Australian
Screen

Teacher’s notes

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This clip shows some of the Woolcot children trying to win back their father’s approval by doing jobs around the house. Their father, Captain Woolcot (Leonard Teale), has banned the children from seeing a pantomime because of their misbehaviour. Esther Woolcot (Elizabeth Alexander), who is the children’s stepmother, tells her husband that the punishment is too harsh. He disagrees, saying that all he wants is some sort of discipline in the house. The children’s efforts end in disaster, inflaming the Captain’s temper but when Esther breaks down, sobbing and begging him to stop, he relents.

Educational value points

• The television series Seven Little Australians was adapted from the novel of the same name. Written by Ethel Turner, the book is considered a classic of Australian literature. Seven Little Australians, which was Turner’s first novel, was published in 1894 and the first edition sold out within weeks. In 1994 it was the only novel by an Australian author to have been in print continuously for 100 years. Since its publication it has been translated into 15 different languages and has sold more than 2 million copies.

• Ethel Turner (1892–1958) was born in Yorkshire, England, but migrated to Australia at the age of eight with her widowed mother and sisters. Her autobiographical novel Three Little Maids (1900) describes the struggle of her mother to maintain the family. A prolific writer, Turner published 34 novels, mainly for children, as well as short stories and poetry. After leaving school in 1889 she and her sister Lilian, who also became a writer, founded and edited a sixpenny monthly magazine called The Parthenon before Turner went on to edit the 'children’s page’ first for the Illustrated Sydney News and then Australian Town and Country Journal.

• In the 1890s, the period in which this story is set, children were expected to obey their parents unquestioningly and behave according to the maxim that children should be seen and not heard. Like Captain Woolcot, fathers tended to be distant and authoritarian, while children were primarily the mother’s responsibility. Child-rearing manuals advised parents that they must break the child’s will and instruct them in moral conduct and social conformity. Punishment for misbehaviour was harsh and included caning or the 'strap’ as suggested in the clip. In the Woolcot household this authoritarian parenting is compounded by Captain Woolcot’s desire that his home be run in a military manner.

• The novel Seven Little Australians attracted some criticism when it was first published, mainly because it did not conform to a 19th-century convention in children’s literature that 'good’ is always rewarded. Turner’s refusal to idealise family life and her celebration of the spirited and unruly Woolcot children set the novel apart and contributed to its enduring appeal.

• Leonard Teale (1922–94) is best known for his role as Senior Detective David MacKay in the long-running television series Homicide (1964–76), which was also Australia’s first police drama. Teale established a career in radio in the 1940s and 1950s, appearing in numerous serials, including as Superman in the series of the same name (1949–54). In the early days of television he worked on variety shows such as Sydney Tonight and later played headmaster Charles Ogilvy in the soap opera Class of ’74 (1974). He was a passionate advocate for more local drama on Australian television.

• Turner’s novel has been widely adapted since it first appeared in 1894. Seven Little Australians was made into a stage play in 1915 and an Australian feature film directed by Arthur Greville Collins in 1939, and was adapted as a stage musical in 1988. It has been adapted for television twice, by the BBC in 1953 and this production by the ABC in 1973.

One of the boys gets a bottle out of a drawer and sits down to polish his father’s boots. He hears a bang and his father exclaiming, and runs to hide next to a cupboard in the room. Captain Woolcot walks in, followed by Esther carrying a little girl.
Captain Woolcot What is happening in this house? I’m drenched. Drenched to the skin.
Girl I’m sorry.
Esther Hush, dear. John, please…
Woolcot Trying to wash the windows! Great Caesar. What are these children – imbeciles? Suicides?
Girl I was doing a good turn, father, like Judy said.
Woolcot Saturated!
Esther She was only trying to…
Woolcot Oh, get her out…
The boy is still listening out of sight as Esther takes the girl outside. She returns, shutting the door behind her.
Esther John, she’s only a baby. She thought she was helping.
Woolcot There seems to be a conspiracy in this house to send me out of my mind.
The boy makes a noise, which the captain hears.
Woolcot What’s that?
He sees the boy, and grabs him as he tries to run from the room. On his way past, the boy knocks over the bottle of boot polish.
Woolcot You unmitigated scoundrel! (seeing the polish has stained his tunic) My dress uniform!
Boy I didn’t, I didn’t! It’s not fair! Judy said so.
Woolcot holds the wriggling boy under his arm.
Woolcot Esther, hand me that strap at once.
Esther Oh, please stop it. Stop it! (crying) Oh, stop.
Woolcot Out.
The boy exits, gratefully.
Esther Oh, John.
He sits on the bed beside her and takes her in his arms.
Woolcot My dear, my poor, poor little girl. Forgive me. Please, please forgive me.
Esther Seven of them, and I’m only 20.