Always Afternoon

This series touched the hearts of many Australians when it was released to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the founding of modern Australia. Most people outside Australia do not understand the significance of the Great War to Australians: population 3m; dead 180,000; wounded 250,000; 30% of the men and women who left these shores never returned; and Australians per head of population took more casualties than any other nation but the Irish. The Anzacs also had a reputation for being fierce, and very effective fighters, but also fiercely independent to the point of insubordination (at least in British eyes) How pleasant and surprising to see a modern story told about this, which respected this history, but also updated it in terms of modern Australia's multi-culturalism, with a civilized and very,very sad love story. The criticisms on here of the characterisations misunderstand the character of the times. Australian society then, unlike now, was largely an anglo-celtic one, and a rather stern version of it at that. It is not altogether surprising that this is reflected in the characters, particularly the parents. I enjoyed the series, and would heartily recommend it to those who wish to understand an outback society being put through unbelievable trauma