Seachange

Recently, I was watching the Australian television series "Seachange" which is about Laura Gibson, a high flying corporate lawyer whose life falls apart when she hears her husband is arrested and charged with fraud and her sister Trudi has been having an affair with him. She loses out on a partnership because of this and moves with the two children to a small coastal town and takes on the position of local magistrate. It's a big change not only for her, but the children also, being "city kids" it takes some getting used to suddenly living in a small town. The original series made in 1998 was an instant winner in the popularity stakes and was followed with series 2 and series 3.

 

Unlike some series which become so popular that the creators just keep on churning out more until they become stale and staid, the makers of "Seachange" were smart enough to pull the plug after three series and we are left with a whimsical, entertaining saga, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always with a sense of community. Watching this series is a little like reading a favourite book where you "know" the characters - their foibles and feelings and feel like you're living it with them.

The song "Freedom Calling" which is heard in the series, was written by Colin Hay who was the lead singer in the Australian band, "Men At Work". The words of the song are both powerful and poignant.

FREEDOM CALLING
If you hear a voice call out your name
Saying you can stop yourself from falling
And if he strikes you in his fear and shame
Well you can leave him to his ruin

If your dreams they wake you in the night
And your heart it is a pounding
If you cry out as you wake in your fright
And the wind it is a-howling

Maybe it's time to find another place
Where nobody even knows your face
There is no need to be afraid
For it's only freedom calling

If your tears begin to overflow
As you walk against the undertow
There is no need to be afraid
For it's only freedom calling

If you're sad 'cause you're all alone
And your hands they are a shaking
And your miracle cure's not working anymore
And the flood bank's close to breaking

Suddenly you're on an open unknown road
Passing all the heavy, long wide loads
It is time to make your great escape
And you can hear your freedom calling

I want to dive into the sea of love
But my knees they are a quaking
I can see myself high up above
And there's no time left for faking

I no longer need to understand
What it is to truly be a man
Only when I gave up on my masterplan
Did I then hear freedom calling

Did I then hear freedom calling

 

Above: Colin Hay