Hunter Living Histories

Industrial City The Story of Newcastle (1959)

“Australia Presents INDUSTRIAL CITY The Story of Newcastle” is a documentary film made by the Commonwealth Film Unit in 1959. Directed by Richard Mason.

Digitised by the National Film & Sound Archive (NFSA)

The People & Places in the Film

The following is a listing of the identified people and places shown in the film (in order of appearance) to the best of our knowledge.

• Scene of B.H.P. Steelworks Newcastle in distance
• Newcastle skyline from Stockton, N.S.W.
• BHP Steelworks from Kooragang Island (?)
• Open Hearth Furnace in operation at BHP Steelworks
• Change of shift workers at BHP Newcastle Steelworks Main Entrance
• View of Hunter Street Newcastle at 8am
• Royal Newcastle Hospital
• Mum hanging clothes on a Hills Hoist in backyard with children
• Shipping steel products and coal
• Launch of MS Princess of Tasmania from the NSW State Dockyard  15 December 1958
• Professor Cyril Renwick teaching a class on the work of the Hunter Valley Research Foundation using one of the display maps
• Underground coal mines in operation
• Electric Light Manufacturers Australia (ELMA) manufacturing light globes
• Women at work on production lines
• Textiles manufacturing, spinning yarn (Bradmills? Courtaulds?)
• Wool selection and sales
• School children at lunch (School?)
• Miners playing cards during lunch
• Business men at Lunch
• Newcastle Beach goers
• War Memorial Cultural Centre
• Council Officer Interviewed (?)
• Newcastle Region Public Library
• Principal Harold Lobb MBE introducing string orchestra performance at the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music.
• Mr Gil Docking, Director of the Newcastle City Art Gallery speaking on art and the nature of the people of Newcastle (Art Gallery then occupying 2nd floor of War Memorial Cultural Centre)
• Newcastle City Hall at 3pm
• Hunter Street near David Jones (DJ’s) Corner
• Fashion Show with Swimwear
• Hills Hoist
• Wedding at Church (?)
• Water Sking and Yachting at Lake Macquarie (?)
• Port Stephens Tea Gardens (?)
• Toronto N.S.W. (?)
• Horseshoe Beach Newcastle
• People playing darts and dominoes
• Gentleman’s Club (The Newcastle Club?)
• Dancing with singer
• Open Hearth Furnace in operation at BHP Steelworks
• Coke Ovens in operation at BHP Steelworks Newcastle.

Recognise Any Missing People & Places?

If anyone can recognise the missing locations, or any further details, please let us know and we’ll include them in.

Gionni Di Gravio OAM
University Archivist & Chair, Hunter Living Histories