What do people like about cats? What sort of cats are moggies? Strange and unusual breeds - and their particular moods - Siamese, Persians, Orientals, Rag Dolls, Turkish Vans, Scottish Folds, Russian Blues and Birmans. Long haired and short haired cats. Things to consider in choosing cats. Differences between domestic and pedigree cats. Feeding and looking after your cat. House training and litter trays. Worming your cat. Teeth and gums. Vaccinating against infectious diseases. The RSPCA. The lifespan of a domestic cat. Why do cats have whiskers? Why do cats have tails? Amusing your cat. Feral cats - protection of native wildlife.

(25 minutes) - Year of Production 1996

Different types of breeds, and what they were first used for: Labradors, Alsatians, Poodles, Terriers, Kelpies, King Charles, Spaniels, Border Collies etc. Pros and Cons of owning a dog over a cat. Dog Kennels - important features. Feeding to make sure of a well balanced diet. Teaching your dog the rules from when they're a puppy. Health: control of fleas, worms, washing your dog. Walking your dog. Why have a dog de-sexed? Council regulations - having a dog on or off a lead. Toilet activities. Why do dogs pant? Why do they bark? And why do they chase cats? How long do dogs live? What do you need to think about before buying a dog?

(22 minutes) - Year of Production 1996

Things to think about before you buy a horse. Saddlery. The ways in which horses have worked with humans in the past. Feeling at ease with the horse. Costs of buying and maintaining a horse. Clothing required for Pony Club. How to avoid being kicked. Grooming a horse. The horse's hoof. Stables and paddocks. Rugging up to keep warm. Mucking out. Feeding. "Gaits". Proper positioning for riding a horse. Health care: vaccination, Parasites. Checking up on their teeth. Signs that a horse isn't well. The time and energy required to be a responsible horse owner.

(24 minutes) - Year of Production 1996

Can you keep poultry in the city? Where to go for permission? Duckponds and chickens runs. Safeguarding them for attack by predators. Purchasing week old chicks and raising them yourself. The common breeds of fowl in Australia. Why do chickens scratch in the dirt? Are chickens able to swim? Feeding poultry for a well balanced diet. Shell grit. How often do chickens lay eggs? What affects the size of the eggs? Nesting boxes. Battery and free range chickens. Pests. Perches - why are they used? Clipping the wings of chickens. How long do chickens live?

(21 minutes) - Year of Production 1996

The National Book Council is a non-profit organisation which represents book publishers, book sellers, libraries, authors and readers. The purpose of the National Book Council is to promote books in Australia. They run a monthly magazine called Australian Book Review - the only regular book review publication in Australia at present. They have a number of literary prizes for The Best Novel of the Year; The Best Non-Fiction and The Best Poetry of the Year. The National Book Council started in 1974 shortly after the Australia Council was formed. The Australia Council is the Federal Goverment's Arts funding body. They provide a manuscript assessment service giving practical quidance to authors on the strengths and weaknesses of their work.

(23 minutes) - Year of Production 1996

An interview with Gary Wastell - President of the Victorian Chess Association. The history of chess. Distribution of players and tournaments throughout the world. Description of chess tournament - organisation and officiating. Time limits. Levels of competition. International performance. the skills of chess. Chess as a battle and chess as a sport. Cheating - issues. Ratings. Trainings. Juniors. And performance for competition.

(29 minutes) - Year of Production 1997

This fascinating visit to Margi Jackson's urban permaculture garden on an eighth of an acre in the city shows just how porductive our gardens can be. Filming takes place in early winter and again in spring to show the seasonal changes as a huge variety of perrenials, sel-sowing annuals and dward, espaliered and medium sized trees, vines and creepers bring forth their bounty. Margi discusses site planning - takin gaccount of sun angle, prevailing winds and micro-climate featyres - and incorporating these considerations into the desing of paths, garden beds, composting processes and so on. So much more can be done in the urban context to recylkce and enich the immediate environment of the house. Poultry are a very important part of urban permaculture, they work as composters and recyclers. They dig, removing insect pests, and leave manure on the garden. Zone 0 is your house or centre of household activity. Zone 1 is immediately adjacent to your house where you grow your herbs and salad vegetables. Extending outwards zone 2 is the kitchen garden where the major vegatable cropping occurs and zone 3 is the semi- orchard. If you use your garden correctly you can supply many of your needs all year round - thorugh a sensible combinatioin of fresh and dried food produce.

(29 minutes) - Year of Production 1997

Interviews with Ward Rooney - Senior Forecaster (Melbourne) and Grant Beard - Senior Meterologist in Climate Analysis. The role of the National Climate Centre. Degrees of predictability of weather and climate. the major climatic regions of Australia. Typical weather patterns of the capital cities. Mediterranean climates. The monsoonal climate. The El Nino phenomenon and the Southern Oscillation Index. The moderating effect of expanse of water. Microclimates. The way in which weather is forecast. The fundamentals of weather measurement: temperature, windspeed, air pressyure and precipitation. Advances in the use of satalie imagery. The construction of a weather map. High and low pressure systems. Warm and cold fronts. The causes of rain. Cloud types. The degree of accuracy in prediction. Meteorological services to agriculture.

(36 minutes)- Year of Production 1996

Anorexia is a very visible disorder although sometimes it is disguised by layers of clothes. Living in today's society where thinness is (over?) valued a lot of people are influenced by the unrealistic body images portrayed in glamourous magaizines. An anorexic sufferer may intensely fear becoming 'fat', over-estimate body size and exercise obsessively. Bulimia is just as complex as Anorexia although a lot more common. A Bulimia sufferer may: have eating binges, eating large amounts of high calorie foods, try to counteract overeating by vomiting, complusive exercise or laxative abuse. The Nervosa Foundation of Victoria passes on information on what Anorexia and Bulimia is. They have two support groups, one for sufferers and the other is for the family of sufferers. Anorexics and Bulimics need all the support they can get.

(21 minutes) - Year of Production 1997