A Country Practice
A Country Practice is an Australian television soap opera/serial which was broadcast on the Seven Network from 18 November 1981 until 22 November 1993, and subsequently on Network Ten from 13 April 1994 to 5 November 1994. Altogether, 14 seasons and 1,088 episodes were produced.
The show was produced at the ATN-7's production facility at Epping, New South Wales; Pitt Town and Oakville, suburbs on the outskirts of northwest Sydney, Australia, were used for most of the exterior filming, with the historic heritage-listed Clare House, built in 1838, serving as the location of the Wandin Valley Bush Nursing Hospital.
Many other fictional locations, including Dr. Terence Elliot's medical practice, the house of Frank and Shirley Gilroy, the Wandin Valley Church and Burrigan High School were filmed in the Hawkesbury.
Several of the regular cast members became popular celebrities as a result of their roles in the series. It also featured a number of native Australian animals, particularly the iconic "Fatso the wombat" adding to its appeal both domestically and internationally. After the series was cancelled by the Seven Network in 1993, the series was relaunched on the Network Ten in 1994.
At the time of its cancellation, A Country Practice was the longest-running Australian TV drama; however, by the late 1990s, that record was surpassed by Network Ten series Neighbours. At the height of its popularity, the show attracted 8–10 million Australian viewers weekly. The series was eventually sold to, and broadcast in 48 countries.
Creation
A Country Practice creator and executive producer James Davern had previously worked on a similar rural-based series as the producer and director of the long-running Bellbird, which screened on ABC Television. In 1979, he entered the pilot episode for a script contest by Network Ten, which was looking for a new hit soap opera after the demise of Number 96. Davern came third and won a merit award. Although TEN turned the series down, rival TV station Seven Network picked it up. Davern's contribution to the industry was recognised when he was honoured with the Order of Australia in 2014.Production
Format
Though sometimes considered a soap opera, the storylines of the show's two 45 minute episodes screened over any one week formed a self-contained narrative block. The storylines were meant to have a primary appeal to adult and older youthful audiences, and in particular they had greater appeal to children from middle-class backgrounds. As it did not have the open ended narrative of a traditional soap opera, it was technically a "series". Nevertheless, many storylines were developed as sub-plots for several episodes before becoming the focus of a particular week's narrative block. Overall, the program "so emphasized the ongoing storylines of its major characters as to make the distinction between series and serial more or less meaningless".Cancellation and continuation
After the end of its run on the Seven Network, it was announced that the serial would be picked up by Network Ten with a mainly new cast and a few key cast members continuing from the Seven series. Unlike the Seven series which was produced in Sydney, the Network Ten series was produced in Melbourne with location shooting in Emerald, Victoria. The new series debuted in April 1994, but was not as successful and was abruptly cancelled in November. The series featured actors including Paul Gleason, Jane Hall, Vince Colosimo, Claudia Black and Laura Armstrong.Cast
Main cast timeline
Cast notes
Seven Network years (1981–1993)
- Shane Porteous as Dr. Terence Elliot
- Helen Scott as Matron Marta Kurtesz
- Grant Dodwell as Dr. Simon Bowen
- Penny Cook as Vicky Dean Bowen
- Brian Wenzel as Frank Gilroy
- Lorrae Desmond as Nurse Sister Shirley Dean Gilroy
- Anne Tenney as Molly Jones
- Shane Withington as Brendan Jones
- Joyce Jacobs as Esme Watson, appeared in pilot as Norma
- Syd Heylen as Vernon "Cookie" Locke
- Gordon Piper as Bob Hatfield
- Emily Nicol as Chloe Jones
- Joan Sydney as Matron Margaret "Maggie" Sloane
- Wendy Strehlow as Sister Judy Loveday
- Nicholas Bufalo as Dr. Ben Green
- Annie Davies as Kelly Shanahan
- Josephine Mitchell as Jo Loveday Langley
- Diane Smith as Dr. Alex Fraser
- Mark Owen-Taylor as Peter Manning
- Caroline Johansson as Nurse Sister Donna Manning
- Kate Raison as Cathy Hayden
- Brett Climo as Michael Langley
- John Tarrant as Matthew Tyler
- Georgie Parker as Nurse Lucy Gardner Tyler, had previously appeared in a guest role as Barbara Gottlieb in 1988
- Michael Muntz as Dr. Cris Kouros
- Georgina Fisher as Jessica "Jessie" Kouros
- Matt Day as Julian "Luke" Ross
- Sophie Heathcote as Stephanie "Steve" Brennan
- Mary Regan as Director of Nursing Ann Brennan
- Maureen Edwards as Matron Rosemary Prior Elliot
- Andrew Blackman as Dr. Harry Morrison
- Michelle Pettigrove as Nurse Kate Bryant Morrison, had previously appeared in a guest role as Mary O'Connor in 1988
- Kym Wilson as Darcy Hudson, had previously appeared in a guest role as Leanne Baxter in 1989
- Jon Concannon as Senior Constable Tom Newman
- Gavin Harrison as Hugo Szreclecki
- Judith McGrath as Bernice Hudson
- Anne Looby as Dr. Anna Lacey Newman, had previously appeared in a guest role as Jennifer Rose in 1990
- Jamie Croft as Billy Moss, had previously appeared in a guest role as Ashley Baker in 1991
- Allan Penney as Perce Hudson, had previously appeared in guest roles as Arty Turner in 1981, Alf Trotter in 1982 and Alfred Hitchins in 1984
Network Ten year (1994)
- Joan Sydney as Matron Maggie Morrison
- Andrew Blackman as Dr. Harry Morrison
- Joyce Jacobs as Esme Watson
- Paul Gleeson as Ian McIntyre
- Claudia Black as Claire Bonacci
- Vince Colosimo as Danny Sabatini
- Laura Armstrong as Georgie Wilkes
- Jane Hall as Dr. Jess Morrison
Episodes
Setting and stories
The series followed the workings of a small hospital in the fictional New South Wales rural country town of Wandin Valley, as well as its connected medical clinic, the town's veterinary surgery, RSL club/pub and local police station. The show's storylines focused on the staff and regular patients of the hospital and general practice, their families, and other residents of the town. Through its weekly guest actors, it explored various social and medical problems. The series examined such topical issues as youth unemployment, suicide, drug addiction, HIV/AIDS and terminal illness. Apart from its regular rotating cast, A Country Practice also had a cast of semi-regulars who made appearances as the storylines permitted. The program also showcased a number of animal stars and Australian native wildlife, most famously Fatso the wombat. Fatso was played throughout the series by three separate wombats, the original actually named Fatso was replaced due to temperament issues with the cast, a wombat George, he himself replaced due to early signs of wombat mange, and Garth.Highest rating episode
played Molly Jones, who became one of the most popular characters, particularly in the series' early years. Molly was an unconventional fashion designer, farmer and Green-hugging local environmentalist, and after Tenney decided to leave the series, her character's death episode became the highest rating, and most remembered storyline. The series 13 week storyline arc dealt with how a young woman, as well as her husband and local residents, coped with terminal illness, after the character was diagnosed with leukaemia. The final episode sees the character of Molly sitting in her back garden and waving while her husband, Brendan, is teaching their daughter, Chloe, to fly a kite. He sees Molly is fading, and calls her name as the screen fades to black. This storyline arc was originally written to be featured over a continuing 11 week script. A producer realised that the ratings were not being monitored during this period, so it was extended for 13 weeks, and hence 4 extra 1 hour episodes.Other iconic storylines over its 12-year run include the wedding of Dr. Simon Bowen to local vet Vicki Dean in 1983, the death of nurse Donna Manning in a car crash in 1987, and the off-screen death of longtime resident Shirley Gilroy, played by original Lorrae Desmond in a plane crash in 1992.
Logie Awards
A Country Practice is the third most successful television program after Home and Away and Neighbours, at the Logie Awards, having won 29 awards during its twelve years of production.Logie Awards 1983
- Best Supporting Actor In A Series: Brian Wenzel
- Best Juvenile Performance: Jeremy Shadlow
- Most Popular Actor: Grant Dodwell
- NSW Most Popular Female: Penny Cook
- NSW Most Popular Show: A Country Practice
- Most Popular Drama Series: A Country Practice
- Best Supporting Actress In A Series: Lorrae Desmond
- Most Popular Lead Actor: Grant Dodwell
- Most Popular Lead Actress: Anne Tenney
- NSW Most Popular Male: Grant Dodwell
- NSW Most Popular Female: Penny Cook
- NSW Most Popular Show: A Country Practice
- Most Popular Drama Program: A Country Practice
- Best Lead Actor In A Series: Shane Withington
- Best Supporting Actress In A Series: Wendy Strehlow
- Most Popular Australian Actor: Grant Dodwell
- Most Popular Australian Actress: Anne Tenney
- NSW Most Popular Female: Anne Tenney
- NSW Most Popular Program: A Country Practice
- Most Popular Australian Drama: A Country Practice
- NSW Most Popular Program: A Country Practice
- NSW Most Popular Program: A Country Practice
- Most Outstanding Actress: Joan Sydney
- NSW Most Popular Program: A Country Practice
- Most Outstanding Actor: Shane Porteous
- Most Popular New Talent: Georgie Parker
- Most Popular Actress: Georgie Parker
- Most Popular Actress: Georgie Parker
- Most Popular Actress: Georgie Parker