Since 1996, the landmark ABC documentary series has allowed Australians from all walks of life to tell their stories in their own words.
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Australians → allow → words
The program has featured 1,133 people — some public figures; others ordinary people facing extraordinary times.
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program → feature → times
Each of them provides an insight into Australian life and the complexity and richness of the human experience.
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Each → provide → experience
To mark the 30th milestone, we are asking you to choose your favourite episode.
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we → mark → episode
Australian Story has created this episode shortlist for you to vote from using the form at the bottom of this page.
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you → create → page
The top 30 winners will be announced on November 19 on the Australian Story Facebook page.
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winners → announce → page
Voting closes November 2.
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Voting → close → ?
Mr Squiggle | Norman Hetherington, 1996
Originally commissioned for a six-week run, the children's TV show Mr Squiggle ran for 40 years.
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show → commission → years
Creator Norman Hetherington, wife Margaret and daughter Rebecca take us behind the scenes of a national institution.
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Hetherington → take → institution
It explores his life beyond the football pitch, particularly his role as a father to two children with disabilities.
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It → explore → disabilities
Something in the Air | Sam Bailey, 2000
Celebrating the resilience of farmer Sam Bailey, who was left a quadriplegic after a car accident.
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who → celebrate → accident
The story focuses on his determination to continue farming and his romance with former ABC radio presenter Jenny Black.
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story → focus → Black
When Darren and Joanna Link discovered they were expecting their fifth child, they made the extraordinary decision to give the new baby to Darren's sister Tracey, who lived in America and was unable to have children.
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who → discover → children
The Gilded Cage | Peter Hollingworth, 2002
Dr Peter Hollingworth, his wife Ann and their daughter Deborah talk frankly about the school sex abuse scandal that cast a cloud over his term as governor-general and sparked calls for his resignation.
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that → talk → resignation
Queen Leah | Leah Purcell, 2002
The powerhouse Indigenous actor and director shares her journey from a difficult childhood in Murgon, Queensland, to becoming a star of stage and screen.
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actor → share → stage
Happy as Garry | Garry McDonald, 2002
The beloved actor (known for Norman Gunston, Mother and Son) speaks candidly about his battle with severe anxiety and depression.
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actor → know → anxiety
What Lies Beneath | Steve Irwin, 2003
Filmed at the height of his fame, this episode explores the Crocodile Hunter's philosophy on conservation.
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episode → lie → conservation
It provides a behind-the-scenes look at his work and family life at Australia Zoo.
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It → provide → Zoo
the former wife of prime minister Bob Hawke reveals her diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and her mission to reduce the stigma of the condition.
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wife → reveal → condition
This episode played a significant role in keeping the case in the public eye, focusing on her family's decades-long search for justice against her husband, Chris Dawson.
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episode → play → husband
With This Ring | Gayle and Mac Shann, 2003
The story of a young couple whose lives were up-ended by a horrific farming accident that left Gayle with permanent physical disabilities.
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that → end → disabilities
For the first time, some of his siblings speak out about their upbringing, their brother's crimes, and the dark legacy that haunts the Milat name.
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that → speak → name
The episode focuses on his parents' desperate struggle to save their son from the death penalty in Indonesia after he was caught smuggling heroin.
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he → focus → heroin
Right As Rain | Peter Andrews, 2007
Follows the controversial and innovative work of farmer Peter Andrews, who developed "Natural Sequence Farming" to restore drought-stricken landscapes.
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who → follow → landscapes
The program returned to his story three times over the years.
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program → return → years
Some Meaning in This Life | Belinda Emmett, 2007
A poignant tribute to the Home and Away actress as she faced a terminal cancer diagnosis.
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she → face → diagnosis
The episode captures her grace, her marriage to Rove McManus, and her determination to find joy in her final days.
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episode → capture → days
Paths of Glory | Malcolm Turnbull, 2009
Made a year after Malcolm Turnbull became opposition leader, this looks at the forces that shaped his character and the intense highs and lows of the Utegate Affair, which rocked federal politics.
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which → make → politics
You're the Voice | Gurrumul, 2010
A profile of the enigmatic, world-renowned blind Indigenous musician Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu.
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You → renowne → musician
It explores his shy nature, his deep spiritual connection to Elcho Island, and his meteoric rise to global stardom.
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It → explore → stardom
The Story of Samuel | Samuel Symons, 2010
A tribute to the son of Red Symons, who battled multiple brain tumours throughout his life.
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who → battle → life
It's a story of incredible spirit and the profound impact he had on those around him before his passing.
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he → have → passing
Ita Tells Me So | Ita Buttrose, 2011
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Ita → tell → Me
The media icon looks back on her trailblazing career as the founding editor of Cleo and the first female editor of an Australian metropolitan daily newspaper.
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icon → look → newspaper
Leap of Faith | Li Cunxin, 2012
Mao's Last Dancer tells Li Cunxin's story of defecting from China to become a world-class ballet star and, later, his transition into a successful stockbroker and artistic director of the Queensland Ballet.
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Dancer → tell → Ballet
Know Thy Enemy | Anna Meares, 2013
Anna Meares dominated cycling for nearly a decade.
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Meares → know → decade
Her triumphant return after a catastrophic accident was the stuff of legend, but her ascendancy came at some cost to personal and family relationships.
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ascendancy → come → relationships
It explores his ruthless business instincts, his revolutionising of world cricket, and the softer, private side of a man who dominated the Australian landscape.
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who → explore → landscape
It covers his political triumphs, his personal flaws and his enduring love for the Australian public.
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It → cover → public
How I Met Your Father | Aminah Hart 2014
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I → meet → Hart
…and 32 more, not listed.
The Aporia