Beating Around the Bush

A group of young men domiciled in the Watagan Mountains west of Newcastle for a month could be the fundamental ingredient for any adventure yarn. And it was. Except that this particular group had to shoot a television series called "Beating Around the Bush". 

Far removed from the watchful eye of senior management the potential for hi-jinks at the expense of the production was always apparent but fortunately never fully realised, a testament to the professional attitude of the group coupled with the opportunity to do something unique in Channel 3's history.

The storyline revolved around the interaction between two key characters; Beat (Ian Hill) and Art (Art Ryan). Beat was a hermit-like individual more at ease with his bush animals and environment than suburbia while Art was the foil, a city slicker who went bush to spend some time with Beat.

An existing relationship between the two protagonists, Beat and Art, formed the kernel of the idea. Art produced a daily children's breakfast programme on Channel 3 on which Beat presented a weekly nature segment. For the series however both would be under the direction of Phil (Sandy) Lomas, an energetic challenge for a young director still earning his stripes.

Seconded from the newsroom for the series I was something of an outsider as the rest of the group came from the studio crew. We were hardly strangers although we did lack substantive experience at this level and type of production. But what we might have lacked in substantive experience we more than made up with resourcefulness and youthful vigour.

Anybody that keeps venomous snakes and crocodiles as pets as Beat did has, in my view, a death wish or a strong anti-social tendency. Certainly the latter didn't apply to Beat as he has long been recognised for his gregarious if at times outrageous nature.

Risk averse he is not which is probably why I respected him. But like most people I find brown snakes terrifying. So it was with a degree of apprehension that I approached the first segment on the first day of the schedule which involved Beat telling Art all about the characteristics of the Australian brown, all the time 'nursing' his pet brown. It might be legal but I'm still not convinced that one can keep something as lethal as a brown snake as a pet… but that was Beat.

Fortunately the segment went without a hitch until... Joe Palmer was our sound recordist and a consummate professional. A gentle and endearing soul Joe was equally concerned as I with sharing his space with the venomous brown. Nevertheless in accord with his professional dedication he asked to record some sound of the snake slithering through the grass. Beat was confident in his ability to recapture the reptile (it was his pet?) so the snake was released with Joe following at a respectable distance recording its stealthy intonations.

I stood idly by watching Joe do his thing until the snake started heading in my direction instantly transforming my idleness to high anxiety. I challenged Beat as to what I should do. He simply responded "Don't move". I was hoping for something a little more reassuring, this was his pet not mine! As I was still attached to the camera and tripod, rapid movement my front of mind response, would have been a very expensive and series threatening manoeuvre. I am a tree with five legs, two fossilised with fear. I fervently hope the snake can't count and more importantly is not interested in a higher perspective. But Joe got his audio, Beat retrieved his pet and I changed my underwear wondering just what other delights Beat had in store for us.

On a later sequence featuring another of Beat's pets, a king brown we actually ceased filming to allow Beat to secure a firmer grasp on the reptile. In the warmth of the sun his hands were heavily perspiring allowing the snake a dangerous degree of movement. Until this point none of us doubted Beat's ability to manage and handle the animals. But rather than denting our confidence his unflappable manner in this tense situation was instead admired and after a couple of minutes with the snake now firmly in his grasp we resumed filming. The potential for a good (or bad) news story in the incident never entered my head at the time.

Living conditions on the shoot were only a touch above the primitive. As 'older' members of the troupe Art and I were more inclined to the creature comforts of a comfortable bed and warm shower so we opted to put in an additional, unpaid two hours daily to travel to and from our respective homes. Joe on the other hand was determined to endure the deprivations despite being eligible to join the senior brigade. At the end of each day's shoot he would suffer a cold shower and then adorn himself in dressing gown and slippers for the evening meal and conversation, a statement of sartorial eloquence to confront the young heathens in their den.

For den it was as we converted the forestry workers living quarters in the Watagans into Beat's bush home, doubling at the same time as the crew's living quarters. The large living area was also home to Beat's reptilian pets. Secured in glass cases they provided an appropriate background for some interior sequences while also at times featuring as 'talent' in the series. While theoretically none could ever escape it was always disconcerting to walk past the brown snake and have it lash out at you from behind its glass prison.

The only real injury I can recall anybody suffering on the shoot was a self inflicted wound suffered by Beat. A hard day's work was on occasion rewarded with a little amber fluid surreptitiously brought into the camp.

After one of these nights Beat awoke to find his foot had been too close to the fire and was now sporting some very painful third degree burns. Whether it was his foot or head that suffered most from his nocturnal torpor I'll never know but it offered some interesting challenges to the following day's shooting.

In quite some understandable pain he could only limp which excluded from the schedule any scenes requiring motion. Additionally, the amber fluid under the influence of the warm sun left on his khaki shirt its own emphatic reminders of its passage through his system. To avoid any continuity problems a sweaty shirt might create we restricted any shots of Beat on that day to extremely long ones. Trooper that he was, by the end of the day he could see the humour in the situation and despite the pain in his foot he refused to let it further compromise his professional approach and suffered for another week in chastened silence while doing all that was asked of him.

'Incidental wildlife' became the catch cry of the shoot uttered as much in exasperation as a cynical acknowledgement of the non-existence of any such species. To fully appreciate this I should recall that at the time of our production the ABC was screening "In the Wild" a series featuring naturalist Harry Butler, an Australian response to David Attenborough. Butler was able to find lizards under rocks in the middle of the desert-incidental wildlife. This uncanny ability it turns out was largely dependent on the relevant species being planted in the location prior to the cameras rolling. Our attempt to do the same thing "honestly" taught us that without extensive research, preparation and crucially time, all scarce resources, we were never going to capture wildlife vision incidentally. I have yet to sce a platypus in its natural environment despite Beat's assurances that he had seen the marsupial only the day before. Reminded me of the old surfing line "man you should have been here yesterday... "

Perhaps the only incidental wildlife we were fortunate enough to capture on film was a goanna that leisurely strolled on to the scene while we were having a break. Unobtrusively Joe and I assembled our respective tools and were able to record a meaningful if impromptu sequence with Beat informing Art about the habits and environment of the goanna. Although the creature is largely harmless to humans the fact that this one chose to wander into a human habitat

suggests a comfortable familiarity on its part or a degree of expressed superiority. Their links to more formidable prehistoric creatures made me uncomfortable with either conclusion and I was glad to see the reptile eventually withdraw to the bush.

Beat with one of his deadly "pets" I think the boy had a death wish

Logies are Australian television's highest accolade. They don't come easy and if you work in a regional television station such as Channel 3 the opportunity to even be considered for one is very rare. Beating Around the Bush overcame those odds and in 1980 was awarded a Logie for Outstanding Contribution by a regional television station. Although only a cameraman on the series my chest swelled with pride as from the audience I watched my colleagues Beat and Sandy receive the deserved accolades. The boys from the bush had done real well. 

Our endeavours were to be further rewarded with Channel 3 committing to a second series of Beating Around the Bush, this time with thirteen episodes instead of the original five. Politics played a role in this decision. The Federal government had decreed that television stations had to telecast on a weekly basis a prescribed amount of approved children’s programming with local productions scoring more highly under the government's rankings. With a shortage of such material at the time the opportunity for sales of the final series provided an additional incentive.

Consequently this series was a little more ambitious in its concept to enhance its prospects for commercial success. That enhancement included the addition of two young people to listen to Art's stories of his adventures with Beat as well as interact with selected critters. Additionally we moved out of the Watagans to locations such as Dunns Creck near Paterson, Gloucester and Dungog to add greater variety to the programmes. And no more incidental wildlife! Instead we took with us the animals to be used on that day's shoot a decision which generated its own logistical challenges.  

Dingoes under NSW legislation are a forbidden animal in pasture land a lesson we were to later learn. Our first concern when our incidental dingo launched itself from its cage on the trailer en route to Dunns Creek was how to explain its loss to its owner. The second concern was how to replace it for the series as they're not exactly on the RSPCA's collection list. Such imperatives galvanised us into action. Had we known then that we could have been fined what was a breach of legislation an anxious state could have descended into panic with the consequent loss of the pooch. 

As it was to the casual passer, by our antics might have indicated that we had simply been indulging in some of the natural 'weeds' that were known to infest the area. This wasn't the case. After an energetic half hour or so we eventually managed to corner the hapless hound and tempting it with some of the chicken destined for our lunch lured it back into our control and then securely placed it back in its cage to complete the journey.

Despite its success Beating Around the Bush was never extended to a third series owing to changes in the political and financial landscape and perhaps was the high water mark for that style of production. While the station continued to produce occasional documentaries along with live breakfast programmes and even a 'Tonight' show the idea of producing a complete series with commercial potential was finished. 

When adults tell me to-day that they used to watch Beating Around the Bush as kids I am uncomfortably reminded of the passage of time - it was nearly 30 years ago and these days local production at NBN, with the exception of commercials, is limited to news and even that is facing an uncertain future. Beating Around the Bush was both professionally and personally deeply satisfying answering my need for creative challenge and a chance to explore new realms. Accolades were unnecessary icing on the cake. I'd shared and enjoyed a privileged opportunity in regional television.