BEDTIME STORY: Sir Edward Hallstrom 19 May 2026

Tonight, we step back into a very different Australia and into the remarkable life of a man whose name quietly shaped some of the country’s most beloved places, from refrigerators in family kitchens to the animals of Sydney’s famous zoo. Sir Edward Hallstrom was more than an inventor or businessman. He was a dreamer, a philanthropist and a man who believed that modern technology could transform ordinary lives. From humble beginnings and difficult early years, he would go on to build one of Australia’s most successful manufacturing empires through the iconic Hallstrom refrigerator, changing the way Australian families lived forever. But perhaps his greatest legacy came through his extraordinary love of animals and his lifelong support of Taronga Zoo, where his generosity helped create some of the zoo’s most famous attractions and conservation programs. Along the way there were grand ambitions, private struggles, incredible wealth, social change and a life lived at full speed during the rise of modern Australia itself.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.