Historical events

Laura and her family are at the community centre to listen to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s address to Indigenous people apologising for decades of government policy that allowed children to be stolen from their families. However, Laura is more concerned with the apology she needs to make to Michaelis.

Mohammed and Danielle are discussing the fact that she can't play on the boys' cricket team. While Mohammed and his family are moving into the new house, Michaelis and Omar discuss why playing cricket is more important than playing soccer, which leads to a play-off for the rent money.

Mohammed and his father discuss playing soccer, but Mohammed is not convinced he wants to take up the sport. His grandmother replays Shane Warne bowling a leg break to English batsman Mike Gatting during the 1993 Ashes series. They discuss the 'Magnus effect', which causes the ball to spin.

Lily is taking her cousin, Phoung, to her school with her for the first time. Lily and her friends believe that Phoung can't speak English and they discuss what it means to be Australian.

Lily and her friends are painting the school sign for the Bicentenary when she tells her cousin, Phoung, a false story about how convicts were treated in early Australia. Phoung repeats this story to the class as part of a report on the First Fleet.

Sofia and her friend Mareka are watching Professor Julius Sumner Miller's television science show, Why is it so? Janice arrives and meets Sofia's mother and grandmother. She needs Sofia to translate the conversation and Sofia deliberately tells each party the wrong translation.

Michaelis tells Sofia why he is going to the Vietnam War even though he doesn't want to go. They discuss what it may be like and his fears are evident.

Attendance at Greek school is a common expectation for young Greek children in Australia. Michaelis is attending Greek school to learn about the history, language and culture of his ancestry, but his mind is still on the escapades of The Adventures of Robin Hood, a TV serial he is fixated on.

Michaelis and his father are working in their garden when Janis reminds Michaelis that it is time for The Adventures of Robin Hood on TV. When his mother comes to congratulate her husband and son on their work in the garden, she realises that the baby is coming.

Jen and her friends are at the 'pictures' watching a newsreel that includes an announcement of the birth of Prince Charles. In the cinema foyer the girls steal a movie poster of Prince Philip, the husband of Princess Elizabeth (who would later become Queen Elizabeth II). The girls discuss the importance of 'handsomeness' and Jen tells them the prince looks like her father, who died in the war.

Wal visits Jen's mother to take her to the pictures in his new FJ Holden. Jen is unaware of the affections between her mother and Wal. When Wal gives Jen's mother a kiss goodnight, Jen becomes suspicious.

Jen and her friends are fantasising about the attractiveness of movie stars and royalty and rating them between one and ten. The girls only rate Wal as a three or four, which makes Jen feel that her friends would not approve if she told them about her mother's affection for him. She realises the inevitable when she sees her mother's engagement ring.

The dole inspector is a feared authority in the neighbourhood where Colum and his family live. When the alarm is given that he is on his way, the families hide any evidence of making a living. The dole inspector could enter the homes of people receiving the dole and tell them to leave their house or sell their belongings.

Colum and Thommo are collecting bets from their neighbours on horses in the 1938 Melbourne Cup. They present these bets to Mr O'Sullivan, the local shopkeeper. Colum and Thommo hope to win big in order to save Thommo's family from eviction.

Bertie is trying to pay off the last shilling owing on his present for his brother Eddie who is returning home after serving in the First World War. Mr Watson, the store owner, will not advance him a loan. Bertie goes to the repatriation hospital to bring his mother (a nurse) fresh goat's milk, and shares jokes with his friends Sid and Mr Bracey who are both returned soldiers.

Eddie speaks with Bertie about how lucky he is to survive the war with only a leg missing. Sid arrives to tell of the Armistice that signals the end of the war. The community celebrates the end of war with music, dancing and games, but not everyone can be happy at this time.

Evelyn, her brother Edward and their friend Freddie Müller are playing an imaginary game under the tree. They are pretending to be tiger hunters in India. Miss Müller tells them about tigers and their inability to reverse down trees. Evelyn's father brings home the Mr Wong's 'No. 5' assortment of fireworks to be used on cracker night.

Evelyn's family joins the other families in their community to celebrate cracker night with fireworks purchased from Mr Wong's Emporium.

Rowley is working to complete his 1,000 good deeds so that his father will return to the family. He collects horse manure for the market gardeners and firewood for the laundress. He and his friend, Tom Müller, climb the tree to spy on the private school students who are practising to become soldiers.

Rowley visits Mr Merry, a photographer and boarder in Rowley's house. Mr Merry gives Rowley a photograph of the brickworks where Rowley's father worked. His mother asks Rowley about his 'book of good deeds' and Rowley explains that when he gets to 1,000 his father will come home.

Johanna reads a letter from her uncle to her grandmother. She plays a practical joke on one of the Owen boys by putting a frog in his chamber-pot. Johanna and her grandmother visit the grave of her mother. Johanna asks about who her father was.

While out walking Duchess, Davey and Alice witness a bushranger on the run from some local soldiers, and they misdirect the soldiers to ensure his swift escape. Davey is confronted by the Owen boys who tease him about the imminent fate of Duchess.

Davey is on the run with Duchess but has his preconceptions about bushrangers challenged when he witnesses them shooting Mr Owen and stealing from him.

Alice is training her piglet Wilhelmina for the pig race but is unable to convince any of the local workers to bet any money on her. Freddie the bookie is concerned at the thought of losing money as most of the locals have bet on Oink, the favourite.

Freddie tells Alice about his forging history while they paint a piglet black. They then switch it with George's piglet Benny in order to fix the race. When Alice awakes she's shocked to find there is something wrong with Wilhelmina.

Unlike his posh older brother John, Charles is enjoying building a fence on the farm. At the end of the fence line he encounters Liam, a convict who is on the run. Liam asks Charles to bring him some food and boots.

Charles brings Liam some bread but only agrees to bring boots if Liam agrees to help him finish the fence. Liam tells Charles the story of how he ended up as a convict and of his dreams for the future.

Sarah is dropped off at her new place of employment but makes a poor first impression on her new employer, Mrs Owen. While doing her chores she meets Mrs Owen's sickly daughter Alice.

Sarah is punished after she introduces herself to some local Aboriginal people. After she accidentally breaks a plate while doing the dishes, Alice blackmails Sarah into taking her outside.

Sam is escorted to the Owen farm as an assigned convict by two soldiers. Mr Owen introduces him to his chores and living quarters. He then meets the farm's goat, but is less than truthful about his experience with milking.

Sam enters Mr Owen's house through a hole in the roof, and is amazed when he sees his reflection for the first time. After failing to milk the goat, Sam has a difficult night's sleep on his new bed. He uses his ingenuity to dig hard ground.

Waruwi takes Dan's boots while he is in the water but does not find them to be very comfortable. Observing the camp of the marines, Waruwi is fascinated by one of their musical instruments.

Dan is ordered to capture Waruwi's dingo for the governor. He tries to warn Waruwi that the marines plan to take her dog but is unable to communicate his intentions in time. Waruwi attacks the camp with stones, putting the marines on a state of alert.

Dan tries to compensate Waruwi for the loss of her dingo by taking a number of items from around the camp and giving them to her. Dan drums out the marines as they march to the point.

Dan prepares to endure a flogging after disobeying orders and leaving his post. However, his punishment is abandoned after Waruwi appears with a puppy for the governor.

At the creek, Bunda's father tells him and his brother to catch a fish. Each uses a different method of fishing and Bunda's method of building a small dam proves to be the most successful. Their father is annoyed that they are not working together.