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OWLY’S SCHOOL

Was an Australian television series for children broadcast on the TEN-10 Network, five mornings a week from 1965 until 1970. Owly’s School was created, scripted, directed and produced by Ron Lea (1932-2018), who also performed live, from off camera, the voices of all the characters. Puppet Mr Owl presided over a classroom of eccentric puppet animals, assisted by talking/drawing Mr TV and accompanied on Owly’s Orange Organ by a silent glove puppet rabbit, Mr Flot.

The first series featured real presenters. In subsequent years, puppets ran the show although real animals would often visit the schoolroom set. Later episodes had occasional live-action film sequences shot on location in bush settings. Owly’s School aired on Ch 10 Sydney, Ch 7 Adelaide, Ch 0 Brisbane, Ch 9 Perth, Ch 9 Tamworth.

HISTORY/ BACKGROUND

Born in 1932 at Parkside in Adelaide SA, Ronald Norman Lea qualified as a primary school teacher. Whilst teaching he participated in amateur theatre and did some scriptwriting for ABC Radio & Television. In 1956 he resigned from the Department of Education and worked as a freelance writer/reporter/ temp at ABC Talks. In 1960 Ron, with his wife Helen and their three young daughters, moved to Sydney to take up the position of Presentation Assistant with ABC Children’s Programmes.

While working at the ABC’s Gore Hill studios Ron became acquainted with Norman Heatherington, the man behind (and above) Mr Squiggle… Australia’s favourite TV puppet. Ron’s idea of Mr Owl and his puppet schoolroom show began to develop. Whether or not he ever proposed the idea to the ABC is unclear. He was however, successful in pitching the program to the executives at the soon-to-be-launched brand new groovy TEN-10 Network. Owly’s School was on the schedule of TEN’S first day of transmission in April 1965.

“A simple TV show with puppets and Australian animals for children of immediate pre-school age when they are particularly responsive to teaching. Holding their attention, keep them learning, using their imagination, participating…. The idea is not so much to tell a child something, as to stimulate his own ideas and imagination.”

Ron Lea interview. SUN-HERALD Oct 18, 1970

Ron also credited his wife Helen for her guidance and input into the Owly scripts and ideals. Helen Lea ( n. Middleton 1933-1982) was a special education teacher at North Rocks School for the Deaf. She also for a time hosted a segment ‘Handicrafts With Helen’ on ABC TV’s Storybook and was occasionally the hand inside Mr Flot.

PRODUCTION

One thousand four hundred and seventy four half-hour episodes of Owly’s School were made between 1965 and 1970 at TEN-10’s new studios in Sydney's North Ryde. The shows were recorded in black and white onto video tape. None of these video recordings appear to have survived. It was common practice at the time to erase and re-use the tapes which were expensive and relatively scarce.

“We knocked out five half-hours one evening a week at 10. It was the start of the intensive, high-turnover production system that has made Number 96 possible.” Ron Lea interview. TV GUIDE Nov 30, 1970

For those evenings’ three hours work, cameraman, musician, puppeteer, technician and Ron were paid $350 in total.

After the first few years Ron decided to package the show himself. The company was called ROEN Productions - two letters each from he and his wife’s names. When the show finished its run in 1970 Ron had plans to package the show in colour for an international market but it wasn't to be. Colour TV was not fully introduced into Australia until March 1975.

PUPPETEERS

The puppet character cast of Owly’s School were made and played by brothers Stuart and Trevor Esplin of Sydney, built to Ron’s specifications/ requirements. The brothers had previously worked with Norman Heatherington to construct Mr Squiggle and his friends. The Esplin’s own puppet TV program, The Billabongoes, had aired on the ABC the year before Owly’s School went into production.

PUPPET CHARACTERS/ HUMAN CAST/ ETC

Puppets : Owly Mr Flot Mr TV   Wally Wombat Weenie Bird Bertie Bandicoot Dog Kenny Koala Gerry Grasshopper Neddy Nibbles Mr Helping Hands Claude Owl Cocko and Company

*The marionette puppets were at all times operated by the Elspin Brothers. Cockatoo : Cocky Lea as …. Harum Scarem Diddledum Darem Whipsee Diddlea Dandy Dee And a Siamese kitten:Ten Cat

HUMANS

Mary Penney from Tasmania was the show’s hostess for the first 300 episodes. Ray Hartley also appeared as Mr Chuckles, the school’s gardener, in the earlier programs. Shendall Franklin and Ron Lea played clowns ‘Bows’ and ‘Buttons’ in a toy shop segment from 1969.

CHARACTER VOICES

All the puppets were voiced by Ron Lea.

*	Ron was a great mimic and impressionist, singer and actor. He had auditioned for and been accepted by the Royal College of Dramatic Art, but declined to take up their offer to attend. He was a quality talent and regularly played parts in a variety of popular radio and TV programs. Several of the Owly’s School voices were direct homages BBC Radio’s Goon Show. Others echoed the broad everyday Australian vernacular not often heard on Australian TV screens at that time. Ron recounted a story of being reprimanded several times by TEN’s management when Owly’s talking drawing board, Mr TV, began to sound more and more like Australia’s left wing opposition leader, Gough Whitlam.

SONG The theme song which opened and closed the show was sung by Ron and Helen’s three young daughters Jessica (b 1956), Katherine (b 1958) and Nerissa (b 1959). They re-recorded it every summer holidays.

“We’re going to Owly’s School. We’re going to Owly’s School. Oh Yes Oh Yes Oh Yes Oh Yes We’re going to Owly’s School.

Oh where is Mr Owl? Oh where is Mr Owl……

Goodbye from Mr Owl. Goodbye from Mr Owl….”

Occasionally the Lea sisters would appear on the show. Either visiting the studio with one or two animals or in the filmed on location segments. The family were living in bushland near Galston, north of Sydney, and a kangaroo, wombat, goat, possums, tortoises, ducks, guinea fowl and rabbits were their friends. Ron shot the outdoor scenes himself on 16mm Bolex camera.

RECEPTION

Owly’s School was very popular with kids and their parents. By March 1967 the show out-rated its direct competition, 7 Network’s well established Romper Room, by three to one. Comments from letter writers and TV reviewers praised the program’s simple teaching techniques, its idiosyncratic humour and its uncondescending approach at a time when most television for children was so very polite.

“ But the show with the most humanity has hardly any people in it all. It's Ten’s Owly’s School, whose cast of irreverent backchatting animal puppets combine facts and entertainment without any of the usual self consciousness. This week, amid dialogue by genuinely funny characters, there were some painless spelling and counting lessons, a reference to a radio telephone ( which was identified on screen without fuss as part of the action ) and a story that one character ( an irascible rabbit ) decided quite unfairly was ‘a load of old chaff’.” -	Sandra Dawson c. 1968 writing for Fairfax Newspapers

Owly’s School generated a lot of publicity and many fan mail requests for Owly cards, Christmas cards and birthday call outs. Up to 150 per week were being received. The three girls earned pocket money on Sundays (one dollar each), stamping happy birthday or pictures of Owly on the cards and envelopes, addressing them, writing small notes on his behalf. During school holidays there were Owly’s School live performances ( with accompanying organist) at the newly opened Roselands shopping centre in Western Sydney. These proved very popular also and were well attended.