Musetta (2002)
The Australian opera is on tour with La Boheme. Musetta (Teresa La Rocca) sings one of the opera’s most popular arias from Act II. In it, she is trying to reignite her lover Marcello’s passion. [read more]
Hearts are trumps (1964)
During the 1964 world surfing championships at Manly, local teenagers flood into a dance, while the international contestants fraternise with new friends. In the morning, the keenest local surfers are out to get a wave before the competition begins. [read more]
Processing peanuts (1954)
At the peanut processing plants, the peanuts come out of large roasting ovens to be aired and cooled. In the next phase, peanuts go through the blanching machine and have their husks removed. Women operators in a factory production line ... [read more]
‘A lot of magic’ (1989)
Assistant artistic director of the Sydney Dance Company Janet Vernon remembers meeting Tasmanian dancer Graeme Murphy when he first joined the Australian Ballet School as a young man. We see Janet and Graham working together in rehearsal. The then director ... [read more]
Octopuses also enjoy fresh lobster (1998)
An octopus discovers lobsters trapped in a lobster pot. When the fishers pull up the pot they discover a lobster has been eaten by the octopus. [read more]
‘A star is torn’ (1993)
Australian singer Robyn Archer talks about the singers who have influenced her work. Archer says that her grandparents were music hall entertainers and that she has inherited some of that talent. She recalls appearing at the Wyndhams Theatre in the ... [read more]
‘Menstruation blues’ (1993)
Australian singer Robyn Archer performs the song 'Menstruation Blues’. 'I explore anything that I want to’, says Archer. [read more]
Passionate painter (1988)
We see samples of Tony Tuckson’s later work in a gallery, while in voice-over friends and colleagues discuss his work, and the changes he went through in later life. [read more]
A win at last (1995)
The under-16 soccer team from Clifton Hill, Melbourne, claims its first win after many defeats. [read more]
‘An army always marches on its stomach’ (1943)
An injured soldier in the jungles of New Guinea struggles as he runs out of food. An aircraft drops food rations nearby. Meanwhile, back in Australia, two female volunteers package the emergency food parcels to be sent overseas. Back in ... [read more]
A future governor-general (1961)
The very first Four Corners opens with vox pops in a busy Sydney street, asking people whether a future governor-general should be British or Australian. The reporter is Bob Sanders. [read more]
Shanty town (1981)
Unemployed people were forced to build their houses out of scrap and discarded materials. They established a trading post where clothing was donated. Indigenous Australians were not able to receive the dole and were issued meagre rations. One of the ... [read more]
Mao takes charge (1986)
The USSR Politburo chose Mao Zedong to head the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Journalist Tony Lawrence comments on the success of the Red Army under Mao. The Chinese Communist Party achieved popular appeal as they fought to repel ... [read more]
Coconut diesel (2000)
When Bougainville Island was blockaded in the struggle for independence, fuel quickly ran out. The local people, who had traditionally used the coconut tree for building and the fronds for roofing, also discovered a creative new use for the coconut ... [read more]
Qantas goes international (1962)
Qantas flew passengers to London by flying boat in 1938. The trip took 12 days. Regular international air travel was established. Archival footage shows the development of this service. [read more]
Menzies home movies (2006)
This montage of clips from the Menzies Home Movie Collection features footage from Menzies’ wartime tour in 1941, including Tobruk, Palestine, Cairo, Jerusalem, Khartoum and England during the Blitz. It ends with close-ups of the ‘Rulers of England’ including the ... [read more]
