Jocko

Jocko was an early 1980s attempt by TVNZ to build a series around a travelling swagman character. First introduced in telemovie High Country, Jocko (Bruce Allpress) is a maverick musterer and rural jack-of-all-trades. in the tradition of the Australian swagman and the American cowboy. But the setting is a contemporary one — the South Island high country, where old and new methods of farming are coming into conflict. Two seasons were made, led by Pukemanu writer Julian Dickon. Veteran actor Desmond Kelly co-starred as Jocko’s offsider and travelling companion, China.