The Bandar-Log: A Labor Story of the 1950s is a fictionalised recreation of the great Labor split of the 1950s. This schism in Labor's ranks began in October 1954 when its erratic federal party leader Dr H.V. ("Doc") Evatt denounced the perceived influence wielded over the party by the anti-communist Catholic activist B.A. ("Bob") Santamaria. The resulting donnybrook involved personality clashes as well as ideological conflict. The messy saga featured a diverse array of participants including Catholic churchmen, trade union bosses, state premiers, state and federal Labor politicians and...

In 1952-3 dramatic change was taking place in farming. Oil lamps gave way to electricity, horse and steam power to tractors, hand sheep shearing to mechanical clipping and hand to machine milking. It was a time when self sufficiency was crucial as strict post WW II rationing was still in place. Through the eyes of a nine year old, Alan Reid tells these stories with nostalgic love for a time, pre television, when he and his friends made their own amusement with great ingenuity and sometimes dramatic consequences. Each day was a welcome challenge to find new excitement. A truly experimental...