MARGARET NELSON
Page updated 7th September, 2008
An unofficial fan page about Australia's iconic actress
of the 1970s and beyond, Margaret Nelson, of
PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, CLASS OF '74
and THE LOST ISLANDS.

COMMENTS

The TV series 'Class of '74' provided a launch pad into 'Picnic' for a number of actresses, but for me it was Margaret who attracted my attention. She had about her a naturalness quite unlike any other actress on television at the time. There was a depth to her performances in 'Class of '74' missing from those of the other cast members, at least for this viewer. So I did something not unusual for the time, perhaps. I sat down and wrote a letter to her. It was one of only five fan letters I've ever written. (To answer your unasked question, the other four were to Ray Walston, Connie Hines, Jonathan Harris and Anna Massie). Margaret wrote back to me and yes, it gave me a great buzz. That short letter is still a treasured memory of the period.

In 2002, an article http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/11/22/1037697872494.html appeared in the Sydney Herald and related newspapers concerning a new edition of 'Picnic'. The editor of the book had managed to contact many people connected with the movie but Margaret Nelson remained the notable exception. There was no trace of her. Most likely Margaret married, moved or simply decided she preferred anonymity to a measure of fame, and who could blame her in this day and age?

This page will serve as a sourch of information on Margaret for fans of this fine actress. Photos are few and far between. The couple which appear here are publicity photos from an industry publication in my collection. I did write to one of her agents, but the agent was unable to provide any information, apart from surmising that Margaret had dropped out of the acting profession.

BASIC INFORMATION
Height (from promotional information) 5ft 3"
Dates of photos top of page: Left, pre-1976. Right, pre-1985.

LETTER FROM MARGARET
[ I found this recently.]
21st October, 1974
I really don't mind how many times I hear the type of statements you wrote. / There might be the opportunity of publicity with the bus storyline. I hope so because I would enjoy the travel and meeting people. / Stranger storylines are yet to come, especially one impractical one involving Patti and Mike. It will continue into next year, but I'm not sure if I will.
Margaret Nelson (Patti Farmer)

COMMENTS RECEIVED - COMMENTS NEEDED.
If you have any comments, links or information on Margaret Nelson, please send to me at the email or snail-mail addresses which appear below. To avoid spamming, the email address is not hot-linked or copyable. You'll have to type it into a blank email form. Or write to me as follows:
CB&M Editor, PO Box 781, Katoomba NSW 2780

Date: 16/08/08 1:56:15 AUS Eastern Standard Time
From: Ken Warren
Hi,
It was nice to see a fan site for Margaret, I became a fan after watching The Lost Islands. They showed Picnic on one of the Sky channels over here just yesterday. I only caught a snippit but she was in most of that.
It's a shame that nobody seems to know what's happened to her.
Hope you can keep updating the site.
Regards
Ken
Thanks for your response, Ken. Hopefuly someone who knows, or knew Margaret, will contact us.

LINKS
Margaret's IMDb page can be found at http://us.imdb.com/name/nm1396816/
SMH article, 'After the Picnic', can be found at http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/11/22/1037697872494.html