Terence Donovan 1970 second from left @thetimes 23/7/22 With the end of Neighbours:the history of this moment means so much more than Scott/Charlene ‘My father has always been a passionate advocate for Australian stories and the Australian national identity. Having arrived in Melbourne from London in the ‘50s initially gaining work as a carpet salesman, he landed on his feet as an actor, first appearing in West Side Story in Melbourne in 1960. He would eventually play Doug Willis for over seven years in Neighbours! In the 1960s Australia there was no government support for an Australian film and television industry. In 1961 just one per cent of drama on Australian television was Australian. The other 99 per cent was foreign drama, made in the US or UK and sold cheap to Australian networks. In response to a lack of Australian stories on Australian screens, the industry united under the banner “TV – Make it Australian”. One of those at the front of this campaign was my father whom in the late 60s and 70s was a regular on one of the few Australian TV dramas called Division 4. Using his profile at the time, and enlisting the help of other actors and entertainers, my father lobbied successive governments to change the policy on local content quotas. These efforts worked and with bipartisan support from the Gorton and Whitlam governments, an Australian film and television industry was created out of nothing. The result of that campaign was an obligation on commercial television broadcasters to broadcast Australian stories. It also led to the creation of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School’ ‘Without this movement we might not have seen the growth in the industry during the 70s and 80s and indirectly Australian films such as The Man From Snowy River, Breaker Morant, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Priscilla, Muriel’s Wedding, Crocodile Dundee, Strictly Ballroom etc. Without this action there would not have been Neighbours or Home and Away. All uniquely Australian. All successful on the international markets. And all providing the training and experience of production crews and actors that are the bedrock of the Australian film and television industry today’