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King of the Coral Sea (1954)

play May contain names, images or voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
clip Merriman arrives

This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

A traditional dance is held to welcome company boss Peter Merriman (Charles Tingwell) to Thursday Island. Ted’s daughter, Rusty (Ilma Adey), offers to show him around the island.

Curator’s notes

A colourful dance by members of the Kaurareg tribe, traditional owners of Thursday Island in the Torres Strait. Merriman shows his ignorance and casual racism by telling Rusty he thinks Serena, a Malay, is quite attractive ‘for a native’.