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Clip description
From an elevated position, the camera pans over the gathered crowds in attendance for the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge celebrations. Commentator John Harper begins an enthusiastic commentary which conveys the thrill and excitement of the event.
NSW Governor Sir Philip Game gives a speech congratulating people on the completion of the Bridge. As the Governor speaks, a mother grapples with her active son as he fidgets in the background.
Curator’s notes
Historical footage such as this provides insights to society and culture in the past in a way unique to the audiovisual medium. It can provide vivid snapshots of lived moments that carry forward into the present. The young boy in the background, unable to keep still, is one of these moments. At a later part of the Governor’s speech, the increasingly fidgety boy actually starts to bite the hand of the woman standing next to him! These images convey a spontaneous moment of childhood which almost overshadows the Governor’s important speech. Looking at this detail over 70 years later, it is difficult not to imagine who this person was, what he’s doing now, or if he’s still alive.
