Australian Story - Season 19 Episode 12 A Man Called Boy
Introduced by Amanda Shalala from ABC Grandstand
This week's program tells the story of an Olympic champion so seemingly without ego that even his son and grandsons knew very little of his fame.
Andrew 'Boy' Charlton was a hero who stamped his name across the world, with feats so marvellous he forged Australia's national spirit at a time when the nation was beleaguered by the Depression and the losses of the Great War.
At just 16, he sliced two minutes off the world record for the 1500m freestyle, and won Australia’s first gold medal in that event at the 1924 Paris Olympics. It was the beginning of a dynasty of Australian swimmers – Murray Rose, John Konrads, Kieren Perkins and Grant Hackett – who later made the 1500m 'Australia's event'.
But then at the height of his fame, and when Hollywood movie offers were there for the taking, 'Boy' Charlton retired to the bush, with no desire to perpetuate his name.
Now a new generation is rediscovering this great Australian – a man called 'Boy'.
First Air Date: May 29, 1996
Last Air date: Oct 21, 2024
Season: 29 Season
Episode: 1063 Episode
Runtime: 30 minutes
IMDb: 4.80/10 by 5.00 users
Popularity: 38.802
Language: English
Keyword : australia
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Episode
The Other Side
The Back of His Mind
No Half Measures
Call Me Cate
His Driving Force
An Unnatural History
The House of Tara
Out of the Box
Set in Stone
A Complicated Life: Kerry Packer , Part 1
A Complicated Life: Kerry Packer , Part 2
A Man Called Boy
A Very Good Rascal
The Edge of the Mountain
In Tracy's Corner
All the Right Moves: Kieren Perkins , Part 1
All the Right Moves: Kieren Perkins , Part 2
Out of the Kitchen
The Last Commando , Part 1
The Last Commando , Part 2
Driving Miss Davis
Forget Me Not
Talk of the Town
The Game Changer
Leaps and Bounds
Divide and Conquer
Lock Me Away
Searching for C11
Searching for C11 (2)
Before the Storm
Out of the Shoebox
Getting the Hang of It
The Past Is a Foreign Country
The Past Is a Foreign Country (2)
The Pursuit of Happiness
I Am Jack
Vanishing Act
The Innocent
The Innocent (2)
How I Met Your Father
Just Call Me Bob
Just Call Me Bob (2)
Letter from Wooleen