Argonauts Row by Harold Williams, 1941

The Argonauts Club was first broadcast on Melbourne ABC Radio in Melbourne, from 1933-34. It was revived as a segment of the ABC’s national radio program The Children’s Session in 1941. By 1950 the Argonauts Club had over 50,000 members who were encouraged to submit contributions of writing, music, poetry and art. The Argonauts segment had its own song, ‘Argonauts Row’, written by Elizabeth Osbourne and Cecil Fraser and performed by leading Australian baritone Harold Williams with the male voices of the ABC Wireless Singers. Williams’ association with the club continued over 20 years, through his weekly humorous pieces during the show.

The Children’s Session was devised by Nina Murdoch with Elizabeth Osbourne as the first presenter. Renamed The Children’s Hour in 1954, it became one of the ABC’s most popular programs, running six days a week for 28 years (from 1941-69), until it ceased in 1972. Unfortunately almost no audio survives of the thousands of one-hour programs.