"I'm Joan Miller the new midwife." "I came for orientation." "Francis Bolton, matron." "You were supposed to meet me at the hospital, this is Stanton House." "This is a..." "A home for unwed mothers." "Come with me." "You're huge." "Yeah, I'm having a baby." "And one day you're going to look just like this." "I don't think it's appropriate for a young girl to be used in one of your teaching exercises." "Sister Miller, I am going to examine her." "Now, you can either stay or leave." "To keeping you in Sydney long enough to rediscover her charms." "You were supposed to be arriving back as a doctor, married." "Now, you're back to where you started." "Jim, she's only just arrived home." "What happened with Lawrence?" "It ended." "Mrs Colin Ryan." "Are you married?" "Come on." "Hey." "Johnnie, it's not going to happen." "You know I can't leave him." "We can keep the baby, be a family." "What's happening to me?" "Has she wet herself?" "Your water's broken." "Baby's coming." "Is this really necessary?" "Last push, nice and gentle." "Well done, well done." "Please, please let me see my baby." "Why can't I see my baby?" "Can someone tell me if my baby's OK or not?" "(CHATTER)" "Bugger me." "Look at you." "Phillip!" "Oh, my God." "So how long you been back?" "Uh, a couple of weeks." "We should have a drink." "I can't." "I have..." "Oh, not now, but..." "Oh, yeah, yeah." "Of course, of course." "That'd be great." "Well, it was..." "Anyway, it was really, really good to see you." "Well, I'm in the Pink Pages." "OK." "NEWSREADER ON RADIO:" "Apollo 11, 15 July 1969, Cape Kennedy, Florida." "Hey, what you listening to?" "Apollo 11's gonna land on the moon." "Can you believe that?" "It's gonna be on television." "(NEWSREADER CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY)" "JOAN: ..and it then travels down the fallopian tubes and into your uterus." "Yes, Patricia." "Um...so where does the baby come out?" "(GIRLS LAUGH)" "The same place it got in." "Only bigger. (LAUGHS)" "The baby is born here, through your birth canal." "(WHISPERS) It's between your legs." "(GIRLS GIGGLE)" "Now, who has used condoms before?" "Wendy, you think you could show us how to put one on?" "Oh, look at her go." "She's an expert!" "Something you haven't told us, Wendy?" "What is going on here?" "Out!" "You should be in the maternity ward." "I was just explaining to the girls... (SCRUNCHES PAPER)" "Do not make an enemy of me." "(FUNKY MUSIC)" "SONG:" "# Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh" "♪ Ahh" "♪ You think that I don't feel love" "♪ What I feel for you is real love" "♪ In other's eyes I see reflected" "♪ A hurt, scorned, rejected" "♪ Love child" "♪ Never meant to be" "♪ A love child" "♪ Scorned by society... ♪" "Now, is that too tight?" "No, that's OK." "How long till I stop making milk?" "It shouldn't be too long." "Now, you make sure when you get home you release the bandage every few hours and let your blood circulate." "Are you feeling good about going home?" "Yeah." "My mum's made me a dress for my deb ball." "Oh, wonderful." "Have you got a date?" "I'm not sure." "I think so." "Can you find out who adopted my baby?" "Oh, Annie, I... ..I don't think I can." "But you should try to look forward." "Today's a whole new start to your life." "Yeah." "It'd just be good to know she's happy." "That's all." "I'm sure she is." "We gotta get a television in here." "Yeah, and a beer fridge." "I'm serious." "We should nick the one from the" "It's bolted down!" "That can't be the only TV in the whole place." "Hey, Pattie." "Lend us some money?" "As if!" "Go on." "You laughed at me." "It was just a bit of fun." "At home I don't even speak to people like you, let alone lend them money." "Hey, I might be wrong, but I think she just called you a slut." "Hey, Annie's going!" "Quick!" "Annie!" "'Bye!" "PATRICIA: 'Bye!" "We'll miss you!" "We'll miss you, Annie!" "Don't forget us!" "Take care of yourself!" "(CAR ENGINE STARTS)" "She's a beautiful girl." "Oh!" "(CHUCKLES) (MAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)" "MAN:" "This will be Mrs Hepworth's fourth caesarean." "WOMAN:" "Uh, fifth, fifth." "Fifth!" "MAN:" "Well, it's a road well travelled for you, isn't it?" "You know, to save us time in the future perhaps I'll put in a zipper, if that's alright with you." "Excuse me, Doctor." "Yes, Joan." "Could I borrow a few minutes of your time?" "Of course." "Um, well, I've been thinking about the Stanton Girls and the way they're treated." "Yeah, well, that's Matron's responsibility." "Well, I know." "The process is very brutal." "Well, childbirth is a brutal business." "I'm talking about after the babies are born and taken away." "I mean, there must be a better way." "It's a system that works perfectly well." "That is rubbish." "What makes you think there's a problem?" "It's my instinct." "Ah, a woman's intuition." "Well, you're never gonna push one out so how the hell would you know?" "You know, I really should get back to my students." "These halfwits will forget everything if I don't hammer it home." "Who can tell me the complications of multiple caesareans?" "MAN ON PHONE:" "Frank Ryan speaking, Shirley's father-in-law." "I'm Shirley's housemate." "Can I take a message?" "I told your father-in-law you couldn't meet him and his wife because your mother's very sick and needs you by her side." "Did he believe you?" "I can be very convincing." "They're coming all the way from Brisbane to have lunch." "What do they want?" "They're going on a cruise and want to see you before they leave." "He's a suspicious bastard." "They both are." "So don't go." "Or... ..you're not so very far along yet." "A good corset, the right dress..." "I don't have a corset." "I'll get you one." "They have no reason to suspect so don't give them one." "NEWSREADER ON TV:" "And astronauts Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin are sitting atop the rocket, ready for launch..." "Can you imagine what it feels like sitting on top of a rocket that big?" "Yeah, that's how I got here." "(ALL LAUGH)" "Shush." "Where did you get the money for a television?" "I reckon she was out hawking her fork." "Shush!" "NEWSREADER:" "One minute until lift-off." "Fixed the garden while you were gone." "It's nice, Dad." "Oh, it's so good to have you home." "(WIND CHIMES CLINK)" "ANNOUNCER ON TV:" "T. minus 15 seconds." "Guidance is internal." "12, 11, 10." "Ignition sequence starts." "Neil Armstrong reported back, "We know it will be a good flight."" "SONG: # When the moon" "♪ Is in the seventh house" "♪ And Jupiter aligns with Mars... ♪" "ANNOUNCER ON TV:" "..four, three, two, one, zero." "♪ And love will steer the stars" "♪ This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius" "♪ The Age of Aquarius" "♪ Aquarius!" "♪ Aquarius!" "♪ Aquarius!" "Matron!" "Matron!" "Go, go!" "Move!" "Go!" "Say a single word, I will rip every hair out of your head." "Vivian." "Hmm?" "These policemen want to speak to you about a stolen television." "You can't keep her here." "She's a minor." "She'll be moved to Minda Remand Centre tomorrow." "Look, this is ridiculous." "MAN:" "Pete!" "What do you want?" "My client, Miss..." "Vivian Maguire." "She didn't mention she had a lawyer." "Yeah, well, she's shy." "Get the Sarge for me, will you, mate?" "Well, you could have at least shaved." "With all due respect, and I mean this in the nicest possible way, but I don't think you're really in a position to be giving me advice." "How are you going to help her looking like that?" "You look like you live in a park." "And you, my darling Joan, do not yet know how this town works." "What?" "You're gonna get her out with a bottle of scotch?" "18 years old, single malt." "As if that's going to work." "I like that young copper." "He looks like a goer." "Don't even think about it." "What can happen?" "I'm already pregnant." "You, missy, are almost out of chances." "Don't turn into Matron, for God's sakes." "Music shop!" "No!" "We are going back to the dorm..." "Yeah, yeah, I know." "PHILLIP:" "So where are you living these days?" "Mum and Dad's." "How's that?" "It's cheap." "Right, so you go off to London to become a doctor and now you're back living at Mum and Dad's and chaperoning pregnant kids." "More than a few bits of that puzzle missing." "You know that we never actually broke up?" "You do remember that?" "What?" "You want an official break-up?" "It would be more than I've had so far." "You have it." "Right." "So we're no longer officially going out?" "Correct." "This was a purely professional arrangement, nothing personal?" "Nothing personal." "Great." "Well, in that case, you owe me for the Scotch and I'll send you a bill for my time." "Well, you'll have to wait for it." "I'm good at waiting." "Are you sucking in?" "Well, it's not 'cause I've been eating too much, Mum." "I know that." "I know." "(MAN ON TV CHATTERS INDISTINCTLY)" "It's wonderful to have you back in time for the ball." "Has anybody noticed something in the driveway?" "Go and have a look, Annie." "See if you know what it is." "ANNIE:" "Oh!" "BOY:" "Oh, wow!" "Do you like it?" "Can we go for a drive?" "You'll have to ask Annie." "It's her car." "Why does she get a car?" "She made the best of a bad situation." "(UPBEAT MUSIC)" "Sweetie, it's a 35 mile per hour speed limit." "(ENGINE REVS)" "Sweetie." "Yeah!" "Oh!" "(SLOW JAZZ MUSIC PLAYS ON STEREO)" "MAN:" "Remember when we used to dance to this?" "How old was I?" "Little, but you could hold a beat even when you were five." "Oh, there you are." "Dinner's been ready for half an hour." "Oh, I'm sorry, Mum." "I'm not very hungry." "Oh, asparagus mornay and rice." "I had a big lunch." "If I'd known that we wouldn't have waited." "I'm sorry." "Your nightie's under your pillow and I bought you a new toothbrush." "That thing you brought back looked like the dog had chewed it." "Jim, a hand?" "Rough day?" "Just settling in." "You don't have to stay there, you know." "I can organise any number of better positions on the north side." "WOMAN:" "Jim!" "(SIGHS)" "You leave it with me." "(JAZZ MUSIC CONTINUES)" "("Living In A Child's Dream" by The Masters Apprentices plays)" "SONG: # See the windows of the greenhouse" "♪ They're painted yellow like the doors" "♪ See the child who sits in wonder" "♪ At this brightly coloured scene" "♪ See the clown who makes the children laugh" "♪ As he spins around and shows them all his tricks" "♪ Oh, how I wish I were a little boy again" "♪ Living in a child's dream... ♪" "I have never seen anyone as beautiful as you." "You're 22." "Give it a minute." "My horoscope said I'd have two children to an older woman." "Hmm, well, I wonder who the lucky girl's gonna be." "How cool would it be if it was right?" "You've gotta stop reading cheap newspapers." "(CAMERA CLICKS)" "I have to get back." "Oh, why?" "What's the rush?" "I have to get back before Matron knows I've been out all night." "You sound like a kid trying to get back before your parents find out." "Yes, and that's how I want it." "Can you at least stay for breakfast?" "Much as I'd love to see you naked near a stove," "I have to serve up back at Stanton." "Serve up?" "I thought you paid money so you don't have to do all that shit." "Hey, come..." "Hey!" "You don't own me, Johnny." "Wait." "Shirl!" "(GROANS)" "Oh!" "This looks too small for you." "Is it yours?" "It was a present." "It's really tight." "Well, that's the idea." "Do your worst." "Do I look...pregnant?" "Put your hair up." "Get them looking at your face instead of the rest of you." "JOAN:" "Matron!" "Do you know what time the social worker's going to be in?" "I want to speak with her about Annie Carmichael's baby." "What about it?" "There aren't." "I don't want names..." "The girls who come to Stanton House know there will be a clean break when they relinquish their babies." "That's the law." "I know that." "In the meantime, they're under my care - all of them, Vivian included." "The police were going to send her to Minda." "But now thanks to you she thinks she can get away with anything." "You're a midwife here." "That's all." "If you want to be something else, leave, or I will take the first opportunity to get rid of you." "Helen." "Good of you to come." "Frank." "Shirley." "Oh, you look so well." "You're practically glowing." "You should tell Helen your secret." "So you're going on a cruise." "I know." "New Caledonia, New Hebrides." "What's wrong with your mother?" "Oh, she, um, had her gall bladder out." "And you're living somewhere at the hospital?" "With the matron?" "Oh, no, she's..." "We just share a flat." "Colin sent some photos." "I thought you might like to see them." "Oh." "MAN:" "Hi." "How is everyone?" "FRANK:" "Well, thanks." "Anything you need, you just let me know." "A happy customer's a regular customer." "Thank you." "I'm sorry." "Will you both excuse me a moment?" "Really?" "You followed me?" "Why couldn't you tell me?" "I know you've got in-laws." "Those people are my real life, Johnny." "What am I?" "Hey, hey, you alright?" "Yes." "Go home." "Tell me you love me." "No." "Go home." "Tell me or I'll go over and tell them you're pregnant with my child." "Don't be stupid." "Johnny!" "I love you." "Go, please." "(TENSE MUSIC)" "You busy?" "It depends." "What do you want?" "I owe you an apology for the way I spoke to you yesterday." "Mmm, I think you actually enjoy rubbing people the wrong way." "(CHUCKLES) No, I just..." "I'm still not sure how things work here." "That's all." "They work pretty much like the rest of the world - those in charge make the decisions, those who aren't do as they're told." "I apologise." "I'm sorry if I offended you." "I have a much thicker skin than you imagine." "But if it makes you feel any better, apology accepted." "So tell me, are you planning on finishing your medical degree?" "I don't know." "Possibly." "Is that indecision or are you fostering an air of mystery?" "You choose." "Well, when the time comes, you could do your residency here under me." "I think you and I could be very good together." "(GENTLE PIANO MUSIC PLAYS)" "Shirl!" "What happened?" "Hey, are you alright?" "Go away, Johnny." "You're coughing blood." "You need a doctor." "Oh, my God!" "Can you walk?" "Have you got a car?" "No." "I'll get them to call an ambulance." "There's no time for that!" "All I'm saying is if you'd lent me the money" "Oh, it's my fault that you're a thief?" "Lucky I am, otherwise you wouldn't have got to watch the take-off." "Did you think about that?" "Get these over to the linen press in the hospital and ask the ward sister if she needs you this afternoon." "Yes, Matron." "And, girls, there will be a party after the astronauts walk on the moon tomorrow." "If your behaviour is good you can watch the landing and come to the party." "GIRLS:" "Oh!" "Except you, Vivian." "No, Matron, it's the biggest moment in the history of the world." "And you will remember it forever because you will be in the laundry when it happens." "My brother's in Vietnam." "We had an agreement." "We said we'd both watch it." "Come on, Matron." "JOHNNY:" "Help me!" "Don't tell her who you are." "Please don't." "I found this girl." "Shirley." "Get them to the hospital." "BOY:" "So how was it?" "You really want to know, Lionel?" "Dad says we should just try and move on." "(SCOFFS) Yeah, you moved on with Susan Gardner." "You won't tell her, will you, about, well..." "She won't hear it from me." "What you did, it was really brave." "I should go." "What time you picking me up, then?" "The deb ball." "We're still going, aren't we?" "Susan can lend you out for one night." "Yeah, of course." "Mid-afternoon?" "We'll go grab a drink somewhere first." "See you tomorrow, then." "(KIDS CHATTER CHEERFULLY)" "(SHIRLY PANTS RAPIDLY)" "Not long now." "The doctor should be along soon." "Are my in-laws here?" "They're downstairs." "Don't let them find out I live here." "Please." "Shh, don't worry about that now." "(NURSES CHATTER INDISTINCTLY)" "What's happened?" "She fell and hit her head." "Where did this blood come from?" "Oh, I bit my tongue." "There will be a doctor along shortly." "When?" "Have you any pain?" "Yeah, in my shoulder and chest." "Oh, why is she wearing this?" "Go back to the ward and attend to your duties." "Deep breaths in and out for me, sweetheart." "Slowly." "Slowly." "Has she had a chest X-ray?" "Only a doctor can order X-rays." "I think she's got a traumatic pneumothorax." "If so, she needs to be aspirated now." "Wait for the doctor!" "Do you want her to die?" "Susie, I need a doctor in the corridor now." "They're all busy in emergency." "There are some students." "No, I need a doctor!" "You cannot do this." "There are no doctors." "I'll report you and you'll be out." "Shirley, I think you have a punctured lung and it's letting the air escape into your chest cavity." "I'm going to use a needle to let the air out so that your lungs have a chance to reinflate." "Alright." "(AIR HISSES)" "(SHIRLEY BREATHES SLOWLY)" "That corset was tiny." "What was she doing in it?" "Are you Mrs Ryan?" "Yes, and this is my husband, Frank." "How is she?" "She's doing very well." "She had some trouble with her breathing, but that's all alright now." "FRANK:" "Where's the doctor?" "He's busy with another patient, but I can take a message for you." "No, I'd like to talk to him." "Our son will want to know what's going on." "If you'd like to leave your contact details" "I'll be sure he gets in touch with you." "We're going on a cruise tomorrow." "Oh, for God's sake, Frank." "You don't have to start world war bloody three over every little thing." "Can we see her?" "Yes, of course." "She's upstairs in the corridor." "Thank you." "Good to meet you, mate." "Yeah, you too." "You sure she's gonna be alright?" "Yes, and the baby's OK." "(EXHALES)" "Thank you." "It wouldn't have caused her injury." "caused her to faint." "You're supposed to be helping these girls." "Do you have any idea what would happen to Shirley if her in-laws found out she's here?" "You've been here five minutes." "You know nothing." "Did you report me?" "I assume it's only a matter of time before you leave of your own accord." "This is a stepping stone for you." "I know that." "It will go back to the way it was...almost." "Then there'll be no evidence at all she was ever in there." "We were thinking about going out to dinner." "It was a girl." "Aren't you even interested in what happened?" "I've been away eight months, Mum." "It was a good place." "They looked after you." "Dwelling on it won't help." "I don't want to forget that it happened." "And you won't." "It was a memory for you to keep." "There's a new steak restaurant on Hunter Street." "Might be good, keep your iron up." "I didn't even get to give her a name." "Joan, phone call for you." "Who is it?" "Joan speaking." "JOAN:" "Hello?" "It's me, Annie." "Annie!" "Hi." "How are you?" "OK..." "I think." "I don't know." "You said that my baby had red hair." "Yes." "I, uh..." "I didn't see her for very long, but..." "Yes, she did." "Just like you." "What else?" "She was a beautiful little girl, Annie." "Perfect." "(GENTLE MUSIC)" "(SPEAKS INAUDIBLY)" "(MUSIC CONTINUES)" "(CAR ENGINE STARTS)" "WOMAN:" "Oh, Phillip Paige called." "JIM:" "Oh, what's he doing with himself?" "He's got a legal office up at the Cross." "What kind of law does he practise?" "Criminal." "(CHUCKLES) That'd be right." "What did he want?" "Uh, something about seeing you in a blue moon." "I wrote it down." "You remember Don Overs?" "No." "He runs the OG journal out at Hornsby Hospital." "He drives a Rover." "Lovely car." "I told him you were looking for another position." "He was very keen." "Finally, you can leave that dreadful place." "Thank you." "What's that?" "PATRICIA:" "Little stars." "I thought we could hang them up." "What for?" "It's fun." "More like littering." "How long till they actually land on the moon?" "Um, some time this afternoon." "VIV:" "Two hours and 28 minutes, but the astronauts won't come out straightaway." "Yeah, they reckon two of them are gonna do the actual walk." "The third one will be whizzing around in orbit when it happens." "I know the feeling." "As soon as all your hospital corners are done, I'll turn this on." "You're confident of your corners?" "What difference will it make?" "(DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES)" "Shouldn't you be upstairs?" "I should have lent you the money." "It doesn't matter." "Probably wouldn't have had enough for a TV anyway." "Uh, yeah, I do." "Well, I did." "I better go." "Matron sent me out to get the cake." "How are you gonna explain this when she finds it?" "I'll find a way." "She likes me a lot more than she likes you." "Hey, Pattie." "Give us a bit of cake?" "Don't push it." "JOHNNY:" "Mm-hm!" "Idiot." "You don't have money to spend on flowers." "I know." "I pinched them." "Hmph!" "I like your in-laws." "They're nice people." "They're not nice." "They humourless and nosy." "They're not nosy enough to guess our secret, though, are they?" "Daddy is very reliable." "(KISSES) Don't." "What?" "Call yourself Daddy." "I can if I want." "It's half mine." "It's not." "It's mine and it's inside me." "You're not going to be its daddy." "I told you." "I know." "You say that now." "But once it's born," "Mummy and Daddy will be a nice Christian couple from a good suburb." "You won't be able to give it away." "Yes, I will." "You will not be able to, Shirley." "No." "You've always said that." "But in reality you cannot..." "I've done it before." "What?" "I've done it before." "How do you think I knew this place was here?" "How do you think I knew the matron well enough to pay for my own room?" "When?" "Colin and I were just kids." "And you married him anyway?" "I had nothing, no family, no job, no money, on the bones of my arse in a bush town with nowhere to go." "You have no idea what that feels like." "None." "So don't you sit there and judge me." "(BEEP)" "MAN ON TV:" "Zero, zero, zero, niner, eight." "Zero, zero, zero, two, niner, three." "Correction." "Zero, zero, five, seven, two." "(MAN ON TV CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY)" "Sir." "You know the board are here today to open the new orthopaedic ward." "I could introduce you." "What for?" "Well, it can help to have acquaintances up the food chain, especially for a woman." "You assume an awful lot about my expectations in this place." "For all you know, I might like to go shoot elephants in Africa." "That's a great ambition." "We could talk about it over dinner." "I'm not getting involved with a married man." "Who said anything about getting involved?" "It's only dinner." "WOMAN:" "Annie, we're ready." "MAN:" "Come on, sweetie." "That's it." "Oh!" "Here she comes." "Keep coming." "Stop that!" "That's it." "That's the way." "Round to me." "That's a girl." "(CAMERA CLICKS) Oh." "Can we try that again?" "You look beautiful." "Where's Lionel?" "He's not coming, Dad." "You know he's not." "You don't need that drop-kick on your arm, darling." "You can go without him." "Or I can just not go at all." "Everyone's just gonna stare at me anyway." "You think it's this big secret, but it's not." "They all know." "I should kill him for what he did to you." "He didn't do it to me." "We did it together." "It's just he could walk away." "My beautiful girl." "Could you get me a drink of water, Dad?" "Sure." "(DOOR OPENS AND SHUTS)" "(STARTS ENGINE)" "(TYRES SQUEAL)" "(BAND PLAYS FUNKY MUSIC)" "(SINGS) # Ciao, baby Let's call it a day" "♪ Ciao, baby Go ahead and throw my love away" "♪ No, baby, it's too late to change your mind and stay... ♪" "MAN ON TV:" "CAP COMM, we're go for landing." "MAN 2:" "You are go for landing." "Over." "♪ Leave before the hurt gets stronger, ciao" "♪ I should have known" "♪ You would be the very first to cast a stone" "♪ You're not to blame" "♪ It's your friends that have left me in the rain" "♪ They filled your head with wonder" "♪ They said I'd drag you under" "♪ Now you've lost sight of my love" "♪ It's time to say goodbye, love" "♪ Ciao, baby Let's call it a day" "♪ Ciao, baby Go ahead and throw my love away" "♪ Please don't drag it out much longer" "♪ Leave before the hurt gets stronger, ciao... ♪" "MAN ON TV:" "OK, I'm gonna step off the LM." "That's one small step for man... ♪ Fly like a bird" "♪ Freedom's here and I release you from your word" "♪ Don't turn around" "♪ You may find that your feet are off the ground" "♪ Your world is shining brightly" "♪ You've got to try to fight me" "♪ No room for us together" "♪ Guess nothing lasts forever" "♪ Ciao, baby Let's call it a day" "♪ Ciao, baby Go ahead and throw my love away" "♪ No, baby, it's too late to change your mind and stay" "♪ Please don't drag it out much longer" "♪ Leave before the hurt gets stronger, ciao" "♪ Ciao, baby Let's call it a day" "♪ Ciao, baby Go ahead and throw my love away... ♪" "(ENGINE REVS)" "(TYRES SQUEAL)" "Matron!" "Matron!" "(DOOR CLOSES)" "Matron, open the gates!" "What have you done?" "Matron, I..." "I made a mistake." "I changed my mind." "I want my baby back."