PART 1: KID STAKES – (1937)
Set in Depression-era Carlton, Kid Stakes begins the 17-year odyssey of Roo, Barney, Olive, and Nancy. Cane croppers from Queensland, Roo and Barney spend their off-season in Melbourne, where they meet Olive and Nancy, young women on the cusp of adulthood. A spark of romance ignites, marked by Roo’s first gift of a kewpie doll to Olive, the start of their summer ritual.

Meanwhile, Bubba, the child next door, watches with curiosity, and Olive’s mother Emma offers her wry, pragmatic perspective. Full of humour, warmth, and youthful bravado, Kid Stakes captures the optimism and restless energy of a nation on the brink of change.