The Hayfield is a 1945 Australian radio play by Catherine Shepherd. It was one of her most notable works.[1]

The Hayfield
Genredrama play
Running time30 mins (10:30 pm – 11:00 pm)
Country of originAustralia
Language(s)English
Hosted byABC
Written byCatherine Shepherd
Original release15 April 1945

The play was well received and was performed again in 1953.[2][3]

Premise

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According to ABC Weekly "as wealthy Bernard Loder, blinded by sunstroke, lies dying in hospital, he remembers the day in his childhood when he, his sister, and their governess went to play in a hayfleld and it seems to him that all the evil in his life began on that day This new play, by well-known Tasmanian author Catherine Shepherd, is written in a musing, reflective tone, and ends on a contrasting note of bitter irony. It is nostalgic yet vivid, and the insight into personality is penetrating."[4]

References

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  1. ^ Rees, Leslie (1953). Towards An Australian Drama. p. 167.
  2. ^ "Play Bill". Daily Mirror. No. 3701. New South Wales, Australia. 15 April 1953. p. 24 (Cable Edition). Retrieved 21 February 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ "RADIO PLAYS for NEXT WEEK A. B. C.", ABC Weekly, Sydney: ABC, 11 April 1953, retrieved 21 February 2024 – via Trove
  4. ^ "THIS WEEK'S A.B.C. PLAYS", ABC Weekly, Sydney: ABC, 20 October 1945, retrieved 21 February 2024 – via Trove