The 1959 ABC Writers Pool

 In October 1959 the ABC announced they were setting up a writers pool.

This didn't seem to work out.

The team were advised by four ABC men - Neil Hutchison (Director of Drama and Features), Paul O'Loughlin (Assistant Director), Rex Rienits (TV and radio playwright now ABC's TV Drama Editor in Sydney) and George Kerr (dramatist and radio writer with British experienced). (Only one, Rienits, knew what he was going).

There was a panel of producers to work with the writers including Royston Morley, Raymond Menmuir, Alan Burke, William Sterling, Christopher Muir and Colin Dean. 

The eleven writers:

1) Jeff Underhill (radio and stage dramatist), 

2) Alan Seymour

3) Barbara Vernon 

4) Darcy Niland

5) Ruth Park

6) Gwen Meredith

7) Rick Throssell

8) Richard Lane

9) Kay Keavney 

10) Peter Kenna

11) Coral Lansbury

 "What we are doing is to gather together a small number of writers who have already given us very clear evidence in the past of their ability to give 80 to 90 per cent of the sort of material we need," said Hutchison.

 

The Stage 8 Oct 1959 p 11

SMH 19 Sept 1959 p 15