''Redheap'', also published as ''Every Mother's Son'', is a 1930 novel by

Norman Lindsay Norman Alfred William Lindsay (22 February 1879 – 21 November 1969) was an Australian artist, etcher, sculptor, writer, art critic, novelist, cartoonist and amateur boxing, boxer. One of the most prolific and popular Australian artists of hi ...

. It is a story of life in a country town in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, Australia in the 1890s. Lindsay portrays real characters struggling with the social restrictions of the day.

Snob ''Snob'' is a pejorative term for a person who feels superior due to their social class, education level, or social status in general;De Botton, A. (2004), ''Status Anxiety''. London: Hamish Hamilton it is sometimes used especially when they pr ...

bery and

wowser "Wowser" is an Australian and New Zealand term that refers to someone who seeks to deprive others of allegedly immoral and sinful behaviour, such as drinking, smoking and gambling. Critics of wowsers typically describe them as prudish and self-ri ...

ism are dominant themes. In 1930 it became the first Australian novel to be banned in Australia. The novel forms the first part of a trilogy, together with '' Saturdee'' and ''Halfway to Anywhere''. The novel was adapted for television in 1972.

Plot

The central character is Robert Piper, a nineteen-year-old man engaging in love affairs with the publican's daughter and the parson's daughter next door. In an attempt to prevent him falling into immorality and dragging the family along with him, Piper's mother arranges for him to be tutored by Mr Bandparts, a recovering alcoholic school teacher. The arrangement soon backfires and Mr Bandparts is soon drinking beer with his young pupil and chasing the corpulent barmaid at the Royal Hotel. The reader is introduced to the rest of the Piper family. Mr Piper is a draper who continuously measures objects to calm his mind. His eldest son Henry has high hopes of taking over the business one day. Hetty is a domineering oldest daughter, who attempts to control the family morals and standing. Ethel is a quiet younger daughter, who uses her shyness to cover her various seductions of young men around town. Grandpa Piper made the family fortune, only to be treated with contempt by the rest of the family. His small acts of revenge make some of the most comic moments of the book.

Banning

The book was banned in Australia for 28 years, until 1958, after it was first published in 1930.

Proposed film

The novel was optioned for the movies in the 1930s for £1,000, but no movie was made.

Television adaptation

The novel was adapted into a three-part mini series by the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

in 1972.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970–1995'', Oxford University Press, 1996 p225 It screened as part of '' Norman Lindsay Theatre'' on the ABC, where works for Lindsay were screened over nine weeks. Three of the weeks were devoted to ''Redheap''.

Cast

Kate Fitzpatrick Kerry Kathleen Fitzpatrick (born 1 October 1947) known as Kate Fitzpatrick, is an Australian television, film, and theatre actress. Early years Kate grew up in the Adelaide suburb of Dover Gardens, and it was in Adelaide that her love for cl ...

as Hetty *Peter Flett as Robert Piper *

Michael Boddy Michael Boddy (8 March 193413 April 2014) was an English-Australian actor and writer. His best known works include co-writing the play '' The Legend of King O'Malley'' with Bob Ellis. Personal Boddy was born in the village of Baldersby, Yorksh ...

Pamela Stephenson Pamela Stephenson, Lady Connolly (born 4 December 1949) is a New Zealand-born psychologist, writer, actress and comedian. She moved with her family to Australia in 1953 and studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). After playi ...

Norman Yemm Norman Yemm (23 March 1933 – 3 February 2015) was an Australian actor, opera singer and sportsman. Career Film and TV Yemm's film roles include ''Night of Fear'' and ''The Fourth Wish'' On the small screen he may be best remembered for ...

June Salter June Marie Salter AM (22 June 193215 September 2001) was an Australian actress and author prominent in theatre and television. She is best known for her character roles, in particular as schoolteacher Elizabeth McKenzie in the soap opera ''Th ...

Alexander Archdale Alexander Mervyn Archdale (26 November 190513 May 1986) was a British actor, manager and theatre producer. He had a very long career in both the theatre and in film, stretching from the 1930s to the 1980s. He spent the latter part of his life an ...

* John Morris * John Wood *

John Waters John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including '' Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), '' Pink Flamingos'' (1972) and '' Fe ...

as Jerry Arnold

References

External links

*
''Redheap'' TV adaptation
at

AustLit AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource (also known as AustLit: Australian Literature Gateway; and AustLit: The Resource for Australian Literature) is a national bio-bibliographical database of Australian literature. It is an internet-based, ...

Complete copy of script
at

National Archives of Australia The National Archives of Australia (NAA), formerly known as the Commonwealth Archives Office and Australian Archives, is an Australian Government agency that is the National archives, official repository for all federal government documents. It ...

{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2019 1930 Australian novels Censored books Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming 1970s Australian television miniseries 1972 Australian television series debuts 1972 Australian television series endings Television shows based on Australian novels Faber & Faber books Novels by Norman Lindsay