Remembering the ABC Argonauts Club - Doreen Widdowson (nee Timm)  Endymion 26

I grew up on a mixed farm in Central Queensland in the 1950s and 60s.  I would hurry home from the school bus in the afternoon to listen to the ABC Children's Hour and the Argonauts Club.  We could only get reception for the ABC where we were, so the Argonauts Club was a big part of my entertainment in the afternoons.  My parents were usually still at the dairy at that time of the day so I would sit glued to the radio.  My Argonauts name and number was Endymion 26.  Every week or so I would send off a fat envelope of contributions, hoping for them to be good enough to be read out on air.  It was a thrill when a contribution was read out.  I remember one that was read out was about life growing up on a farm.  Another was about the nicknames that my brothers and I would call each other.  I also sent in contributions to the art segment.

I remember listening to the serials, the Muddle Headed Wombat and the banter between the different personalities. 

Mac seemed to be the one in charge and I always enjoyed listening to Jimmy. 

I even wrote in and requested their autographs, which were sent back to me on a sheet of ABC stationery.

My goal was to earn enough points to earn my Dragon's Tooth award, the first of the different awards.  I don't know how many points each contribution was worth, but each week I would listen for the list of new Dragon's Tooth award winners being read out, and disappointed when my name wasn't there.  For each contribution that was used on air you would be awarded a Blue Certificate.  When you earned six you could send them in for a book prize.  I earned fourteen blue certificates all up, amounting to two book prizes.

I would wear my Argonauts badge with pride and it was always a thrill when someone at school recognized it and said that they too where an Argonaut.  Around 1963 television came to our area.  This seemed to take over from the radio and I think it was around this time that that my interest waned in the Children's Hour and we watched television instead.
 
Looking back, the ABC Children's Hour and Argonauts Club played a big part in my childhood and I am grateful for the experience of knowing that some of my work was good enough to be read out over national radio.
 
Doreen Widdowson (nee Timm)                                                                                                     
Endymion 26

This will be added to the Argonauts page when I refurbish the page in the near future.

Ian Grieve