The Sullivans - Main Characters

Main Characters

Grace Sullivan (Lorraine Bayly) was the Sullivan matriarch. The daughter of a doctor, she was intelligent, rational and greatly respected by her family. Although opposed to her sons enlisting to fight, she eventually came to terms with this. Grace was a devout Catholic, which sometimes created tension with husband Dave, who was a non-practising Anglican. Later in the series she flew to London at the request of the War Office, to assist with the recovery of her son John. There she was killed when a German rocket struck the hospital.

Dave Sullivan (Paul Cronin) was an upright, hard-working and somewhat old-fashioned patriarch. He was a foreman at a small engineering firm and a veteran of World War I, serving in the cavalry in the Middle East. At the outbreak of war in 1939 Dave encouraged his sons to fight; later in the series he eventually enlisted himself, reaching the rank of major in the engineering corps. Dave was hit and killed by a car in 1948, an event that marked the final scenes of the entire series.

John (Andrew McFarlane) was Dave and Grace's eldest child. A medical student in 1939, he was vehemently opposed to the war, leading to many confrontations with his more traditionalist father. John's relationship with German-born Anna Kaufman also caused complications. After her death, John relented and joined the medical corps before being lost at sea and, for two years, presumed dead. His return to the series prompted Grace Sullivan to fly to England where John was convalescing; it was there she was killed during a German air raid.

Tom (Steven Tandy) was the second Sullivan child, an engineering student who, unlike his brother John, was keen to sign up and fight for his country. Tom served the duration of the series in the military, serving in North Africa, Greece, Crete, Holland and Malaya and eventually reaching officer rank. Late in the series he returned to civilian life, took up university studies and married an American lawyer, Patty Spencer (Penny Downie), though it was not a successful marriage.

Terry (Richard Morgan) was the third and youngest Sullivan son. A scampish schoolboy at the beginning of the series, as he matured he harboured dreams of joining the Air Force, but inner ear problems prevented this and he joined the army instead. He later married Caroline Geneviève Picot; however' the war took a greater psychological toll on Terry than his brothers, and he struggled both with his marriage and his readjustment to civilian life. Terry was indirectly responsible for the death of his father Dave at the conclusion of the series.

The youngest Sullivan child and the only girl was Kitty (Susan Hannaford). Shy, sensitive and conscientious, Kitty was upset by the war early in the series, and was prone to outbursts of emotion. Her character strengthened as the series progressed, and by the end of the war she was employed as a nurse. Kitty married war correspondent Robbie McGovern (Graham Harvey) who, affected by his experiences, later committed suicide.

Uncle Harry (Michael Caton) was Dave's younger brother, a wise-cracking larrikin with a fondness for goods of dubious origin ('fallen from the back of a truck'). His syrupy wife Rose (Maggie Dence) suffered depression and drowned in the Yarra River during a picnic. This had a devastating impact on Harry and his final scenes in the series showed him beginning a long sentence in prison.

Maggie Hayward (Vikki Hammond) was the divorced owner of the local pub The Great Southern, and Jack (Reg Gorman) her barman. Both were well-known to Dave Sullivan, Maggie as a former girlfriend and Jack through military service together during World War I. The bar of the Great Southern was a common setting throughout the series.

Norm Baker (Norman Yemm) was another of Dave Sullivan's army comrades from the previous war and a close family friend. Like Dave he was old-fashioned, straight-talking and fond of a beer. He enlisted with Tom Sullivan at the beginning of the series and served the entire war, becoming a captain. His first wife, Melina (Chantal Contouri), was a Cretan who was executed by a Nazi officer. He later returned to Australia and married Maggie Hayward.

Ida Jessup (Vivean Gray) was the Sullivans' English-born next-door neighbour, raised in Battersea. Her late husband had served in World War I before being gassed and invalided back to England. At times prone to meddling and puritantical gossip, Mrs Jessup's character mellowed to show great strength and understanding as the series progressed. Later in the series she married Englishman Arthur Pike (Wallace Eaton).

Bert Duggan (Peter Hehir) and his neglected wife Lil (Noni Hazlehurst) appeared in the early seasons as lodgers taken in by Mrs Jessup. Bert, a devious womaniser, enlisted to escape arrest for illegal bookmaking; he was unable to cope with the rigours of war and was later killed in action in north Africa.

The Kaufmans, father Hans (Leon Lissek), mother Lottie (Marcella Burgoyne) and daughter Anna (Ingrid Mason) were German-born immigrants who owned the local shop, The Universal Store. Although they opposed the Nazi regime their German status created problems for them at the outbreak of war, and Hans and Lottie were eventually interned as enemy aliens. Anna was saved from this fate by hastily marrying John Sullivan; however, she later fell ill and died.