G K Saunders

Who is G K Saunders?

George Kenneth "Ken" Saunders was a New Zealand writer, born in England, who had a substantial career in Australia.

After leaving Canterbury University, he secured a job writing scripts for radio 3ZD Christchurch.

Hoping to expand his horizons, he emigrated to Australia in August 1939 with wife Mona.

Introduced by Peter Finch to ABC Federal Controller of Productions Frank Clewlow, who was recruiting staff for the newly reconstituted Argonauts Club and its companion program "The Children's Session", he was immediately put to work developing the on-air characters of 'Mac', 'Joe' and 'Elizabeth', and concocting humorous vignettes to brighten up the show.

He was also writing scripts for the Macquarie Network's Lux Radio Theatre, but with Australia's entry into World War II, he was recruited into the CSIRO, leaving only Sundays for him to develop scripts for the ABC. Mona handled his correspondence as well as scripts and quizzes for the Argosy and Brains Trust, weekend programs associated with the Argonauts.

After the War, he was able to devote more attention to stories for the Children's Hour. The Moon Flower, a science fiction serial aired in 1953, was so successful he went on to write a dozen more; all highly speculative yet incorporating important principles of Science. One, The Stranger was sold overseas as a radio serial and also published as a novel.