

Winners

In 1982 there were a number of ideas in development which were eventually proposed as ‘television hour dramas’ chosen to give as wide a spread as possible in terms of subject matter and style.[16] They varied from the past to modern day and to the future, from fantasy to comedy to realism, from adventure to science fiction. Concepts were commissioned from writers, and the Foundation chose sixteen for further development.[16] Work commenced on the scripts in 1983 which were written by well-known writers such as Anne Brooksbank, John Duigan, Bob Ellis, Morris Gleitzman, Cliff Green, Tom Hegarty, terry Larsen, Tony Morphett, Maurice Murphy, Jan Sardi and Roger Simpson. Series script editing was by Roger Le Mesurier and Sandra Levy[16]. The supervising production manager for the series was Geoff Pollock.[16]

Scripting was completed in October 1983, and went into pre-production in May 1984. [16]

As an eight part anthology series of one television hour dramas, six episodes were produced in Sydney and two in Melbourne.[15] Episodes commenced production at different times between July 1984 and January 1985 with answer prints of all eight episodes being delivered by 31st March, 1985.[15] The series was successfully completed within its budgeted cost of $3.82 million and delivered to the distributor on time and in accordance with its distribution agreement.[15] To assist in marketing and to make the series available to as wide a viewing audience as possible, a decision was made during production to have the series captioned for the hard of hearing.[15]

More Winners

The concepts for ‘More Winners’, all of which episodes have an element of fantasy, were commissioned from invited writers in March 1985.[15] As of 30th June, 1985 the concepts selected for further script development were progressing well with the involvement of such well known writers as Morris Gleitzman, Roger Simpson, Steve Spears, mac Gudgeon, Paul Cox, Michael Cove, Ken Cameron and Jane Oehr.[15] Sandra Levy was the Script Consultant who worked with all writers on the second series.[15]

In 1989 More Winners was undergoing further development as a follow on series to the original Winners series produced in 1985.[8] It turned into a series of six telemovies of one-hour duration written, directed and produced by the top talent in the Australian film and television industry.[8] Directors committed to the series included Esben Storm, Ken Cameron, Mario Andreacchio and Michael pattinson.[8]

During 1987/88, an Australian pre-sale of the series was being negotiated and interest for overseas distribution was expressed.[8] Production began early 1990.[8]

On Thursday 14 June 1990, the Prime Minister, The Hon. R.J. Hawke, AC, MP, launched the More Winners series at Montsalvat in Victoria.[14] The launch was attended by: the writers, producers, directors and stars of More Winners; Hazel Hawke, a Member of the ACTF Board of Directors; Robert Holmes a Court, Janet Holmes a Court, Chairman of the ACTF Board; David Hill, managing Director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation; Dr Patricia Edgar, Director of the ACTF; other ABC and ACTF staff and Board Members; journalists; and educationalists. [14]

The Foundation produced study kits to accompany the series in June 1990. McPhee Gribble/Penguin published tie-in novels of the series in June 1990.[14]

Publishing, Marketing & Merchandise

Novels

The screenwriters for the series all agreed to adapt their screenplays into novels which were published through McPhee Gribble in Melbourne and were distributed through Penguin Books.[15] This was the first time books based on an Australian Children’s television series was made available to children in Australia.[6] These books sold exceptionally well indicating their popularity and relevance.[6] The books of Winners proved to be extremely popular with both late primary and secondary school students.[21]

Sales

As of 30th June, 1985 a first print run of 40,000 copies was sold out and a second print run was shortly underway.[15]

In 1989, Penguin Books Australia reported sales of 116,502 Winners Books.[8]

To tie in with the re-screening of the original Winners series on the ABC from September 1990, McPhee Gribble Publishers rejacketed six of the eight Winners books in June.[14]

Six tie in books were published by McPhee Gribble Publishers in May 1990.[14] Approximately 5,000 copies of each title were subscribed into the retail market by 30 June 1990.[14]

As of 30 June 1990, Penguin Books reported sales of 133,079 Winners books. [22]

As at 30 June 1991, Penguin Books reported sales of 37,440 More Winners novels.[19]

As at 30 June 1991, Penguin Books reported sales of 140,667 Winners books.[19]

As at 30 June 1992, Penguin Books Australia Ltd reported sales of 150,454 Winners books.[20]

As at 30 June 1992, Penguin Books Australia Ltd reported sales of 41,905 More Winners novels.[20]

As at 30 June 1993, Penguin Books Australia Ltd reported sales of 161,756 Winners books.[23]

As at 30 June 1993, Penguin Books Australia Ltd reported sales of 47,934 More Winners novels. [23]

As at 30 June 1994, Penguin Books Australia Ltd reported sales of 179,000 Winners books. [24]

As at 30 June 1994, Penguin Books Australia Ltd reported sales of 52,000 More Winners novels. [24]

As at 30 June 1995, Penguin Books Australia Ltd reported sales of 188,000 Winners books.[25]

As at 30 June 1995, Penguin Books Australia Ltd reported sales of 82,000 More Winners novels. [25]

Reviews

"The stories cover a wide variety of subjects, characters, times and places; and show the skills of some of Australia’s top writers." Advertiser, Bendigo, Victoria 6/7/85[6]

"Winners…Top kid emerges as an absorbing novel in its own right, with its nostalgic glimpse of a simpler time and with the questions it raises about society, within a child’s comprehension and no less pertinent now, than when Gary was struggling with them." Australian Book Review 19/10/85[6][6]

"…unlike so many books written from a movie script, they work. They would be a hit with 10 to 14 year olds." The Bulletin 6/8/85

"Each novel is easy to read, interesting and suitable for individual reading, small groups or the whole class. Alone or in conjunction with the TV series they are suitable for a wide range of classrooms." IDIOM, VATE Journal No. 2 1985[6]

Study Kits/School Video Pack Distribution

To enhance the series for educational purposes and to promote discussion on wider issues surrounding each episode, a comprehensive study guide was prepared and enthusiastically received by teachers and parents.[15] The resource was prepared to enable teachers and students to get the most benefit from the series.[6] The Study Kits provided several months of stimulating and entertaining classroom activities.[5] Winners was an invaluable teaching resource.[5]

The study guide prepared by the Foundation for its anthology series Winners was made available to all primary and secondary schools in the metropolitan areas of Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane at such times that coincided with the network screening of the series state by state.[15] Copies of the guide were also made available in other areas throughout Australia as and when regional networks purchased the series.[15]

The school video packs contained a VHS video cassette of one episode, the novel and a study kit packaged in a specially prepared video box.[6] The marketing campaign directed teachers and school librarians and included seminars, direct mail, advertisements in relevant teacher and student journals and other promotional activities.[6] The campaign was timed to commence in the second half of 1986.[6] The Foundation believed that the school video pack distribution of its programs was an important avenue for maximising the educational use of the programs by providing highly effective teaching materials. [6]

It was the first time that a program series, which was first produced for commercial television costing $3.82 million, was made available in eight curriculum packages for schools at $39.95 each.[18] The feedback from schools which acquired the package was most positive, and the education journals were highly favourable in their critical support for the series.[18]

In 1990, CBS/FOX Video released More Winners Video School packs, containing a More Winners film and video, a tie-in novel and accompanying study kit in August 1990.[14] Study kits were produced by the Foundation in May 1990 aimed at the upper primary/junior secondary level.[19] These Study Kits provided many stimulating activities and greatly enhance use of the film and the tie-in book in the classroom.[19] The Study Kit which introduced themes of the whole series and was distributed to all schools in Australia in time for the screening of the series from 1st July. [19]

Launch

On 19th February 1987, the Premier of New South Wales, The Hon. Barrie Unsworth, MP, and the New South Wales Minister for Education, The Hon. Rodney Cavalier, MP, Launched Winners Video School Packs.[18] On 8th April 1987, the Minister for the Arts, The Hon. David Parker, MLA, and the Minister for Education, The Hon. Robert Pearce, MLA, launched Winners Video School Packs in Perth.[18] The launches were held at the Sebel Town House in Sydney and the Alexander Library Building in the Perth Cultural Centre respectively.[18] The launches were by representatives of the staff and Board of the Australian Children’s Television Foundation, CBS/FOX Video, Penguin Books Australia, the media, educationalists and members of the film and television industry.[18] Both Ministers praised the work of the Foundation and the quality of the Winners series, which brought high-value resource materials to the classroom at a reasonable cost.[18]

The premier of Victoria, The Hon. John Cain, MP and the Victorian Minister for Education, The Hon. Ian Cathie, MP, launched ‘WINNERS Video School Packs’ at Richmond High School on 29 July, 1987.[26] The Ministers were introduced by the Chairman of the Foundation, Janet Holmes a Court.[26] Marillac Johnston, who played Lindy in the episode ‘On loan’ was present at the launch, and she spoke to the students about her involvement in the making of the series and how her background was similar to its screening on television.[26]

In South Australia, Winners Video School packs were launched by the Minister of Education and Children’s Services, The Hon. Gregory Crafter, MP, at the Hilton Hotel in Adelaide.[18] In the absence of The Hon. Don Dale, MLA, the Minister for Health and Community Services, ‘WINNERS Video School packs’ were launched on 18 August at the Beaufort Hotel in Darwin by Ray Norman, the Northern Territory representative on the Board of the Foundation.[26]

Sales

The Foundation distributed 1400 Winners press and Study Kits to Victorian metropolitan schools to accompany the screening of the series.[18] In New South Wales the Education Department distributed 1100 copies of the Study Kit to metropolitan schools.[18] In South Australia, Queensland, and Tasmania, 400, 300 and 450 copes, respectively, were distributed by the television station screening Winners in each state.[18] Press and Study Kits were also made available to regional television stations to distribute to their local schools.[18]

June 1987

Up to the end of June 1987,1,592 School Packs had been sold to schools and 2,629 videos had been sold to commercial outlets for rental to the public. [18]

June 1988

As of 30 June 1988, CBS/FOX reported sales of 2,494 ‘WINNERS Video School packs’ and 2,562 WINNERS videocassettes to other outlets. [26]

1995

In 1995 the Foundation began marketing Winners video packs to schools and at 30 June 1995 reported cumulative sales of 687 packs.[25]

Reviews

Teachers

“The children were completely absorbed in this film (On Loan), and very willing to discuss the story. I found the children’s responses explored the depth of feelings portrayed in the film. As a teacher of this age group (9-11 years) for the last twenty years, I was surprised at their response and understanding of this delicate situation.” Mrs Marlene Johnson, Warrnambool Primary School, Victoria[4]

“Every Wednesday morning we have been watching your Winners series and have been enjoying it immensely. They had quite an impact on the children and generated a lot of discussion and activity. We decorated our room with Tarflowers and Tarflowered a mural on the outside of the art room wall. We wrote stories on cardboard roller skates and created a Grecian Gossip newspaper.” Mrs D. Grecian, Boronia West primary School, Victoria[4][4]

“They enjoyed the Winners series of videos immensely. For a number of students, seeing the videos stimulated them to read the books. They actually looked forward to the days we saw the videos. As a teacher I was very impressed with their quality, the stories and the fact that they were accessible to the audience. I also liked the fact that they stick so closely to the book, as I was able to start each session with a reading of the first chapter. The teachers’ guide was excellent and I made extensive use of the question material.” Ms Mary Cannon, Heidelberg High School, Victoria

Students

“We have been reading, watching and discussing your TV programmes The Winners and think that they are terrific.” Grade 5/6T, Heathmont primary School, Victoria[4]

“I think all the Winners series are grouse. When we watched them we did work on them. My favourite author is Roald Dahl, but when I read the Winners I said it was the best thing that ever came out.” Owen[4]

“I liked all of your books and I liked all the movies. I enjoyed the movies because there were kids the same age as me.” Melissa[4]

“I liked this video (The Other Facts of Life). It showed what other people thought and how they went about showing other people how they feel.” Grade 9 Student[4]

“I think the videos were very good and interesting. They weren’t just like any TV show because in each video you learnt something different.” Tracey [4]

In-Flight Entertainment

During the month of January 1989, Qantas showed two of the Winners series, The Other Facts Of Life and Top Kid, as part of in-flight entertainment on board their aircraft.[8]

Boy Soldiers was screened on the Ansett In-Flight Entertainment Service in 1992.[20]

Success

Screens/Re-screens

1985

The screening of Winners to children ranging from 8-13 years was conducted at the following schools to series test with children:[15]

Richmond High School

Warranambool primary School

St. John’s Clifton School

Banyule primary School

This screening invited their comments and artwork on individual episodes and the series as a whole.[15] The enthusiasm of the children in accepting Winners was very encouraging.[15]


In 1985, Winners was sold to the Ten Network.[27]

1986

From 21st June 1986, Ten Network stations; Ten-10 Sydney, ATV-10 Melbourne, SAS-10 Adelaide and TVQ-O Brisbane screened Winners at 5:00 pm on Saturday evenings for eight consecutive weeks.[18]

TNT-9 Launceston and TVT-6 Hobart screened Winners at 5:00 pm on Sundays beginning on 6th July, 1986.[18]

CTC-7 Canberra screened Winners at 7:30 pm from Friday 15th August and NTD-8 Darwin screened Winners at 6:30 pm from Sunday 17th August, 1986.[18]

Many regional stations also screened Winners as a series during 1986/87.[18]

In 1986, Winners was sold to WONDERWORKS, an award winning children’s television show in the United States of America. The first episode, On loan, went to air in prime time on Friday, March 7 1996.[21]

1990

Winners re-screened on the ABC on Sunday evenings from 2 September 1990. [14]

More Winners screened nationally on the ABC at 6:30 pm from Sunday 1 July 1990.[14]

1991

- Special Screenings

Melbourne Film Festival

The Big Wish, His Master’s Ghost and Boy Soldiers screened as part of the Children’s and Youth Section of the Melbourne Film Festival held from 12 June to 22 July 1990.[19]

9th International Film festival for Young Australians

Second Childhood screened in the Festival held in Adelaide from 14-18th August 1990.[19]

Film Fest DC

The Big Wish screened as part of Film Fest DC held in Washington USA from 1-12 May 1991, at the request of the festival organisers.[19]

Harbourfront

The Big Wish was invited to screen at the Harbourfront Festival, held in Toronto, Canada, in May 1991.[19]

Beijing TV-International Children’s festival

Boy Soldiers and Mr Edmund screened as part of the Beijing TV-International Children’s festival held in China from 42-31 May 1991. The Community Relations Manager attended the Festival as a guest of Beijing TV.[19]

Banff Television festival

The Big Wish was selected for screening at the Banff Television Festival, held in Canada from 2-8 June 1991.[19]

1992

- Special Screenings

Cinemagic

The Big Wish, His Master’s Ghost, The Journey, Second Childhood and Mr Edmund screened as part of a special ‘Australian Weekend’ at the Cinemagic Northern Ireland International Film Festival for Young People held in Belfast on 14 and 15 December 1991.[20]

Kinderfestival

The Big Wish was screened as part of a Retrospective of Australian Children’s Films 1927-1990 at the 9th International Kinderfilmfestival held in Essen, Germany, from 1-10 November 1991.[20]

1994

By 1994, the Winners series had been screened in 77 countries. [24]

Winners screened nationally on the ABC on Saturday evenings at 6:00 pm as part of the Family Album series from 21 May 1994.[24]

Winners was re-screened on the ABC at 6:00 pm Saturday from 4 June to 23 July 1994.[25]

More Winners re-screened on the ABC, at 6:00 pm Saturday, from 30 July to 24 September 1994.[25]

1996

Winners screened on the ABC at 11:10 am weekdays from 1 to 10 July 1996.[28]

1997

The ABC screened More Winners at 10:45 am weekdays from 17 to 24 April 1997. [28]

Sales

Prior to the end of financial year 1984/85, an Australian sale of the series was concluded with network 10 for $1 million.[15] During 1985/86, the distributor I.T.C. Entertainment Ltd. commenced actively marketing Winners overseas and considered the appropriate time for the release of videos.[15]

June 1989

As of 30 June 1989 CBS/FOX Video reported sales of 6,541 Winners videotapes.[8]

1990

In Australia, Winners, the 8 x 48 minute anthology drama series was sold to the ABC.[22]

On the international market Winners was sold to NHK.[22] This sale represented months of consistent follow through and was a significant achievement in selling English language programming into a Japanese market. [22]

As of 30 June 1990 CBS/FOX Video reported sales of 6,915 Winners videotapes.[22]

1991

Sales of the Winners series were made to the Knowledge Network in Canada, an Argentinian video company and a French cable network.[19]

More Winners was also been sold into France and Argentina, as well as the United Kingdom, Belgium, The Netherlands and Ireland. [19]

As at 30 June 1991, CBS/FOX Video reported sales of 2,119 More Winners videotapes.[19]

As at 30 June 1991 CBS/FOX Video reported sales of 7,687 Winners videotapes.[19]

1992

Sales of the Winners and More Winners series were made to Thailand, Switzerland and to the Showtime Cable Network in the United States. [20]

More Winners was released on video in North America in the second part of 1992. The videos were sold with the novels of the series, which were supplied by Penguin Books Australia Ltd for this purpose. [20]

As at 30 June 1992 CBS/FOX Video reported sales of 8,063 Winners videotapes.[20]

As at 30 June 1992, CBS/Fox Video reported sales of 2,517 More Winners videotapes.[20]

1993

As at 30 June 1993 CBS/FOX Video reported sales of 9,215 Winners Videotapes.[23]

As at 30 June 1993 CBS/FOX Video reported sales of 3,276 More Winners videotapes.[23]

1994

As at 30th June 1994, CBS/Fox Video reported 9,422 sales of the Winners video-tapes.[29]

As at 30th June 1994, CBS/Fox Video reported sales of 3,475 More Winners videotapes. [29]

1995

At the end of June 1995 the Winners series had been sold into 82 countries.[25]

As at 30 June 1995, FOX Video reported sales of 3,666 More Winners videotapes.[25]

1996

The Winners and More Winners series of telemovies were sold to Telepiu, a pay television channel in Italy, for a one year window; Showcase Television, a pay television service in Canada; a KinderNet, a pay television service in The Netherlands.[30]

In 1996, The Disney Channel Australia acquired pay television rights in the Winners and More Winners series.[30]

REEL Entertainment released a number of Winners titles on the retail sell-through market in Australia.[30]

1997

In 1997, the Winners & More Winners series were sold to broadcasters in Hungary, the Cook Islands, Thailand, Bophuthatswana and Singapore. United Family Communications acquired pan South American pay television rights. More Winners was also sold to the Czech Republic and a broadcaster in Indonesia acquired the Mr Edmund film from this series. [28]

1998

United Family Communications, FETV Panama and the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation purchased the Winners and More Winners series.[31]

1999

In 1999, Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina acquired the Winners and More Winners series. A number of the More Winners series telemovies were sold to the Farabi Cinema Foundation of Iran.[32] Canal Once, a free-to-air television in Mexico, acquired the Winners and more Winners series.[32]

2000

In 2000, sales of the Winners & More Winners telemovies were concluded to Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, Television Nationale du Burkina Faso, and Israel Educational Television.[33]

Awards and Nominations
Winners
Year Nominated Work Award Event Category Result Reference
1985 'The Other Facts of Life' and 'Quest Beyond Time' 11th International Kinderfilm Festival, Frankfurt Selection for final screening Chosen [17]
1986 'The Other Facts of Life' and 'Top Kid' Banff Television Festival, Canada Children's program Award Finalists [17]
1985 'The Other Facts of Life' AWGIE Awards, Sydney Children-Original Work Winner [17]
1986 'Top Kid' Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) Awards, Melbourne General Award-Narrative Winner [17]
1986 'On Loan' Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) Awards, Melbourne Children's Award-Social Issues Special Commendation [17]
1986 'On Loan' Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) Awards, Melbourne General Award-Social issues Winner [17]
1986 Quang Chinh Dinh in 'On loan' St Kilda Film Festival, Melbourne Acting Certificate of Merit [17]
1986 'On Loan' United Nations Association Media peace Awards, Sydney - Citation [17]
1986 'Top Kid' Chicago International Festival of Children's Films, United States Live Action First Prize [17]
1986 'The paper Boy' Chicago International Festival of Children's Films, United States Live Action Honourable mention [17]
1986 'The Other Facts of Life' Chicago International Festival of Children's Films, United States Cinematic Impact Special Jury prize [17]
1986 'Just Friends' Chicago International Festival of Children's Films, United States Most Popular Video voted by the children's audience First Prize [17]
1986 - Chicago International Festival of Children's Films, United States A Special Award was created by the Jury as a result of the response to 'Winners' at the Festival that recognised the ACTF's outstanding achievements in producing top-quality films for children - [17]
1986 'Top Kid' Penguin Awards, Melbourne Best Children's Drama Winner [17]
More Winners
Year Nominated Work Award Event Category Result Reference
1990 Cliff Green writer of 'Boy Soldiers' AWGIE Awards, Melbourne Children's Award Winner [17]
1990 'Boy Soldiers' Chicago International Festival of Children's Films, United States Liv Ullman Peace prize Winner [17]
1990 'The Big Wish' Chicago International Festival of Children's Films, United States Festival Award for Outstanding Humour Winner [17]
1991 'The Big Wish' ATOM Awards Children's Award-Narrative Section Winner [17]
1991 'Boy Soldiers' ATOM Awards General Award-Narrative Section Highly Commended [17]
1991 'The Big Wish' Banff Television Festival, Canada Selection for screening in Children's program Category Selected [17]
1991 'The Big Wish' AFI Awards, melbourne Best Children's Television Drama Nominated [17]
1991 'Mr Edmund' AFI Awards, melbourne Best Children's Television Drama Nominated [17]
1991 Cameron Nugent in 'The Big Wish' AFI Awards, melbourne Top Television Actor Award Nominated [17]
1991 Steve J Spears in 'The Big Wish' AFI Awards, melbourne Best Screenplay in a Television Drama Nominated [17]
1991 Esben Storm in 'The Big Wish' AFI Awards, melbourne The Cameraquip Award for best Achievement in Direction in a Television Drama Nominated [17]
1991 'Boy Soldiers' International Emmy Awards, New York Children's and Young people's section Finalist [17]
1993 'More Winners' series CableAce Awards, Los Angeles, United States Best International Children's Series Nominated [17]
1994 'Boy Soldiers' Moscow International Festival of Film and Television for Children and Youth, Russia - Finalist [17]

Reviews

Winners
  • ‘Winners is everything children’s television should be. It is tailor-made for Australian children, it uses the abilities of the industry’s top performers, it offers children challenging and contemporary stories and it offers them variety.’ West Australian, Perth 28/11/85[34]
  • ‘The contemporary scripts have been original and the acting and direction quite outstanding.’ Weekend News, Perth 11/1/86[34]
  • ‘Winners, a series designed for children, but which proved to have far wider appeal, has been a TV triumph. It has re-defined the standards of children’s TV and in the themes it has explored has no doubt sparked intelligent family discussion in scores of homes.’ Sunday Times, Perth 19/1/86[34]
  • ‘Winners must rate as some of the finest television yet seen in this country.’ Wanneroo Times, WA 28/1/86[34]
  • ‘Winners embodies the key elements of the Foundations objectives in providing quality television drama that children can identify with, whilst remaining true to its targeted audience.’ Sunraysia Daily, Mildura 1/2/86[34]
  • ‘Finally, after years of force-feeding us America sit-coms…Australian television has come up with an intelligent, witty and very watchable program for children of all ages.’ TV Guide, The Canberra Times 3/2/86[34]
  • ‘Winners proves that learning and being entertained can go hand-in-hand.’ Herald TV Extra, Melbourne 29/9/85[34]
  • ‘Winners has some top-quality material for that section of the community that often misses out-children.’ The Guide, Sydney morning herald 23/9/85[34]
  • ‘On loan, a superb family drama from the Winners collection…It is moving and up-lifting and admirably restrained. Try not to miss it.’ Green Guide, the Age, Melbourne 10/10/85[34]
  • ‘Top Kid…a well crafted production which challenges its audience, both adult and child, as it entertains, a hallmark of the eight movies in the series.’ The Age, Melbourne 27/9/85[34]
  • ‘Truly, a series not to be missed by young and old.’ The Bulletin 15/10/85[34]
  • ‘Winners definitely lives up to the ACTF’s aim for Australian television.’ Sunday Examiner, Launceston 1/6/86[34]
  • ‘With the Winners concept, the Foundation has helped fill the gap between children’s and adult television programming and shown that children’s television can be just as varied as its adult counterpart.’ The Sun, Melbourne 26/6/86[34]
  • ‘Another of the Winners series of children’s dramas pops up on Channel Ten this week-and this one, like its forerunners, lives up to the series ambitious title…the $3.8 million spent by the Children’s Television Foundation in producing the series was money very well spent.’ The Herald, Melbourne 23/7/86 [34]

More Winners
  • “It’s local, relevant, high quality and heaps of fun. Don’t miss it.” The Sun, Melbourne, 20/06/90[35]
  • “More Winners is the sort of television that actually keeps you on the sofa, amused and entertained, for the entire program.” Daily News, Perth, 29/06/90[35]
  • “The quality of talent in writing, production and acting is extremely smart and we are a lucky country to be able to draw on human resources as good as these.” The Age, Melbourne, 30/6/90[35]
  • “If you think quality Australian children’s programming is a thing of the past-don’t just think again, think More Winners.” The News, Adelaide, 2/7/90[35]
  • “This production (His Master’s Ghost) from the Australian Children’s Television Foundation was a little ripper, subtly blending scary moments with wry humour and never losing sight of its primary purpose-to entertain.” Daily Mirror, Sydney, 2/7/90[35]
  • “The six new dramas are rich in content, exhilarating in performance, and splendidly put together. They are indeed winning productions.” Gold TV Guide, The Herald, Melbourne 2/7/90[35]
  • “Direction, acting, dialogue and photography are all top-notch, and there is no element in the film (Boy Soldiers) that distinguishes it as a particularly ‘children’s drama’. It is…most likely to be enjoyed equally by anyone, whatever their age.” Green Guide, The Age, Melbourne, 5/7/90[35]
  • “It (The Big Wish) is pure entertainment: a terrific idea, well written, well acted, and well-paced. And it’s very funny.” The Herald, Melbourne, 9/7/90[35]
  • “The joy of this series so far has been its desire to have children put in situations where they stretch themselves creatively, intellectually and imaginatively.” The Guide, Sydney Morning Herald, 6/8/90[35]
  • “Mr Edmund is a delightful film which will appeal to both children and adults-a rare thing in children’s television.” Daily News, Perth, 10/8/90[35]
  • “Delicious wit and inventive fantasy combine to make Second Childhood an entertaining vehicle for some solid issues.” Green Guide, The Age, Melbourne, 16/8/90[35]
gollark: One would hope so. If I cared about ordering of data and stuff I would just use SQLite or something myself.
gollark: Relying on specific filesystem ordering seems kind of a silly thing to do generally.
gollark: That happened to me too. I wonder what Discord *did*.
gollark: Well, not sci-fi level, but definitely nanotechnology and pretty advanced.
gollark: Lots of modern and not-that-modern technology is very impressive if you consider how complex it is. Like how CPUs are basically insanely advanced nanotechnology which they manufacture at the scale of, well, not individual atoms, but smallish groups of atoms, mass-produced and sold very cheaply.

References
  1. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1983). Care for kids: Television News, The newsletter of the Australian Children's Television Foundation, Issue No. 6, p. 1-4. ISSN: 0813-3727
  2. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1984). Care for kids: Television News, The newsletter of the Australian Children's Television Foundation, Issue No. 7, p. 1-4. ISSN: 0813-3727
  3. http://www.australiantelevision.net/winners.html
  4. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1987). Care for kids: Television News, The newsletter of the Australian Children's Television Foundation, Issue No. 20, p. 1-4. ISSN: 0813-3727
  5. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1986). Care for kids: Television News, The newsletter of the Australian Children's Television Foundation, Issue No. 17, p. 1-4. ISSN: 0813-3727
  6. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1986). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1985-1986. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. ISSN: 0864211929
  7. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1987). Care for kids: Television News, The newsletter of the Australian Children's Television Foundation, Issue No. 19, p. 1-4. ISSN: 0813-3727
  8. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1989). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1988-1989. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. ISBN 0864213360
  9. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1984). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1983-1984. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. ISSN: 0864210647
  10. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1984). Care for kids: Television News, The newsletter of the Australian Children's Television Foundation, Issue No. 9, p. 1-4. ISSN: 0813-3727
  11. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1985). Care for kids: Television News, The newsletter of the Australian Children's Television Foundation, Issue No. 11, p. 1-4. ISSN: 0813-3727
  12. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1984). Care for kids: Television News, The newsletter of the Australian Children's Television Foundation, Issue No. 10, p. 1-4. ISSN: 0813-3727
  13. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1984). Care for kids: Television News, The newsletter of the Australian Children's Television Foundation, Issue No. 8, p. 1-4. ISSN: 0813-3727
  14. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1990). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1989-1990. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. ISBN 0864210019
  15. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1985). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1984-1985. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. ISSN: 0864211848
  16. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1983). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1983-1984. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited.
  17. Edgar, Patricia, 1937- (2006). Bloodbath : a memoir of Australian television. Carlton, Vic.: Melbourne University Publishing. ISBN 0-522-85281-5. OCLC 224730166.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1987). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1986-1987. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. ISSN: 086421264X
  19. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1991). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1990-1991. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. ISBN 0864210175
  20. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1992). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1991-1992. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. ISBN 0864210337
  21. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1986). Care for kids: Television News, The newsletter of the Australian Children's Television Foundation, Issue No. 15, p. 1-4. ISSN: 0813-3727
  22. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1990). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1989-1990. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. ISBN 0864210019
  23. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1993). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1992-1993. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. ISBN 0864210418
  24. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1994). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1993-1994. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. ISBN 0 86421 121 X
  25. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1995). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1994-1995. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. ISBN 0 86421 121 X
  26. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1988). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1987-1988. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. ISSN: 0864213204
  27. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1985). Care for kids: Television News, The newsletter of the Australian Children's Television Foundation, Issue No. 13, p. 1-4. ISSN: 0813-3727
  28. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1997). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1996-1997. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. ISBN 086421281X
  29. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1994). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1993-1994. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. ISBN 0 86421 121 X
  30. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1996). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1995-1996. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. ISBN 0864212739
  31. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1998). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1997-1998. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. ISBN 0864213050
  32. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1999). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1998-1999. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. ISBN 0864213212
  33. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (2000). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1999-2000. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. ISBN 086421345X
  34. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1986). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1985-1986. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. ISSN: 0864211929
  35. Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1991). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1990-1991. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. ISBN 0864210175
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