Early Cactus – covers the beginnings of How Green Was My Cactus and King Bonza’s four terms in office, including the 1988 Bicentenary. $18.00 each, although you could make it a ‘team effort’ and buy all six for just $75.00.

Grace Gibson Radio Classics – Assorted Collection, Crime & Mystery or Dramas & Serials – a variety to choose from. Great
gift idea for people who want a taste of their favourite shows, without having to commit to the whole series. Just $20.00 each – click on the ‘Listen’ tab and get an idea of what’s in each release.
For something a little different there’s Mostly Ghostly and Strange Endings – each of which is $20.00. Perhaps a book or two at just $20.00 each – A Theatre In My Mind; Yes, Miss Gibson, or Yes, What?…and more

Click here for complete catalogue

Whenever you read the name Donovan Joyce on a CD cover, take note. He was one of the incredible people in radio, producing radio drama that was so good that broadcasting stations and sponsors were prepared to lay out big money, frequently before the program was made and often without hearing even a brief preview.

When Grace Gibson Radio recently released Gabrielle, produced by Donovan Joyce, I immediately snapped up a copy; not for a moment disappointed but presented with many surprises.

Like many of Joyce’s work, he never tolerated the average or even good writers for his programs, so when he decided on the adaptation of this bestselling novel by Christine Brookner, Donovan brought onboard one of the best radio and TV writers to handle the job, Richard Lane.

Gabrielle is about a dead woman who takes over the life of a stranger. Each episode of the 104-chapter set is filled with intrigue and drama, however this saga never ventures into the far-fetched category. In fact, it provides the listener a storyline of surprising twists and turns including a graphic enlightenment about an often forgotten yet frightening aspect of the Second World War. According to the words of the storyteller, Gabrielle is beautiful, sophisticated and enchanting while never claiming to be more than a common gardener. It didn’t take long before I had formed and illusory relationship with the character and like the story-teller was intent on meeting this mysterious Gabrielle thanks to the superb performance of Dinah Shearing.

If your choice of storytelling is anchored in the believable but laced with captivating and enthralling creative writing, then Gabrielle is one not to miss.

Gabrielle stars Dinah Shearing and Frank waters with some excellent support from Alan Trevor, Guy Doleman and Harp McGuire.

If you love a good radio drama, a podcast or talking book then this is a must for your collection: The Knave of Hearts, by Lindsay Hardy, author of Dossier on Dumetrius, Deadly Nightshade and 26 Hours.

Hardy left Australian in 1952 for a very successful career in Hollywood. On his return to Australia in 1956 he scripted The Knave of Hearts and a number of other quality radio dramas for Donovan Joyce. The success of The Knave of Hearts led to the publication of the story as a book, titled The Grand Duke and Mr. Pimm and a Hollywood movie, Loves and Ball starring Glenn Ford, Hope Lange and Charles Boyer. The film was great but the radio drama was even better. The Knave of Hearts was sold to the Major Broadcasting Network for a near record amount before the serial was written. So great was the reputation of Lindsay Hardy!

The Knave of Hearts is different but demonstrates the diversity and quality that radio drama presents to the listener. We have waited a long time for the re-issue of The Knave of Hearts. Make sure that you take this opportunity to hear one of the all-time classics of Australian radio.
Peter Philp Author of Drama in Silent Rooms (the history of Australian radio drama) Broadcasting Historian.

In the unlikable theatres of war, we all have great admiration for those Australian soldiers who gave their lives and for those returned troops who were prepared to risk everything in the name of peace and liberty. One of the lesser-known campaigns involved the women of the 8th Division AIF in Malay, Australian nurses, who suffered unbearable pain and abuse at the hands of their Japanese masters in prisoner of war camps. They became known as The White Coolies.

Some of the most powerful images of those terrifying times has been reproduced by radio where the listener is always engaged as the cinematographer. As the listener to these disturbing moments, you experience the reality of what these Australian women suffered. However, White Coolies is more than a living experience. It is our history that every Australian should understand and appreciate. It remains a major chapter in Australia’s war story.

The script for White Coolies has been adapted from the diaries written secretly in these shocking camps by one of few survivors, Betty Jeffrey. Surprisingly, in an era when male performers dominated radio drama, the entire cast is female. The dairies were adapted by a woman, Sydney’s Gwen Friend and produced by one of Australia’s leading radio and theatrical women, Fiffi Banvard. The radio production is both a dramatic presentation and a powerful historical documentary.

In the starring role as Sister Betty Jeffrey is Ruth Cracknell, playing what I believe is her most celebrated radio performance. You will probably best remember Ruth for her stage and film work, however after hearing White Coolies, I’m sure you’ll list this role as one of Ruth’s most compelling performances. Not an easy part to play, a 26-hour production of vivid and intense action, yet Ruth never allows the dramatics to destroy this remarkable story. Even the seasoned producer, Fifi Banvard, admitted the re-creation of the dairies to radio was ‘very challenging’. Supporting Ruth is a cast of outstanding Australian actresses including June Salter, Queenie Ashton, Diana Perryman and Margo Lee.

Australian broadcasting is notable for a vast variety of outstanding shows and players. I would suggest that While Coolies is one of the finest pieces of Australian radio ever made. It is a listening must.

Scientists try to communicate with the cloud and the intruder is surprised to find intelligent forms of life on a solid planet.

The future of the wold lies in what becomes a battle between the logic of the scientists and the nuclear might of the politicians.

We spoke to the owner, Bruce Ferrier, who told us, “We were the largest producer of radio soaps and serials in Australia during the Golden Years Of Radio before television became commonplace. As a result, we have a huge library of wonderful radio serials and self-contained stories, some of which have been lying dormant for decades. But when television became the home of drama, commercial radio abandoned Theatre Of The Mind entertainment in favour of the Top 40 and similar content, playing music and not much else. So the dust just kept building up on these wonderful 16″, 12″ and 10″ radio transcription discs sitting on the shelves in our archives.”

“With the advent of digitisation and the compression offered by .mp3 formatting, I realised that we could offer some long-running shows (some exceeding 100 episodes) to the general public on a single CD or download. That’s something like twenty hours of compressed but still VERY listenable audio… except that it wasn’t very listenable at all because of the enormous amount of crackles, pops and other surface noise. It was such a shame!”

“A lot of the damage had occurred because radio transcriptions were shipped from one station to another by mail, coach, or even on trains in a conga-line sort of way. In many instances, the announcers paid the discs very little respect and, after broadcast, they were boxed up and sent to the next station without much care. The result was very BIG crackles, pops and extraneous sounds, making the audio unlistenable for a modern audience that is used to, and expects, excellent sound from every device (except maybe their mobile phones!).”

“Consequently, I had been looking around for some sort of solution to get rid of all this superfluous crackling, noise and rumble. I was aware of a number of software packages that could supposedly achieve this, but every attempt to reduce the clicks and pops using available software had also suppressed a lot of the other important ‘sharp sounds’ such as the clapping of hands, the striking of a match or the gritty intensity of someone walking down a gravel pathway.”

“This was when I once again crossed paths with Rick Dowel. Many years earlier, Rick had been closely associated with my late brother, Pete Ferrier, and had been responsible for crafting the voice booths and studios of Sound Australia in Brisbane. Rick knows audio like few other studio designers, and I was intrigued when he told me that his new company, CDA Pro Audio, was the Australian dealer for CEDAR Audio. So he offered to show a CEDAR system to me. I was mightily impressed and was soon the proud owner of a CEDAR Cambridge system. I was now able to restore our wonderful shows with no clicks, no pops, but with the audio still retaining the crisp, sharp striking of a match as the Private Eye lights up his cigarette or the impact as he punches out a criminal down some shady, gritty back-lane late at night!”

“What I didn’t realise at the time was that when Rick introduced me to CEDAR it would become the single most critical factor in being able to give new life to our library of old radio serials, turning them into living adventures without the noises that used to drive me to distraction. That’s what CEDAR Cambridgedelivers, and why I rely upon it totally to give our audio such clarity and punch in the 2020s. Today, many hundreds of titles have been processed, and it’s the most important ‘silent partner’ in the rebirth of these great radio plays and serials.”

To help people in home isolation to cope during the current pandemic, a number of Grace Gibson’s half-hour radio serials are being offered to Australian radio stations for broadcast free of charge in return for a few plugs and commercials for their online retail site at GraceGibsonRadio.com. They include Address Unknown, Night Beat, Starlight Theatre and The Clock, the espionage story Hunt The Man Down, courtroom dramas including For The Defence and Verdict, as well as the sinister Shadow of Fate and The Uninvited.

We would like to thank Bruce for his insights and kind words.

High resolution image: Bruce Ferrier, Grace Gibson Productions

For further information:

Bruce Ferrier, Proprietor
Grace Gibson Productions

Rick Dowel, Managing Director
CDA Pro•AV

CEDAR Audio Limited, 20 Home End, Fulbourn, Cambridge, CB21 5BS, United Kingdom.
t: +44 1223 881771
e: info@cedaraudio.com

All-Time Favourites:

Cattleman (which is on special this month)

Cactus: In this insane world, Australia’s greatest radio satire puts things into perspective

Dossier on Dumetrius or indeed the complete adventures of Major Gregory Keen

The Castlereagh Line – you/Dad won’t be able to stop at the first volume…

Yes, What? – mischief and naughtiness abound with these tearaway school boys

The Passing Parade – the show that introduces people to history, even those who never appreciated it before

Newly discovered Dad favourites:

Verdict – actual court cases from around the world, and throughout history

Keith Scott – The Voices in My Head Won’t Stop and 21^st Century Blues (Keith’s talent is on full show in these releases)

Chickenman – the wonderful white-winged warrior is in a class of his own!

My Father’s House – short, sharp espionage with a twist

The Way Of The Cat – it appears the nice guy will finish last when he encounters a perfectly evil woman

Abel Cain Investigates – an ex commando turned private eye in London of the 1960s

Not sure what ‘sounds’ right? Go to the website and click on the ‘Listen’ tab where you can hear samples of the shows.

Still wondering? Contact us and talk through your queries. Hopefully we’ll help you find the perfect gift for Dad.