

Olivia Harkin
Elly Barton

Photo: Olivia Harkin as Elly Barton, backstage on the set of Bye Bye Bartons in 1987.
Private photo, kindly provided by Olivia Harkin from her own personal collection.
Private photo, kindly provided by Olivia Harkin from her own personal collection.
Olivia was born in Melbourne in August 1975.
In 1986, Olivia played the lead part of Snow White in the Kaboodle episode Snow White and the Dreadful Dwarves, with a cast including several other children from her school. The production was written and directed by Jan Sardi, at the time her drama teacher, who went on to be quite succesful.
A year later, at age 11, Olivia was cast as Elly Barton. She got time off from classes to film her part, as the shooting of the series went from March through to mid August 1987. The Bartons aired in Australia in February of the next year.
Fans had to wait four years before getting a glimpse of her on the screen again. In 1992, at age 16, she guest starred as Jacquie in the Australian police drama Phoenix, episode Shaking the tree, unfortunately missing her TV mum Jennifer Jarman-Walker by a season. The last time we saw Olivia on a screen was in a small part in the independently produced short film Lucy's Heart in 2005, as vengeful wife Edith Brown.
If you happened to live near Canberra and enjoyed good theatre in the early noughties, you could have spotted Olivia on stage. She took part in both amateur and pro-am theatre productions from time to time in the ACT area. Most notably playing Grace 'Lambchops' Lamb in the 2002 Acton The Street Theatre production of Fame, in which she did some "terrific drumming" according to this review (originally published in Canberra Times, copied onto Blogger by the author). Other roles include Lily St Regis in Annie (2003, Theatre 3, Acton).
Here's the complete list of stage appearances:
As Olivia Harkin:
Fame - The Musical
G-String Productions, 27 June 2002, The Street Theatre, Acton, ACT
As Grace 'Lambchops' Lamb
Chicago
Canberra Philharmonic Society, 20 February 2003, Erindale Theatre, Wanniassa, ACT
As Go-To-Hell Kitty
Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde
Canberra Repertory Society, 2 May 2003, Theatre 3, Acton, ACT
As Constance Wilde (Oscar's wife)
Cosi
Free-Rain Theatre Company, 6 August 2003, Courtyard Studio, Civic Square, ACT
As Julie the drug addict
Grease
G-String Productions, 13 November 2003, The Street Theatre, Acton, ACT
As Marty in the Pink Ladies
Annie
Supa Productions, 16 January 2004, Theatre 3, Acton, ACT
As Lily St Regis (Rooster's girlfriend)
Fiddler on the Roof
Canberra Philharmonic Society, 19 February 2004, Erindale Theatre, Wanniassa, ACT
As The Fiddler
Absolutely Fabulous
The Players Company, 30 July 2004, Gallery Cafe, Bruce, ACT
As Eddie
As Olivia Wenholz:
Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story
Supa Productions, 11 May 2007, ANU Arts Centre, Acton ACT
As Mrs Santiago
Olivia changed her name to Olivia Wenholz when she got married. She currently lives in Canberra with her husband and two sons and was quite "gobsmacked" when I told her the series made such an impact overseas and that she has fans all over the world :)
In 1986, Olivia played the lead part of Snow White in the Kaboodle episode Snow White and the Dreadful Dwarves, with a cast including several other children from her school. The production was written and directed by Jan Sardi, at the time her drama teacher, who went on to be quite succesful.
A year later, at age 11, Olivia was cast as Elly Barton. She got time off from classes to film her part, as the shooting of the series went from March through to mid August 1987. The Bartons aired in Australia in February of the next year.
Fans had to wait four years before getting a glimpse of her on the screen again. In 1992, at age 16, she guest starred as Jacquie in the Australian police drama Phoenix, episode Shaking the tree, unfortunately missing her TV mum Jennifer Jarman-Walker by a season. The last time we saw Olivia on a screen was in a small part in the independently produced short film Lucy's Heart in 2005, as vengeful wife Edith Brown.
If you happened to live near Canberra and enjoyed good theatre in the early noughties, you could have spotted Olivia on stage. She took part in both amateur and pro-am theatre productions from time to time in the ACT area. Most notably playing Grace 'Lambchops' Lamb in the 2002 Acton The Street Theatre production of Fame, in which she did some "terrific drumming" according to this review (originally published in Canberra Times, copied onto Blogger by the author). Other roles include Lily St Regis in Annie (2003, Theatre 3, Acton).
Here's the complete list of stage appearances:
As Olivia Harkin:
Fame - The Musical
G-String Productions, 27 June 2002, The Street Theatre, Acton, ACT
As Grace 'Lambchops' Lamb
Chicago
Canberra Philharmonic Society, 20 February 2003, Erindale Theatre, Wanniassa, ACT
As Go-To-Hell Kitty
Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde
Canberra Repertory Society, 2 May 2003, Theatre 3, Acton, ACT
As Constance Wilde (Oscar's wife)
Cosi
Free-Rain Theatre Company, 6 August 2003, Courtyard Studio, Civic Square, ACT
As Julie the drug addict
Grease
G-String Productions, 13 November 2003, The Street Theatre, Acton, ACT
As Marty in the Pink Ladies
Annie
Supa Productions, 16 January 2004, Theatre 3, Acton, ACT
As Lily St Regis (Rooster's girlfriend)
Fiddler on the Roof
Canberra Philharmonic Society, 19 February 2004, Erindale Theatre, Wanniassa, ACT
As The Fiddler
Absolutely Fabulous
The Players Company, 30 July 2004, Gallery Cafe, Bruce, ACT
As Eddie
As Olivia Wenholz:
Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story
Supa Productions, 11 May 2007, ANU Arts Centre, Acton ACT
As Mrs Santiago
Olivia changed her name to Olivia Wenholz when she got married. She currently lives in Canberra with her husband and two sons and was quite "gobsmacked" when I told her the series made such an impact overseas and that she has fans all over the world :)
As Elly Barton
in C/o The Bartons
in C/o The Bartons
As Snow White
in Kaboodle
in Kaboodle
As Snow White
in Kaboodle
in Kaboodle
As Jacquie
in Phoenix
in Phoenix
As Edith Brown
in Lucy's Heart
in Lucy's Heart
Matt Day
Paul Barton
Born on 28 September 1971 in Melbourne, Australia, Matt moved to the United States with his father when he was 11. After picking up an interest for acting and moving back to Australia, he was discovered by an agent during a play when he was 14 years old. The agent got him the audition for C/o The Bartons, his first role, in 1987.
Matt went on to be one of Australia's more succesful actors, appearing in no less than fifteen feature films, over 25 television productions and at least eight stage productions.
In his own words, his big break was a combination of his parts in A Country Practice in 1989, followed by his role in Muriel's Wedding in 1994.
Matt is also a film maker, producing short films such as My Everything (2003), Wish (2008) and Beat (2011). His latest project, The Mother Situation (2017) in which he also stars, is available for free on Youtube (watch here).
Matt is currently living in Sydney with his wife, journalist Kirsty Thomson, and their two sons.
Matt went on to be one of Australia's more succesful actors, appearing in no less than fifteen feature films, over 25 television productions and at least eight stage productions.
In his own words, his big break was a combination of his parts in A Country Practice in 1989, followed by his role in Muriel's Wedding in 1994.
Matt is also a film maker, producing short films such as My Everything (2003), Wish (2008) and Beat (2011). His latest project, The Mother Situation (2017) in which he also stars, is available for free on Youtube (watch here).
Matt is currently living in Sydney with his wife, journalist Kirsty Thomson, and their two sons.
As Paul Barton
in C/o The Bartons
in C/o The Bartons
As Ross
in My Year Without Sex
in My Year Without Sex
As Brice
in Muriel's Wedding
in Muriel's Wedding
Rosemary Smith
Anita McPherson

Photo: Rosemary Smith as Anita McPherson, backstage on the set of Bye Bye Bartons in 1987
Private photo, kindly provided by Olivia Harkin from her own personal collection
Private photo, kindly provided by Olivia Harkin from her own personal collection
Rosemary Smith portrayed Anita McPherson, Elly's best friend, in C/o The Bartons.
She attended Year 6 of the Presbytarian Ladies College in Burwood, Victoria at age 11, when her school received a letter from the ABC looking for a girl her age, with red hair, to play the part of Anita.
She attended Year 6 of the Presbytarian Ladies College in Burwood, Victoria at age 11, when her school received a letter from the ABC looking for a girl her age, with red hair, to play the part of Anita.
Ben Toovey
Douglas Barton
Ben Toovey played Douglas Barton. He was nine years old when he went to the audition for the role of seven year old Douglas Barton. He didn't have to wait long though, as he was noticed by Jenny Hooks while sitting in the lobby waiting his turn.
Michael O'Reilly
Anthony Barton
Michael O'Reilly portrayed Anthony. He was around 16 years old at the time of shooting, and attended a boys school in St. Kilda.
According to IMDb.com he played in several productions before and after C/o The Bartons, but I'm honestly not entirely sure IMDb.com is accurate; unless Michael appeared as a character called "Chameleon" when he was a baby. But that could very well be true of course.
That's all I have on Michael; I have not been able to find him as of yet. So Michael, if you happen to read this, please get in touch.
According to IMDb.com he played in several productions before and after C/o The Bartons, but I'm honestly not entirely sure IMDb.com is accurate; unless Michael appeared as a character called "Chameleon" when he was a baby. But that could very well be true of course.
That's all I have on Michael; I have not been able to find him as of yet. So Michael, if you happen to read this, please get in touch.
Frankie J. Holden
Robert 'Bob' Barton
Born as Peter Brian on 18 December 1952, he adopted the stage name of Frankie J. Holden when he became lead singer for Ol'55; an Australian retro rock and roll band who had world wide success in the mid 70's. His stage name is a nod to the FJ Holden, an Australian made car which was introduced in the same year he was born.
In the '80s he expanded his resume with presenting television programmes and acting, the latter very successfully so. He landed one of his first television roles as Robert Barton in C/o The Bartons.
Frankie went on to star in several big television productions, most recently A Place to Call Home and Home and Away, both of which are international successes.
Notably, at least for this site, he starred in the first series of Round the Twist, as real estate agent Harold Gribble.
Since the 13th of June 2016, Frankie holds the Medal of the Order of Australia, an honour awarded to him for "service to the arts as an entertainer, and to the community of the Sapphire Coast." (site loads slowly).
Frankie lives with his wife and daughter in Tathra, New South Wales, close to the holiday park he owns there. He still plays music with his band at the park and occasionally does gigs outside of the park. He's currently playing Ian Shaw in Home and Away.
In the '80s he expanded his resume with presenting television programmes and acting, the latter very successfully so. He landed one of his first television roles as Robert Barton in C/o The Bartons.
Frankie went on to star in several big television productions, most recently A Place to Call Home and Home and Away, both of which are international successes.
Notably, at least for this site, he starred in the first series of Round the Twist, as real estate agent Harold Gribble.
Since the 13th of June 2016, Frankie holds the Medal of the Order of Australia, an honour awarded to him for "service to the arts as an entertainer, and to the community of the Sapphire Coast." (site loads slowly).
Frankie lives with his wife and daughter in Tathra, New South Wales, close to the holiday park he owns there. He still plays music with his band at the park and occasionally does gigs outside of the park. He's currently playing Ian Shaw in Home and Away.
As Robert Barton
in C/o The Bartons
in C/o The Bartons
As Harold Gribble
in Round the Twist (Series 1)
in Round the Twist (Series 1)
As David Kazalian
in Neighbours
in Neighbours
As Roy Briggs
in A Place to Call Home
in A Place to Call Home
Jennifer Jarman-Walker
Clare Barton
Jennifer Jarman-Walker, sometimes credited as Jenny, and sometimes with only Jarman as her surname, will for us always be Mrs Barton. But her resume is so much longer than that.
Before COTB, she appeared in top billing television series as Home, Prisoner and Neighbours. After the Bartons she appeared as Summerbum in Pugwall, as Cath Darby in Phoenix (missing Olivia Harkin's guest role on that show by a season) and returning to Neighbours in a different role (as Wendy Slater) in 1993.
Other screen credits include Something in the Air (as Maureen O'Connor; TV husband Frankie J. Holden starred in this series) and Blue Heelers (three different roles),
On stage, Jennifer has appeared as the witch Meg in The Meg and Mog Show (1988, Alexander Theatre, Clayton, Victoria) and in The Drought (1994, Napier Street Theatre, South Melbourne, Victoria) and Fairy Tales for the Future (also 1994, La Mama, Carlton, Victoria).
Before COTB, she appeared in top billing television series as Home, Prisoner and Neighbours. After the Bartons she appeared as Summerbum in Pugwall, as Cath Darby in Phoenix (missing Olivia Harkin's guest role on that show by a season) and returning to Neighbours in a different role (as Wendy Slater) in 1993.
Other screen credits include Something in the Air (as Maureen O'Connor; TV husband Frankie J. Holden starred in this series) and Blue Heelers (three different roles),
On stage, Jennifer has appeared as the witch Meg in The Meg and Mog Show (1988, Alexander Theatre, Clayton, Victoria) and in The Drought (1994, Napier Street Theatre, South Melbourne, Victoria) and Fairy Tales for the Future (also 1994, La Mama, Carlton, Victoria).
As Clare Barton
in C/o The Bartons
in C/o The Bartons
As Julie Cameron
in Prisoner Cellblock H
in Prisoner Cellblock H
As Beryl Simmonds
in Prisoner Cellblock H
in Prisoner Cellblock H
As Angelica Cammeniti
in Neighbours
in Neighbours
Alice Garner
Vivienne Bone
Although only appearing in one episode, as Vivienne in Beautiful Beetroot, Alice Garner still gets her own profile on the cast page.
Daughter of Australian screenwriter and novelist Helen Garner, she has quite a resume, starting way before Bartons and far beyond it. Before her role in COTB, she played Gracie in the adaptation of her own mother's novel Monkey Grip. Which is very fitting as that character was based on Alice by her mum (so who to play her better?). The role got her a nomination for an AFI Award.
She starred with Matt Day and Kym Cyngell in Love and Other Catastrophies in 1996 before landing the role of Carmen in SeaChange in 1998. She returned to the big screen in 1999 in Strange Planet (as Sally); the spiritual successor to Love and Other Catastrophies with much of the same cast and crew.
She had a recurring role in the popular television series The Secret Life of Us as Caitlin in 2001 and 2002 (series 1 and 2) and played Elissa in the 2006 Ray Lawrence drama Jindabyne with Gabriel Byrne.
Alice also has an academic career, having published three papers. She teached history and French at Albert Park College. She combined her academic knowledge with her love for the camera as one of the hosts of History Channel's Coast Australia.
Alice Garner is married and has three children.
Daughter of Australian screenwriter and novelist Helen Garner, she has quite a resume, starting way before Bartons and far beyond it. Before her role in COTB, she played Gracie in the adaptation of her own mother's novel Monkey Grip. Which is very fitting as that character was based on Alice by her mum (so who to play her better?). The role got her a nomination for an AFI Award.
She starred with Matt Day and Kym Cyngell in Love and Other Catastrophies in 1996 before landing the role of Carmen in SeaChange in 1998. She returned to the big screen in 1999 in Strange Planet (as Sally); the spiritual successor to Love and Other Catastrophies with much of the same cast and crew.
She had a recurring role in the popular television series The Secret Life of Us as Caitlin in 2001 and 2002 (series 1 and 2) and played Elissa in the 2006 Ray Lawrence drama Jindabyne with Gabriel Byrne.
Alice also has an academic career, having published three papers. She teached history and French at Albert Park College. She combined her academic knowledge with her love for the camera as one of the hosts of History Channel's Coast Australia.
Alice Garner is married and has three children.
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