The television adaptation of the My Place children's book, by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins, looks back from the year 2008 to 1888 covering the stories of the children who live in the same house over 130 years. The television series also introduces two new characters: Lily (1988), a Vietnamese girl whose newly arrived cousin from Vietnam threatens Lily's status at home and at school; and Mohammed (1998), an Islamic boy who is celebrating Ramadan while trying out for the local cricket team.
The Television series, My Place, will be screened on ABC1 from 22 April 2010 and continue each weekday afternoon at 5.30pm. Australian schools with a Screenrights licence may copy the series and retain it in their school library.
Episode descriptions
2008: Laura accidentally sinks a dinghy in the canal. The ashes of the owner's beloved dog are lost in the muddle. She can't find a way to own up. Meanwhile, her mob get together to listen to the Prime Minister's apology to Indigenous people.
1998: Mohammed is a mad-keen bowler and is desperate to join the cricket team at his new school. However, there are no available places and so he ends up playing with the girls, who prove to be the better side.
1988: Lily's cousin Phoung arrives with her parents from Vietnam. But the trophy cousin turns out to be a real threat to Lily's status at home and at school.
1978: Mike knows a lot about Australian muscle cars from 1968 to 1978. The other kids think he's odd and Mike believes he only has one friend, Ben, but is Ben a real friend?
1968: Sofia is a spy for the yayas and she's determined to get rid of her brother Michaelis's non-Greek girlfriend before he leaves for Vietnam.
1958: Michaelis's family is from Kalymnos. He wants to be Australian, not Greek, but even more than that he wants a television so he can watch The Adventures of Robin Hood.
1948: Jen's dad died in the war. Now her mum is planning to marry Wal. Even though Wal has a car, in Jen's eyes he definitely doesn't match up to her real dad.
1938: Colum has two big ambitions: to stop his best mate Thommo's family from being kicked out of the house next door, and to get up the nerve to ride his billycart down Brickpits Hill.
1928: Kath and Lorna are the best of friends. The two set off on a day of harmless relaxation, wheeling Kath's baby brother in his pram with her annoying younger sister, Bridie, in tow.
1918: Bertie wants to buy a special gift to welcome his brother Eddie home from the war. He thinks that a pair of brown brogue shoes is just what his brother will need. Bertie is doing all he can to save the money, including putting on a magic show.
1908: Evelyn can't wait for cracker night. This year, for the first time, her father can afford to buy the family their own box of fireworks. Unfortunately, Evelyn shows the box to her disbelieving neighbour Freddie.
1898: Rowley longs for his father to come home. Convinced that good deeds will be rewarded, he'll do anything to help his mother and his neighbours. His goal seems close, but then he discovers that his father may never come home at all.
1888: Victoria and her family have just moved into the terrace house that her father has built. She'll do anything to ensure that they stay there forever and she has an idea.