BMA world tour. Part 4.

UK, c.1935.

1 encoded moving image (15.22 min.) : silent, black and white

00:15:22

This film forms part of a group of films donated to the Wellcome Trust in 2006 by The British Medical Association.

This series of films (there are 6 in the collection) relate to the British Medical Association's Round the World Tour and Annual Meeting in Melbourne, 1935. The journey is also captured in a diary kept by Mrs. Katherine Harman which was acquired separately by the library (MS.7394) . The party travelled in style with the travel services arranged by Pickfords going by ship from Southampton to New York; across the USA via Washington, Chicago, Albuquerque, the Grand Canyon and Los Angeles to San Francisco; by ship to Hawaii, Fiji, Auckland (an excursion here to the Rotorua geothermal sites) and Sydney; by train to Melbourne and Canberra; by ship once more from Sydney to Brisbane, Macassar, Bali, Java (visiting Surabaya, Borobudur and Batavia (Djakarta)) and Singapore; by train to Kuala Lumpur and Penang; by sea again to Colombo, Bombay, Aden, Suez, Malta and Marseille; finally by train and ferry back to London.

Segment 1 This amateur film, which has been edited semi-professionally with additional intertitles and maps to orientate the viewer, consists of footage shot in the fourth part of the BMA's World Tour as they travel via New Zealand. They receive a Maori welcome at Rotura. There is footage of the volcanic springs; children bathe in the hot pools of water. Back on board ship, passengers play quoits and swim. The ship arrives in Sydney and goes under the famous harbour bridge. Koala (spelt Kuala) bears are shown feeding. There are establishing views up Collin Street, at the zoo, Parliament Street and Central Railway Street. An intertitle announces, 'Leaving Melbourne for Sydney and Jenolan Caves on SS Nieuw Zeeland'; the group splits into two parties. One party travelled on the SS Marella via Port Darwin to Java and Singapore and the other via Bali. The film follows the group who go to the caves, travelling along the coast from Sydney to Port Darwin. There is a long shot of a man throwing a boomerang. More larking about on board ship is seen before arrival at Port Darwin. In a hangar, there is a shiny silver Qantas airline plane. Aboriginal men perform for onlookers. The final shot is of sunset shot from the ship as the ship arrives in the East Indies. Time start: 00:00:00:00 Time end: 00:15:22:00 Length: 00:15:22:00

Unrestricted

Public Domain Mark

Copyright previously held by British Medical Association and assigned to Wellcome in 2008