Sons And Daughters REUNION SPECIAL: LOVE & LAUGHTER

Four decades on, the onscreen mother and daughter retain a special bond

Rowena Wallace's face brightens the moment she lays eyes on Ally Fowler. The sight of her former Sons And Daughters co-star causes a spontaneous eruption of giggles and merriment.

Ally and Rowena are catching up at a Sydney Sons And Daughters reunion. For them, it's a celebration of a beautiful friendship spanning 41 years.

To see the two friends reunited amid a swirl of "tears of joy and happiness”, to loosely conjure the Sons And Daughters theme song, is a delight. It could be 1982 all over again. Yes, 41 years have passed, but Ally and Rowena look suspended in time.

"Ally and I lived together for a while," says a beaming Rowena, 76. "That was a hysterical time. I'll never forget the day Ally decided she was going to make jam.

"I went into the kitchen and there was jam from one end to the other, but no Ally. She was just so spontaneous and so funny. I adore her."

FOREVER FRIENDS

A grinning Ally, 61, takes up the story.