About this season
At eight years old, an impoverished Bert Facey was forced to start the backbreaking, dawn-to-dusk life of a farm labourer. Unschooled, his father dead, abandoned by his mother, by the age of twenty he had survived the rigours of pioneering the harsh Australian bush and the slaughter of the bloody WWI campaign at Gallipoli.
Episodes (4)
1. Starting Out (1897-1905)
Aired 27 April 1986 • 90 min
Bert Facey's tormented early years through his father's death and harsh economic depression
2. Bush Schooling (1905-1908)
Bert goes to work for the Phillips, a childless couple who treat him as one of the family.
3. Journey (1908-1914)
Aired 29 April 1986 • 90 min
Reunited with his mother after 12 years, Bert soon moves north to seek work.
4. Providence (1914-1916)
Aired 30 April 1986 • 90 min
A champion prize fighter, Bert enlists when WWI breaks out, surviving the nightmare of Gallipoli.