Blue Hills (radio serial)

[1] Blue Hills followed an earlier similar style series written by Gwen Meredith called The Lawsons, which was the brainchild of play editor Leslie Rees and Frank Clewlow of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (then Commission), which had been approached by Government in 1943 to publicise the need for farmers to grow more soya beans as part of the war effort.

The story revolved around the farmer John Lawson (Vivian Edwards), his wife Ellen (Ailsa Grahame), and their 19-year-old daughter Sue (Jane Holland).

The original remit was extended to enable modern farming methods and seasonal information to be passed on to farmers, as well as the usual fare of soap operas.

Under producer Charles Wheeler, who insisted of actors that they use a natural conversation style rather than stage voices,[3] the show lasted five years before it was terminated, at Meredith's request, to make way for a similar program of greater scope.

Producers included: The famous opening signature tune was taken from a short orchestral piece called Pastorale by the British composer Ronald Hanmer.

But since the publisher sets a defensive maximum of eighty thousand words, intending readers should be warned—and perhaps heartened by the warning—that in that editing, a great deal has perforce been discarded.