Inventions
The following clips have teachers’ notes related to this topic:
Quarrying limestone
This clip begins with a shot of a steam shovel collecting the limestone rubble from the quarry and emptying it into large bins for transport. A man in the foreground of the frame shovels the …
Falkiner cane harvester in operation
The harvester is operated by a person seated on one side of the machine. The camera films, from various positions, the harvester as it is guided along the edge of the cane field. Men walk …
The media
This clip shows the process by which the PMG must meet the needs of the media during Queen Elizabeth II’s 1954 royal tour.
A major medical emergency
A group of senior lifeguards just happen to be standing at the edge of the water for a photo shoot when they’re told there’s been a man found floating lifeless in the surf …
‘The city of tomorrow’
This animated colour cinema advertisement for Bushells tea starts with a map of the world and a voice-over that invites the viewer to 'the world of the future’. International travel is shown using fast planes …
The magic bullet
An Australian invention is set to revolutionise the vehicle security industry and it’s already paying off. A tiny microdot with vehicle identification details is being stamped all over the underside of some of the …
Telegraphists spread the news
The intertitles at the beginning of this clip explain it all: ‘Telegraphists at work sending the news to Sydney. 200 words a minute. A record’.
Modern alchemy
Inventor John Walker has found a way of turning landfill into compost, a form of contemporary alchemy. It’s a system capable of functioning on a huge scale, very economically.
‘That’s the Rinso way’
An opening credits sequence introducing the stars of Easy Does It is accompanied by a musical soundtrack. The first scene is at a grocery counter where a grocer (Dan Agar) attempts to sell a box …
Acoustic warfare
HMAS Rankin is taking part in Silent Fury, an exercise with the US Navy. The submarine must avoid detection and make it past 'enemy’ ships and helicopters to be victorious. Acoustic warfare specialists explain how …
‘Use ice for food protection’
An ice delivery man carries a block of ice from his truck into a suburban home. A woman opens an Iceway ice refrigerator to show how the block of ice cools and preserves food. The …
Trains in Australia’s development
Trains played a major part in Australia’s economic and social development. Development followed the railway line and exports boomed.
Cloning a dodo
Toby (André de Vanny) and Elizabeth (Bridget Neval) have been zapped and are just discovering their new powers. Toby is suddenly able to understand the science behind DNA sequencing and cloning, and to impress Dina …
She mixed axolotl DNA with T-Rex DNA
Toby (André de Vanny) discovers that Elizabeth (Bridget Neval) has interfered with his DNA cloning experiment and is horrified to discover a ferocious and rapidly growing T-Rex has hatched from his egg. Will he and …
