Hatch, Match and Dispatch: Stories of Life, Love and Loss - Episodes 1-4 (ATOM Study Guide)

Hatch, Match & Dispatch, an eight-part documentary series by Fredbird Entertainment, provides a privileged look at the funny and moving stories of the biggest events of our lives.

The Office of Births, Deaths and Marriages is a place where the most momentous events of our lives happen. We go there when the stakes are highest and when we are at our most joyful and vulnerable. Emotions run high and the recurring theme that unites everyone in the building is love.

People from all walks of life rely on the registry office in their state or territory. Births, deaths and marriages affect us all. Young lovers get hitched on a budget, marriage parties roll in and out like clockwork, and intimate personal moments get thrown around like confetti. And then there's death. Families are reunited over tears and testaments. For every dispatch, there is a hatch – stories of conception, birth, miracle babies and young mums doing it tough.

The Registry also creates the data that shapes Australia. Governments use Registry birth statistics to help decide the location of new suburbs, roads, schools and hospitals. The trending causes of death influence policies on everything from healthcare and housing to superannuation. A dramatic rise in the number of civil ceremonies over the last twenty years has seen marriage change from the days of lavish church weddings to low-budget ceremonies.

Hatch, Match & Dispatch takes its audience to Australia's oldest registry. With offices in Chippendale and Parramatta, Sydney, the New South Wales Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages is a melting pot of tradition, culture, emotion and religion, an institution where landmark events unfold every day.

Curriculum links

This study guide to accompany Hatch, Match & Dispatch has been written for secondary students at all year levels, as well as for students taking linked tertiary studies. It provides information and suggestions for learning activities in English, Health and Personal Development, The Arts, Humanities and the General Capability of Ethical Understanding.