At the height of the pandemic, Australian Story undertook the ambitious task of documenting Australia’s experience of the Spanish Flu a century ago.
Until COVID-19 struck, very few had ever spared a thought for the ‘forgotten flu’ and the up to 15,000 Australians who died.
Intrigued by the parallels with the current pandemic – the mask wearing, the quarantining, the border closures – the program delved into the archives and sought out the country’s expert historians.
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For the first time ever on television, our producers pulled together photos, video and oral testimonies which provided a unique insight into the time.
The parallels between the past and the present were uncanny.
“Despite our wealth of health resources today, ultimately the sorts of measures most of us are following are strikingly similar to those we saw in 1919,”
– says historian Dr Peter Hobbins.
That story has become the definitive piece on Spanish Flu in Australia, viewed by millions at home and abroad.
This week, by popular demand, a special encore screening.
AUSTRALIAN STORY – Monday 30 November at 8pm on ABC and iview
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