Clip description
On a sunny winter’s day, Reverend Robert Williams from the South Melbourne Methodist Mission issues weekly rations of firewood to needy families as part of the mission’s important work.
Curator’s notes
This clip is a good example of the way that charity organisations have used the medium of film to strongly convey a message and raise funds for their work. As in clip one, this clip emphasises both the physical and emotional support given by the mission to the city’s poor. It appeals to its target audience (mission supporters and potential donors) on both a physical and spiritual level.
The scenes in the clip depict Reverend Williams handing out rations of firewood. But the intertitle midway through the clip implies that this weekly routine does more than provide protection against winter’s onslaught. It reads, 'Rev. Robt Williams hands out loads of warmth and happiness’. Firewood may be vital in keeping away the cold, but warmth and happiness are immeasurable and far more important in keeping up spirits. Thus we know the two boys shown immediately after the suggestive intertitle are smiling not just because they will be warm this winter, but because they’ve been given hope.