Argonauts Club - The Argonauts

The Argonauts

The Argonauts Club was open to Australian boys and girls aged from 7 to 17. It proved hugely popular with young Australians: by 1950 there were over 50,000 members, with 10,000 new members joining each year through the 1950s (national membership reached 43,000 in 1953). Applications for membership (and subsequent contributions) were made by post. An enamelled badge and handsome membership certificate with the Pledge (brought over from 1931):

Before the sun and night and the blue sea, I vow

To stand faithfully by all that is brave and beautiful;

To seek adventure and having discovered aught of wonder, or delight, of merriment or loveliness,

To share it freely with my comrades, the Band of Happy Rowers.

and the new member's allocated pseudonym (Ship name and number) were sent out to the new member. With no indication given of age, sex or origin, the only comparisons that could be made were between contributions; the members' only competitors were themselves.

A card system held the member's real name and address and Club name and number, together with a record of contributions and awards. The Club encouraged children's contributions of writing, music, poetry and art. Contributions from members were awarded Blue Certificates (worth 1 point) or Purple Certificates for particularly impressive work worth 3. Members reaching 6 points redeemed the tear-off ends for a book prize. Higher targets were acknowledged on air (by Ship Name and Number): The Order of the Dragons Tooth for 150 points and The Order of the Golden Fleece for 400 points. A further award Golden Fleece and Bar (for 600 points) was instituted later to cater for particularly talented and industrious Argonauts. The certificates were designed by "Joe". Reading of the 'Log of Progress' was an essential part of Club business.

Throughout the Argonauts Club segment, the studio team strictly adhered to the policy of only using Club names. So Atholl Fleming was 'Jason', Elizabeth Osbourne was Argo 1. Some others are given below.

The segment was opened and closed with a specially commissioned theme written by Elizabeth Osbourne and Cecil Fraser and sung by Harold Williams and the male members of the ABC Wireless Singers

Fifty mighty Argonauts, bending to the oars,

Today will go adventuring to yet uncharted shores.

Fifty young adventurers today set forth and so

We cry with Jason "Man the boats, and Row! Row! Row!"

Row! Row! Merry oarsmen, Row!

That dangers lie ahead we know, we know.

But bend with all your might

As you sail into the night

And wrong will bow to right "Jason" cry,

Adventure know,

Argonauts Row! Row! Row!

A further touch was a call to sick members: "The Ship of Limping Men", as notified by parents. Whenever possible, Atholl Fleming would visit Argonauts who were seriously ill in hospital.

On Saturdays a major segment was the Argonauts Brains Trust

From December 1944, the ABC Weekly carried an Argonauts' Page devoted to selected contributions from members and relevant news items. A prominent contributor was one Ithome 32, now known as Barry Humphries, creator of "Edna Everage".

Annual 'live' productions of the Children's Session (and Argonauts Club) were a feature of Royal Shows in each State from 1947. The showground in each Capital City had its own purpose-built ABC studio, double-glazed on three sides.