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When Ken failed first year university, he became a lost soul, unemployed, often on the dole and finally wandering the world to try to find himself. He returned to Australia to begin his studies again as a primary teacher.
Curator’s notes
This is an example of how good but unobtrusive interviews can produce very personal, revealing material. The simple camerawork effectively makes us feel involved.
Both young men have turned out very differently from their promise of the original 1972 program. Pat looked set to become one of those who move unhappily from one unsatisfactory job to another because they haven’t got the qualifications to get started, while Ken seemed sure to sail through university and into the teaching role he’d always wanted. Finding them nearly 30 years later is proof that life rarely follows the path we expect. Surprisingly, Ken became a lost soul after failing first year university, while Pat repeated his School Certificate and settled down to an apprenticeship and a career path through the firm.
The updated program offers an optimistic message for those parents and students who feel there is only ever one course to follow. When Ken was forced to spend a number of years coming to terms with his failings and trying to remake his life, he became a much better person as a result and no doubt a much better teacher. If he’d simply gone in a straight line from school to university and into teaching, he may never have found the peace and contentment he now feels with his life.
The long-term study documentary is endlessly fascinating because we’re naturally fascinated with the outcomes of other people’s lives. The British series 7 Up has now become 49 Up and there’s even a Russian 21 Up, while Gillian Armstrong’s original Smokes and Lollies had two follow-up programs as the years progressed, and these have become an Australian classic of the genre.
