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When did it start? 1991
What is it? Rural current affairs. Landline is a show about farming, the country and the future of agriculture. Hosted by Pip Courtney, the show interviews farmers, workers, scientists, townspeople and others about challenges and changes in agriculture. It’s an important show as it helps people understand the life-sustaining work done in rural Australia and how agriculture is the backbone of our economy.
When did it start? 1966.
What is it? Children’s entertainment. Play School is one of Australia’s most beloved shows. While aimed at children, a re-watch hits the nostalgia spot – although it’s more modern and flashier than it ever was when we were growing up! Despite the different sets and better graphics, the toys remain the same – Big Ted, Maurice, Jemima – and the presenters are as energetic and enthusiastic as ever.
When did it start? 1988.
What is it? Soap opera. Set in a fictional coastal town called Summer Bay, Home and Away follows the lives, loves and scandals of its residents. The dramatic storylines, while often over the top, are always entertaining – and the beach scenery is gorgeous! It’s also popular – with a strong and dedicated viewership at home and also in the UK and Ireland. This year’s Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television went to Lynne McGranger, who played Irene Roberts for 33 years. She has now left the show to pursue other interests – and the character has left with her!
When did it start? 1990.
What is it? Gardening show. Gardening Australia is an iconic ABC show, hosted by the charismatic Costa Georgiadis. It follows beautiful and interesting gardens around the country, from small households to schools and community gardens. The show provides tips for healthy and sustainable gardening, no matter the climate or challenges. It also gives simple, useful tips on a range of topics, including growing edible plants, saving water, composting and looking after soil. Prison gardens have featured in a few Gardening Australia episodes – including a 2013 investigation into the gardening program at Port Phillip Prison, in Victoria, and a 2017 episode set at Risdon Prison, in Tasmania. Even if you don’t like gardening or have much experience with it, the show is calming to watch and can feel like an escape into nature.
When did it start? 1961! This show is 64 years old and Australia’s longest running show.
What is it? Calling itself “the home of Australian investigative journalism”, Four Corners is Australia’s longest running TV show. Many episodes have led to national inquiries, royal commissions and political change. For example, an investigation that aired on 25 July 2016 called “Australia’s shame” exposed the mistreatment of youth at Don Dale Youth Detention centre in Darwin. There was national outcry, which led to the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory. Other episodes on the justice system include “Trapped: Inside the hidden system of locking people up indefinitely” – a 2023 investigation into the mistreatment of people with disability and mental illness detained in the forensic system – and “Who Killed Mr Ward?” – a 2009 investigation into the death of an Aboriginal man in Western Australia, after he had been locked in a metal van in the desert heat.
When did it start? 1991
What is it? Rural current affairs. Landline is a show about farming, the country and the future of agriculture. Hosted by Pip Courtney, the show interviews farmers, workers, scientists, townspeople and others about challenges and changes in agriculture. It’s an important show as it helps people understand the life-sustaining work done in rural Australia and how agriculture is the backbone of our economy.
When did it start? 1966.
What is it? Children’s entertainment. Play School is one of Australia’s most beloved shows. While aimed at children, a re-watch hits the nostalgia spot – although it’s more modern and flashier than it ever was when we were growing up! Despite the different sets and better graphics, the toys remain the same – Big Ted, Maurice, Jemima – and the presenters are as energetic and enthusiastic as ever.
When did it start? 1988.
What is it? Soap opera. Set in a fictional coastal town called Summer Bay, Home and Away follows the lives, loves and scandals of its residents. The dramatic storylines, while often over the top, are always entertaining – and the beach scenery is gorgeous! It’s also popular – with a strong and dedicated viewership at home and also in the UK and Ireland. This year’s Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television went to Lynne McGranger, who played Irene Roberts for 33 years. She has now left the show to pursue other interests – and the character has left with her!
When did it start? 1990.
What is it? Gardening show. Gardening Australia is an iconic ABC show, hosted by the charismatic Costa Georgiadis. It follows beautiful and interesting gardens around the country, from small households to schools and community gardens. The show provides tips for healthy and sustainable gardening, no matter the climate or challenges. It also gives simple, useful tips on a range of topics, including growing edible plants, saving water, composting and looking after soil. Prison gardens have featured in a few Gardening Australia episodes – including a 2013 investigation into the gardening program at Port Phillip Prison, in Victoria, and a 2017 episode set at Risdon Prison, in Tasmania. Even if you don’t like gardening or have much experience with it, the show is calming to watch and can feel like an escape into nature.
When did it start? 1961! This show is 64 years old and Australia’s longest running show.
What is it? Calling itself “the home of Australian investigative journalism”, Four Corners is Australia’s longest running TV show. Many episodes have led to national inquiries, royal commissions and political change. For example, an investigation that aired on 25 July 2016 called “Australia’s shame” exposed the mistreatment of youth at Don Dale Youth Detention centre in Darwin. There was national outcry, which led to the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory. Other episodes on the justice system include “Trapped: Inside the hidden system of locking people up indefinitely” – a 2023 investigation into the mistreatment of people with disability and mental illness detained in the forensic system – and “Who Killed Mr Ward?” – a 2009 investigation into the death of an Aboriginal man in Western Australia, after he had been locked in a metal van in the desert heat.
I've read thousands of novels over the last fifty-odd years and not one of them was romance, but while I'm trying new things – like paraplegia and prison – I might as well add in a romance novel to my life experience.
The genre is crime fiction, set in the Australian outback, in rural, sometimes insular communities where everyone seems to know everyone else. This is set in the outback NSW town of Cobb where a woman, a local school teacher, has been stoned to death.
Set in the period following ‘The Great War’ (World War I), Wicked Little Letters is a comedic re-telling of true events that took place in Littlehampton, England.
The 2024 Paris Olympics started with a splash (literally). The Opening Ceremony featured 90 boats, filled with country teams waving flags, all floating down a rainy river Seine, as the crowd of 300,000 cheered from the riverbanks.
A collection of sports news from the past month, including Brisbane possibly being our new sporting capital, Aussie women finding lots of wins in Cricket and loutish crowd behaviour marring the Ryder Cup.
We’re Bull Press. We make games – conversational tabletop games – for a prison environment. Most of us have spent time in prison, and we’re based in the USA.
Prison is a noisy place, yet at Risdon Prison, in Tasmania – nestled near bushland and close to the Risdon Brook Dam – the sounds of nature still break through. Despite the din, the calls of native birds are unmistakable.
A new children’s book addresses the incarceration of parents. It’s titled My Dad’s Gone Away and was written by Andrew Krakouer and Jacqueline Dinan.
Help keep the momentum going. All donations will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.
All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible. If you would like to pay directly into our bank account to avoid the processing fee, please contact donate@abouttime.org.au. ABN 67 667 331 106.
Help us get About Time off the ground. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.
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