After winning the centenary competition in Adelaide, he moved to Sydney in 1936, on contract to the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) as a playwright and producer in the Federal Productions Department.

Max married Thelma Thomas on 16 April 1938 at St Michael's church, Vaucluse, Sydney.

Numerous condolence letters from his friends, colleagues and admirers were sent to his wife from around Australia and from overseas including the US, the UK and Hong Kong.

Ernest William Burbridge, Representative of the British Council in Australia, wrote that "(Max) was so devoted to his art, and had such passionate belief in the cause of Drama."

In 1936 he won the Advertiser's centenary play competition with William Light The Founder (later titled Awake My Love).

Afford's radio plays and serials have been re-broadcast in Canada, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Poland, and Egypt.

The BBC, for example, bought his serial Fly By Night and his radio plays Labours of Hercules, Oh, Whistle When You're Happy, The Four Specialists and For Fear of Little Men.

[6] Lady in Danger was the second play by an Australian dramatist ever to be performed at a Broadway theatre in front of an American audience.

The South Australian Tourism Commission said of its presentation during the Adelaide Centenary, 1936: "This play was a great success... completely accurate historically."

Moore, however, considered it practical and beneficial as CLF had just approved a new scheme of helping publishers with literary, not commercial, books.

In May, Howe agreed to go ahead with a book of stage plays providing he can obtain the Commonwealth of Australia's sponsorship.

With this promise, Thelma decided to drop the attempt to publish radio plays with Sam Ure Smith.

In June, Collins brought forward this collection of stage plays with two purposes in mind: First, to present a prestige book as a memorial to the late Max Afford, who won outstanding success as both stage and radio dramatist; Second, to make the plays available in published form for the repertory theatres.

The proposition is "quite unacceptable", said Tom Inglis Moore, "Lowe's guarantee requested of £1114 is far too high and cannot be entertained.

An agreement was finally reached: a volume of only two 3 plays: Lady in Danger, Awake My Love and Consulting Room plus an Introduction from Leslie Rees and a Foreword from Sir Richard Boyer.

Thelma as the owner of the copyright waived her royalties, which represented a reduction of £437 on the publishing costs; and a less ambitious edition of only 1400.