Australian
Screen

Teacher’s notes

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This clip shows young women and young men as they make their appearance at a traditional-style debutante ball that was part of the opening celebrations for the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame in Longreach, Queensland. Their entrance is accompanied by a Scottish band performing on bagpipes and drums. Members of the local community look on as the debutantes and their partners are presented to various dignitaries.

Educational value points

• The rural Australian town of Longreach, featured in the clip, is located in central Queensland on the Thomson River, 1,205 km north-west of Brisbane. The region is known for its prosperous wool and beef industries. Since the development of the Stockman’s Hall of Fame and the Outback Heritage Centre, Longreach has become a tourism hub, with other new attractions including the Qantas Founders Outback Museum and the Longreach Powerhouse Museum.

• The clip depicts aspects of a traditional debutante ball. Popular in England, the debutante ball (debutante means 'female beginner’ in French) was traditionally the formal occasion at which young women made their debut, or entry, into society. The tradition of the debutante ball arose among aristocratic English families who sought to preserve their financial and social positions by ensuring that their children married within the appropriate social class.

• The Longreach debutante ball was reinstituted, after a break of 13 years, to coincide with Queen Elizabeth II’s visit in 1988. Debutante balls now take a more contemporary approach compared with the Longreach debutante ball and many schools have instituted school balls or 'formals’ for students in years 10 and 12.

• The style of dress worn at a traditional debutante ball is highlighted. The players in the Scottish band are wearing the traditional beret and kilt, which the British Army and armies of other Commonwealth nations still wear as dress uniform. The women are wearing traditional ball gowns and, unlike the men, the women’s attire is commented on as the women are presented.

• The clip presents an aspect of the Queen of England’s 1988 visit to Australia, which was organised to celebrate the bicentenary of British settlement. The Queen’s tour included a visit to Longreach to open the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Outback Centre.

• The Stockman’s Hall of Fame is a unique tribute to Australia’s outback heroes and includes a wide variety of traditional artefacts, electronic displays, photographs, films and stories of bush life. It kick-started tourism in the area and has become one of the longer lasting cultural investments made during the bicentenary.

• The documentary The Queen Goes West was jointly funded by the Australian Bicentennial Authority and the Australian Film Commission. Originally, the filmmakers aimed to explore Australia’s changing relationship with the monarchy but the scope of the project changed when the Australian Bicentennial Authority withdrew its half of the funding just before production commenced. The result was a focus on the rural town of Longreach as the community prepared for a visit from the Queen.

• The Queen Goes West is an early documentary by Australian filmmakers Christine Olsen and Curtis Levy. The film is narrated by John Hinde, who was a correspondent with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) before becoming a film critic. Christine Olsen and Curtis Levy have made a number of documentaries and feature films together, and worked with each other on other projects. Of recent acclaim was Rabbit-Proof Fence (2001) written and produced by Christine Olsen and President versus David Hicks (2004) cowritten, codirected and produced by Curtis Levy.

This clip starts approximately 31 minutes into the documentary.

This clip shows young women and young men as they make their appearance at a traditional-style debutante ball that was part of the opening celebrations for the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame in Longreach, Queensland. Their entrance is accompanied by a Scottish band performing on bagpipes and drums. Members of the local community look on as the debutantes and their partners are presented to various dignitaries.

Narrator It’s a long time since they had a deb ball in Longreach. 13 years ago, the last one was. They’d given ‘em up. It takes the Queen to get things going again. But it’s all part of the opening celebration.

Announcer Ms Lee Aird. Lee is the daughter of Mr and Mrs Aird from Bunda. She’s wearing a real bicentenary frock which is 25 years old. Lee is being partnered by Billy Slade.