Love Child

It’s 1969. Defiant country girl, Viv Maguire, wakes to find she’s been drugged by her parents and sent to the city to hide her pregnancy at Stanton House – a home for unwed mothers in Sydney’s Kings Cross. On the same day, Joan Millar, 28, steps off the plane from London and commences work as a midwife at the adjoining hospital - Kings Cross General. Joan is nursing a broken heart and hiding a few secrets of her own. When Joan is called to assess Viv’s pregnancy she comes into conflict with the Head of Obstetrics, Dr Patrick McNaughton. He’s more than a little intrigued by Joan. And attracted. Meanwhile, Viv encounters Shirley, a mystery woman who has admitted herself to Stanton House. She’s older than the other Stanton House girls and has a lover in Kings Cross. Unlike the other girls who are locked into this place, Shirley seems to come and go as she pleases. When one of the Stanton House girls, Annie Carmichael, goes into labour, Viv uses the distraction to escape into Kings Cross with some of her new roommates… to meet Mick Jagger who has just arrived in Australia to film the ‘Ned Kelly’ feature. The birth of Annie’s baby is Joan’s first at the hospital and she’s shocked by the treatment Annie receives. The removal of Annie’s baby for adoption sets Joan on a mission to change this system. Guest cast includes Ryan Johnson, Maya Stange, Ben O’Toole and Emma Birdsall.

Astronauts are about to walk on the moon and Viv is determined to see this grand event on television. She steals a portable TV and is arrested. Joan uses her acquaintance with an old flame, Phillip (criminal lawyer), to secure Viv’s release. Phillip wants to restart his relationship with Joan but her head has been turned by Dr. Patrick McNaughton. When Shirley’s in-laws arrive unexpectedly, the need to hide her illicit pregnancy leads her to wear a too-small corset to a lunch meeting. In doing so she faints, taking a fall that sees her end up in hospital. Shirley’s affair with Johnny – her lover – is almost exposed. Annie returns to her home in Newcastle after giving up her baby for adoption but cannot fit back into the world she left behind. Yearning for her lost child, Annie turns her back on her family and sets out to get her baby back as…Neil Armstrong walks on the moon. And anything seems possible.

When Annie’s denied a straightforward revocation of her adoption by the Hospital’s Social Worker, Joan becomes committed to see Annie’s baby returned to her – risking her job in looking for evidence of the baby’s whereabouts. Sidelined, Joan is forced to rally the Stanton House girls to help Annie in her quest to get her baby back and prove she is a fit mother. Meanwhile, Joan’s actions bring the hospital Matron and Dr McNaughton – co-conspirators in the baby’s private adoption – into conflict. Patricia’s society doyenne mother, Belinda, pays an unexpected visit and is dismayed by the conditions in Stanton House. She gives Patricia the opportunity to leave Stanton House but her offer has a hidden catch. Just as it seems that Annie may have her child returned to her, Matron drops a bombshell.

Viv’s enlisted older brother Bernie arrives in Kings Cross on R&R leave from Vietnam. After Viv tracks him down with Joan’s help, Bernie is shocked to find his little sister is pregnant. When he learns that Viv is being pressured to give up her baby for adoption he offers her an escape – he offers to go awol and take Viv with him. Meanwhile, as the girls plan a clandestine cocktail party, Martha’s former employer, Mr Wilder, tracks her down and threatens to charge her with theft. His relentless pursuit of Martha leads the girls and Matron to learn that Martha’s baby is the product of her rape by Wilder.                                               Grieving for her dead child, Annie rejects Joan’s help and spirals into self-destruction until she’s rescued by an unlikely guardian angel – McNaughton – who is awakening to an increasing responsibility for her fate.

When Johnny invites Shirley to the musical Hair, Shirley dares to believe she can begin a new life with him. But her dream is shattered when she discovers Johnny’s been in a violent fight with the police at an anti-war rally. Shirley goes into premature labour as Johnny is torn away from her and arrested. Matron learns for the first time that Shirley has been maintaining a clandestine affair with Johnny. The friendship between the two women is badly strained. Martha is surprised to find that Matron has arranged a job for her in Hospital administration leading her to find a clue about her own lost family. Infuriated by the arrogant young Resident of the Hospital, Joan is forced into action, determined to complete her medical degree. She finds surprising support from McNaughton who calls in a favour from a friend on the Hospital Board. Joan’s delighted to be able to make a case to complete her degree but finds her work cut out as she faces lukewarm reception from the panel of men who hold the keys to her future. Meanwhile, Annie starts to pick up the pieces of her life and finds a job as a dresser to the star of the Blue Moon club – ‘Dawn’. But when Dawn’s additions cause a backstage disaster, Annie gets the opportunity of a lifetime…and she makes her singing debut.

All of Shirley’s plans unravel when she receives news that her husband, Colin, has been injured in Vietnam and has been flown home. With a sick, premature baby in hospital, Shirley has to face her past as Johnny desperately tries to prove himself as a father, doing all he can for his baby son and Shirley.Viv urges Martha to visit the address in her welfare file that appears to be the last contact for her lost family. Asking Patricia to provide cover, they make a half-day trip to Parramatta to a house that awakens old memories.Annie’s success as a performer at the Blue Moon attracts the attention of Rick Allen, who wants to recruit her as his back-up singer. But as Annie starts taking steps forward, Joan becomes convinced Matron has lied and Annie’s baby is alive. Turning to Phillip for help, they start to investigate the truth of what happened to Annie’s child.Thrown together with McNaughton as they struggle to save Shirley’s dangerously premature baby, Joan’s relationship with McNaughton turns from professional to personal. After an exhausting couple of days, Joan and McNaughton give in to their attraction and they sleep together…just as Phillip uncovers the fact that McNaughton has Annie’s baby.