Catch Kandy episode 1 "The Runaways"

This tv series shot in 1973 was one of Australia's few successful tv exports of the time, along with the much better known "Skippy". However the spectacular visuals made it a hit all over the world from the UK to Europe to South Africa.
Catch Kandy was made by an independent company called Australian Film Productions and shown in Australian on channel 7 a number of times in the 1970s and even well into the 80s. Over 13 weeks we were regailed with the adventures of Catch and his sister Kate, who run away from their uncle's home and take refuge in the bushland around Sydney's harbourside Taronga Zoo. There they are befriended and protected by a young unemployed student called Christian, who thinks the police want to put them in a home. Each episode saw Catch and Kate get into some sort of mischief as they dodged the authorities until finally being re-united with their repentant uncle. The two children weren't the greatest of actors, but it was good enough for a generation of 7 year olds like me who really enjoyed their weekly adventures and the fantasy of being a completely free spirit. British actor Peter Reynolds and Australian Shane Porteous (later of A Country Practice) were also regulars. I still have three signed photos of the two children and Christian, which were sent out to viewers in 1973 upon request.
A big part of the series' appeal was the constant sweeping views of Sydney's incomparable harbour. The opening scenes are actually in the Royal Botanical Gardens which is quite far from where the Kandys were supposed to live, the house being in a fictional suburb called "Rosedale" which was probably based on Rose Bay which is a stones throw from where the house sits (or rather, sat, in Vaucluse Rd just down from the convent school). After they run away they are seen catching the ferry to Taronga Zoo, where they run down the foreshore track to Sirius Cove Reserve and the adjacent bushland. They are also seen running through the zoo, which has changed little since that time.
Since Australian Film Productions went out of operation decades ago and Channel Seven is notorious for throwing away archive material (their classic Norman Gunston episodes from the 70s are thought to be buried under asphalt on their premises), it is something of a miracle that this series still survives, with the complete set of reels acquired by the NFSA. Other odd episodes like this one survived in private collections. A lack of commercial interest means that Catch Kandy continues to languish forgotten instead of being presented on bluray for a new generation, and for all those who saw and loved it first time around.
If anyone has any home taped episodes of Catch Kandy (even if they are just audio) please message me and I can arrange to convert and upload them here for people to see again. The original episodes are: The Runaways; Into The Net; Christian Faber; Enemy Country; The Bait; Follow The Band; Young Fugitive; Close Call;The Price; Capsize; Climb Into Trouble; Man In A Wetsuit; Gone Astray