Not that the show was without excitement. Whilst most of the action centered around the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell, many plots followed the adventures of Norm Baker and young Tom Sullivan as they fought the war in Crete, Holland, Singapore and other far flung places (although all actually filmed in the countryside surrounding Melbourne!). These storylines were often the source of the show's more tense cliffhangers.
When the soap began, the Sullivan children were quite young, and over the years, viewers were given the opportunity to see them grow. John Sullivan went from an idealistic conscientious objector to a brave war hero, while Tom and Terry spent time as prisoners of war in Changai. Little Kitty blossomed into a young woman, becoming a nurse and then wife and mother. The Sullivans gained another child when they adopted Geoff Johnson, the brother of a soldier killed while serving with Tom and Norm.
Despite the often gentle nature of the soap, it did not shy from big issues. However, rather than sensationalise, it handled these issues in a sensitive way. Problems that the characters had to face included death, divorce, miscarriage, adultery, alcoholism and gambling addiction (and that was just Alice Sullivan!). Dave Sullivan was not the only character to be widowed; Norm Baker's Greek wife was executed by Nazi soldiers, Harry's first wife Rose drowned, and Kitty's husband Robbie committed suicide after witnessing the effects of the bombing of Hiroshima.
In the past thirty years, The Sullivans has been sold to over 30 countries, from India to the UK. In the UK it became the longest running and most successful overseas daytime serial, running at lunchtime on most ITV network stations for over a decade.
The show did struggle in its final years. With the war over, and many of the original cast gone, it was in danger of losing its focus. New additions to the Sullivan clan, in the form of Dave's cousin's wife and her family, kept things going for a little longer, but the show had passed its peak. However, of all the classic Aussie soaps, this was probably the one that ended its run with its original themes and principles most intact.
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