A Country Practice

I was 12 when this came out having to watch on a small black and white tv sometimes if parents were watching something on bigger colour tv but I wouldn't miss an episode for anything. I'm watching the reruns now. Huge part of my childhood. My parents drove me me 3 hours to a qld shopping mall for a competition but I didn't win to meet the cast but I saw bob and cookie- never got over it and I'm over 50. Lol. BRILLIANT FUNNY CAST WITH EVERY EPISODE BEAUTIFULLY DIRECTED INCLUDING LOVELY MUSIC AND NOT AFRAID TO TOUCH ON REAL LIFE CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES IN SOCIETY AT THE TIME. AMAZING. Worth watching.

A Country Practice was a great series with lovable characters. If you can get the DVD's grab them.All the characters interact so well that you come to believe they are real people who love and annoy each on a day to day basis. They made you laugh and cry with them as though they were part of your own family. The animals were as much citizens of Wandin Valley as the people were and just as lovable. The theme music written by Mike Perjanik is unforgettable, as soon as you hear the piano start play those first few notes you are transported back to those beautiful green fields and that gorgeous building used as the hospital. i think everyone who watched A Country Practice wanted to live there.

Slightly behind Australia but A Country Practice was on our screens just after lunch - and I watched it from the start. The characters were all so easy to like and be interested in - even the animals. Who can forget Molly & Brendon putting the crystal chandelier her mother gave them up in Doris the pig's pen - and her mothers look when she finally visited and saw it! In the UK we didn't know what a Yabbie was, until Molly decided to farm Yabbies (sort of fresh water King Prawns. Colourful clothes were another of her creations - never dull and boring but Brendon, a male nurse, was equally caring and good with all the patients. Following her second pregnancy their baby son died following a premature birth. Following this trauma Mollie was found to have an incurable cancer. The biggest tearjerker came when Molly died - and it was filmed beautifully as she was in the garden watching Brendon playing with Chloe then they panned the shot from Molly's eyes as her vision started to cloud and Brendon looked over, realised what was happened and started running shouting 'No Moll - don't go yet'...

So many characters - Matron Maggie Sloane the no-nonsense martinet with a heart of gold and a skill with cards that could fleece the shirt of your back. Her weakness along with the gee-gees - oh and her hatred of the Matron at Burrigan hospital!

Terrence Elliot the senior GP - who had a chaotic love life. Divorced when we first met him we watched as he fell in love with Alex, married her and seemed set for happiness only to lose it when their baby died and Alex left to tend those in need at an Aborigine Station.

Simon & Vicky - finally married after driving us crazy for a long time and then Vicky the Vet managed to give birth to twins while out tending to animals at a farm - two babies and no help but Bob I think it was!

Frank & Shirley Gilroy - Frank the policeman had been an 'admirer' of Shirl since schooldays. Shirley (Vicky's mom) sat under a pyramid and meditated but not about Frank! Finally Frank got round Shirl when he burned his hands and she took him in to look after him! Their home then became a refuge for so many children who came and stayed for a while - not forgetting 'Fatso' the wombat who took up residence when Simon & Vicki left for America.

I could write so much about this show - 12 years since it was cancelled and the people and places are still fresh so if the show is rerun and you ever get the chance to visit Wandin Valley take it, watch the show and see why it was so well loved.

I have some home recorded tapes - and the final week they re-ran highlights and weddings, so I still have those but WHY OH WHY hasn't this been released on DVD yet.

I grew up watching and loving this series when it aired in the 1980's. It was a great series with a who's who cast of Australian actors and performers.

As a product of its time there was probably little thought given to diversity. Going through the list of probably over a thousand acting credits it is hard to find a non-white and non-anglo/european actor or indeed character.

From my memories of watching this show I can't remember any aboriginal actors or characters either. There probably were some bit-parts.

Friends has often been criticised for its lack of diversity but this Australian production ranks alongside and not in a positive way.

For 12 years A Country Practice was a regular viewing pleasure in our household. I was only 4 years old when it started but it's still clear in my mind as it was 20 years ago and now it's being shown on tv all over again for a new generation to see.

In 1994 another channel took over the production rights and it wasn't the same, some characters ventured over and some new characters were introduced but it wasn't the same and after a year it was cancelled.

Anne Tenney as Molly was a breath of fresh air and her vibrant personality and not to mention her colourful wardrobe brought humour to us all and from when the show first started in 1981 she was the heart and soul of this series and when Molly died in 1985 I cried my little heart out and the show even though continued it was surely missing Molly.

Penny Cook and Grant Dodwell were another favourite. Their will they/ won't they relationship was so frustrating that when they finally got married, every girl in Australia wanted the wedding dress Vicky wore when she finally married Simon.

It wasn't until 1989 when we got a character as likable as Molly Jones and the character was Lucy Gardiner played by Georgie Parker. When Georgie left the series a few years later again it left a gap in the show and the next 2 years left of the series wasn't the same.

But, there wasn't one bad performance in this series. When Lorrae Desmond left in 1992 it brought a tear to everyone as she was an original, and you couldn't help but love all the characters of Wandin Valley.

Syd Heylen and Gordon Piper as Cookie and Bob were the best friends who were always getting into trouble and were the definite comic relief, to the town gossip Esme Watson played by Joyce Jacobs even though she was a meddler you couldn't help but like her character.

There hasn't been another tv series quite like this and it's one that will be remembered always.