Kings in Grass Castles: A Dramatisation

Kings in Grass Castles is the extraordinary story of a pioneering Australian family and the visionary who led it-Patsy Durack. It is regarded as the best saga of pastoral Australia ever published, and this dramatisation is alive with vitality and warmth. In 1853 Patsy Durack arrived in Sydney almost penniless. He was just 18, and one of a large family fleeing famine stricken Ireland. Durack was optimistic and tenacious. He spent a short and lucrative time in the Victorian gold camps. In 1876 Durack and his brother-in-law John Costello, with their wives and growing families, drove small herds of cattle into the unknown territory of western Queensland. Here the families prospered. In the bountiful years of the 1870s Patsy Durack, said, 'We are kings in grass castles that may be blown away upon a puff of wind'. This insight into the unpredictable nature of rural life was born out after Durack left for north-western Australia.Cast list: Judy Dick (Narrator), Edwin Hodgeman (Grandfather-old), Henry Salter (Cpt. Murray/Stumpy Michael), Daphne Grey (Grandma Durack), Grant Piro(John Costello/Father), John Dick(Aboriginal Cabby/Long Michael/Uncle Darby), Chris Pitman (Grandfather-young/Drover/Gilmour/John/Tim Kilfoyle), Barbara West (Grandmother Costello/Sarah), Roger Cardwell (Will/Big Johnny/Pumpkin), Heather Steen (Mary).