Australian Story - Season 1 Episode 9

Men's Business: Like a lot of mining towns, Moranbah is a mecca for people wanting to make big money. They are prepared to endure the hardship and isolation in order to set themselves and their families up for life. Often the dream turns sour. Lack of work opportunities for women, the long hours worked by the men and the prevailing male pub culture put a lot of pressure on relationships. Many of the men are left by their spouses and are forced to contend with the child support agency- a good idea, badly administered, they say. They claim their experiences have caused unnecessary hardships and left them feeling angry. A group of them have formed the Lone Fathers Association to provide friendship and support for each other and to lobby for changes to the Child Support Agency. We see the story through the eyes of Mick McGee who came to Moranbah with his family seven years ago and now finds himself alone and broke. He talks openly about his loss, confronting suicidal thoughts, and the friendships he has made with other men. This story challenges the stereotypes of the Australian working class bloke. PLUS: The Nun's Story: Sister Ella is an 80 year-old Perth nun who won't retire. When she was 60 she felt she was being called to go and work with Mother Theresa in Calcutta. Since then she has travelled to India many times, working with poor children. When Sister Ella is home in Perth she's busy raising funds and talking to school children about her travels. She now feels she's too old to go back to India but she is making one more trip in November and then she hopes to go on to revisit Ethiopia. PLUS: The Hard Sell: Pat Stewart has a magnificent obsession – collecting. He's even collected an entire museum along the way. But times are tough and his family have convinced him that the collection must be sold. Auction day has arrived and Pat must part with his treasures.