Reminiscing on Children Series: 'My Place' and Its Importance In Reflecting Australian History & Identity

Editorial Assistant Juliette Allen reminisces on the Australian Classic TV Show, My Place, and how it artfully depicted what it means to grow up Australian.

On learning that issue 5’s Pavlova was going to be the annual Australian issue, I knew straight away that I wanted to write about something that felt super nostalgic, that explored a colourful array of historic national identities and cultures. For me, that something was undoubtedly My Place, a series that I watched in primary school but has resonated over time. Maybe it was just the history nerd in me that loved it, but looking back, it also taught me so many things and really broadened my perspective of multicultural Australia (some could argue My Place is a B-Tech Horrible Histories). And thus, I just knew that for Pavlova, I wanted to follow what My Place truly encapsulated and how it shaped who I am today. 

In developing this piece, I reached out to a few of my fellow primary school friends to see if they remembered this show as vividly as I do. Some indeed fondly recall the show, and others remember the interactive website that accompanied it. Indeed, the idea surrounding My Place has many different mediums to explore, but of course, it is best remembered for the series, which won a Logie Award for Best Children's Program, based on the multi-award-winning children’s book that inspired it all, by Nadia Wheatley. Whilst of course some of my friends have zero recollection of any of it, nor did they grow up with this same sense of nostalgia I had or indeed didn’t grow up in Australia at all, and if that is you as well dear reader, I believe there is still a distinct social relevance and belonging that My Place represents to a diverse range of Australians today.

Each My Place episode, within its two seasons, looks at one individual child’s story every ten years as each character faces challenges relevant to a particular time period in Australian history. This builds the narrative around the motif of one tree, a spectacular, sprawling fig tree – a ‘special place’ for the children, which represents a place of belonging and one house depicted in South Sydney that each child lived and played around over a period of 220 years. 

The episode starts with the narration from the child protagonist with the same line ‘My name is ___ and this is my place,’ all claiming ownership over that one special tree. The character has his or her own episode, ranging from a variety of different stories starting from Laura in 2008. Her story revolved around her Aboriginal heritage and included historical events such as Kevin Rudd’s Apology speech to children of the Stolen Generation, in the same year as the show's conception. My Place’s episodes indeed go all the way back to Dan in 1788, a drummer boy, a part of the British First Fleet mission to Australia. Some episodes include multicultural celebrations, such as a variation of Chinese New Year within the context of 1878 Australia. My Place consists of thirty-minute episodes that keep the youthful demographic’s attention, along with a clear and concise narration without too many unfamiliar words that keep the audience on track. Indeed, ‘My Place doesn’t burden itself with historical earnestness but aims to focus on fun-filled narratives and an appeal to fascination in its child-like exploration of Australian history’.^[1] 

One particular episode that resonated with me the most was episode two of Season One, titled Mohammed, which is centred around the year 1998. Mohammed is an Arab-Australian boy who has just moved to South Sydney. He dreams of becoming a famous cricket player in the future and is a keen bowler, who even named his pet fish after Shane Warne. Mohammed is desperate to join the cricket team at his new school, however, there are no places, and other boys make fun of him for even trying to join the team, calling him ‘moo-hammed’, and so he ends up playing with the girls, who ultimately prove to be the better side. Not only does this episode deal with sexism and gender performativity with Mohammad's friend Danielle, also an avid cricketer, not being allowed to try out for the boys’ school team, nor is a girls’ team permitted by the school, and instead they are a ‘practice team’. It also touches on the lack of awareness surrounding Ramadan, which, until this episode, as a young kid myself, was a foreign concept to me and to a lot of my peers in school. This was reflected within the episode, with the characters not knowing or understanding how Ramadan worked and why Mohammed couldn’t have food. Interestingly, it was Mohammed’s first time participating in Ramadan, and it took a toll on him initially, especially when being out on the sunny cricket field. But he was resilient, and the people around him became more aware and respected his practices. Ultimately, Mohammad felt more connected with his family and his heritage and culture, and not only this, but his peers also were exposed to more of an intercultural understanding and appreciation. 

What My Place also achieves is the casting of homegrown, diverse Australian actors from all walks of life and perspectives, highlighting the importance of having truly diverse representation on our screens and providing an opportunity for these actors to showcase their talents. One such actress is Madeleine Madden who played Laura in the first episode and is a proud Gadigal and Bundjalung woman, who has gone on to have roles such as in The Wheel Of Time and many others. Along with Madeleine, other prominent Australian actors have graced the My Place screen, like Sarah Snook, best known for her role in Severance and actress Leah Purcell also a proud Aboriginal actress, playwright and director. Indeed, these actors have brought such vitality, authenticity and depth to these characters.  My Place, both the book and series, has a deliberate circularity, beginning and ending with stories centring on First Nations characters – a recognition of the continuity of Aboriginal experience in this country’.^[2]

My Place has truly made an impact in Australian schools for students like myself, in gaining a broader understanding of our history, but also the ‘depiction of multiple perspectives crossing time and cultures, which helps us to better understand Australia’s diverse history’. It builds empathy by highlighting for students that we all experience the world in different ways. As Reading Australia Editor Jenny Ryan recently reflected: ‘[My Place] captures the changing face of Australia – in terms of our surroundings, demographics, traditions and family lives – as well as long-established values relating to diversity and recognition of migrants and First Nations peoples.’^[3] The show has allowed for voices to be heard and understood by young audiences, and me, and I am all the better for it. My Place taught me the grassroots and fundamental teachings of identity and belonging, accompanied by a greater appreciation for multicultural Australian History. Hopefully, ‘this classic story will continue taking audiences ‘back in time’ well into the future.’^[4]

End Notes:

[1]  The IF Team. (2011, June 22). Logie-winning drama My Place takes a unique look at local history. IF Magazine.  https://if.com.au/logie-winning-drama-my-place-takes-unique-look-at-local-history/ 

[2]  ACTF News. (Sept 8, 2022). Series spotlight: My Place. ACTF. Series spotlight: My Place - ACTF 

[3] Ibid.

[4]  Kelly, J. (2022, September 8). The Educational Legacy of My Place. ACTF Blog. The Educational Legacy of My Place - ACTF Blog