Lazy in the Sun

Lazy in the Sun is a 1951 Australian radio drama by Max Afford. It was one of Afford's most acclaimed works.^[3] It explored the notion of Australia's responsibilities to the world.^[4][5][6]

Lazy in the Sun

Genre	dramatic play
Running time	60 mins[1] (8:00 pm – 9:00 pm)
Country of origin	Australia
Language(s)	English
Home station	2FC[2]
Written by	Max Afford
Directed by	Frank Harvey
Recording studio	Sydney
Original release	20 October 1951

Wireless Weekly 20 October 1951

The play was broadcast in October 1951 and repeated in December of that year. It was published in a collection of Afford's works in 1974.

The Age said the play "had several faults, but it possessed dramatic shape and was not built on a series of scrappy incidents like most of the Australian plays we are given." He said the play's "theme was labored far too much, to the neglect of essential drama, but the play was worth hearing."^[7]

Leslie Rees called it "moralistic... but with the aid of sincere attitudes and skill in maintaining faith in his people as people, the author clears a difficult hurdle".^[8]

Synopsis

During the Jubilee for Australian Federation, the wealthy Sydney-sider Alice Morton is visited by an Englishwoman, Valerie Hickman, who has come to thank Alice for sending a food parcel to England six months ago. Valerie's mother and sister died in the London Blitz. Alice's son Bill invites Valerie to come to their party. Valeria finds the wealth and materialism of Australia uneasy. Valerie meets Greg, a blind brother of Bill's friend Hal. Bill falls in love with Valerie, to the concern of his family.

Bill proposes to Valerie who rejects him. Valerie wants to return to Britain as she is unable to handle living in Australia, feeling as though the country takes its blessings without thinking. It turns out Valerie was tortured by the Gestapo during the war. Greg points out to Valerie that Australia has been through tough times as well. He proposes to Valerie who accepts, and will stay in Australia.^[9]

References

1. "Saturday, October 20", ABC weekly, Sydney: ABC, 13 October 1951, nla.obj-1551068356, retrieved 30 January 2024 – via Trove
2. "Radio Plays for Next Week ABC", ABC weekly, Sydney, 13 October 1951, retrieved 30 January 2024 – via Trove
3. Michael J. Tolley, 'Afford, Malcolm (Max) (1906–1954)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/afford-malcolm-max-9315/text16349, published first in hardcopy 1993, accessed online 26 August 2023.
4. "New Play by Max Afford, Saturday". South Coast Times and Wollongong Argus. Vol. LI, no. 79. New South Wales, Australia. 15 October 1951. p. 2 (South Coast Times and Wollongong Argus feature section). Retrieved 26 August 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
5. "Radio Plays for Next Week ABC", ABC Weekly, 13 (49), Sydney, 8 December 1951, retrieved 26 August 2023 – via Trove
6. Philp, Peter (2016). Drama in Silent Rooms. Eureka Media Communications. p. 350.
7. "The Week in Wireless". The Age. No. 30, 108. Victoria, Australia. 27 October 1951. p. 10. Retrieved 26 August 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
8. Rees, Leslie (1953). Towards An Australian Drama. p. 107.
9. "RADIO". South Coast Times and Wollongong Argus. Vol. LI, no. 98. New South Wales, Australia. 10 December 1951. p. 2 (South Coast Times and Wollongong Argus feature section). Retrieved 26 August 2023 – via National Library of Australia.

External links

• Lazy in the Sun Complete text at Project Gutenberg
• Lazy in the Sun at AustLit