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Clip description
Pat’s parents would love him to continue into senior high school but they respect the fact that Pat is simply not motivated to continue with his studies.
Curator’s notes
The original Chequerboard program captured the warmth and support of this immigrant family. Like many new arrivals to Australia, they saw education as the key to future success but they were also resigned to the fact that their son was determined to leave school. This sequence, shot in black-and-white in 1972, is here contrasted with Pat’s thoughts about his own children’s prospects as a mature man in 2000.
The technique is simple but surprisingly effective, and the effect is quite emotional, even in this short clip. Its strength comes partly from the skill of the interviewers, both in the original material and the new material, and the fact that the direction is kept simple, so the audience feels very close to the subject.
The dramatic impact of this updated program made in 2000 is derived from its documentary structure as a three act play. As we gradually absorb the issues from the first program, we are sparingly offered details of what happened in the intervening years to mould a naïve and immature boy into a very fine man with a loving family and a satisfying job.
