Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

Newsfront (1978)

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clip Maitland Floods education content clip 1, 2

Original classification rating: PG. This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

Cameraman Len Maguire and assistant Chris Hewitt (Chris Haywood) have battled rising waters to reach Maitland – then got drunk with their competitors, while waiting for the daylight. Chris wakes up in the pharmacy, as the mayor calls to ask for medicine. Chris battles the floods to bring supplies to the Town Hall, then gets into strife on the way back.

Curator’s notes

The melding of old and new footage is almost seamless, and superbly effective. A scene that starts out humorous turns quickly into something much darker, as the men who cover the story become the story, when Chris drowns.