[Ted Parsons Home Movies: Reel 1]

Ted Parsons was a keen amateur filmmaker of the 1940s to 1960s. Ted’s films feature life in and around the Victorian regional city of Wangaratta post-war. This was a period of prosperity and optimism largely due to a successful textile industry that took Wangaratta from a small country town to major rural city, declared in 1959.

Ted captures the many sporting and social events, venues and clubs, holidays and travel along with scenes of everyday life. The collection also shows the broader issues faced by country people such as the regular flooding events around the Ovens and King Rivers.

Wangaratta’s success story as a manufacturing town traces the path of post-war migration and the accompanying growth of Australia’s economy, which makes these films particularly interesting.

The Ted Parsons Home Movie Collection has been donated to ACMI by the filmmaker’s grandson Barry Parsons. The films have been made on 16mm film.

This film captures the visit of Australian champion golfer Peter Thomson to the Wangaratta Golf Club in 1956. As shown by the poster in the film, Thomson teaches a golf clinic to an avid crowd. At the time, Thomson had won the British Open twice, and would go on to win it a total of five times - he was the first Australian golfer to win the championship and the only man to have won it in three consecutive years in the twentieth century (1954, 1955 and 1956).

The film shows off the lovely surrounds of the Golf Club set against the backdrop of the town itself and in particular, the backyards of houses. The golfers are particularly smartly dressed in clothes suitable for striding around the course with their golf bags and trolleys, the women in pleated or full mid calf skirts and the men tucking ties into shirts and full 1950s style trousers.

In this film, we can feel the atmosphere of Wangaratta in the post war period - a growing, prosperous community with an increasingly cosmopolitan outlook thanks to an influx of migrants to the area.

Selected highlights list:
00:00:02:00 title card ‘Wangaratta Golf Club ‘
00:00:25:00 four golfers appraoching a green wearing stylish golfing clothes of the era
00:01:09:00 golfers shaking hands
00:01:38:00 a particularly nice pink hat on a golfer and an example of the 1950s style golf cart
00:02:09:00 more examples of golfing fashion including sun visors
00:03:19:00 a woman carries her cardigan and bag on her golf cart
00:04:02:00 a closer look at a golf bag in a cart
00:04:27:00 post golf drinks at the clubhouse
00:04:51:00 advertising leaflet for ‘Exhibition Golf and Clinic by Peter Thomson (Dual British Open Champion)’, described as the ‘Greatest Golf Day in History’ followed by scenes of the golf clinic in action
00:04:53:00 a woman with a camera taking shots of Thomson as he conducts the golf clinic
00:05:55:00 views of the large crowd at the golf clinic
00:06:30:00 close-up of Thomson’s golfclubs engraved with his name in protective covers with pom poms
00:06:39:00 a man tees off with a cigarette in his mouth
00:07:00:00 the crowd of onlookers surge forward following a player whlist holding up the boundary rope
00:07:44:00 everyone focused on the player as he lines up a shot
00:08:25:00 Thomson giving lessons on how to grip the golf club in the golf clinic
00:09:45:00 close-up of the crowd
00:11:14:00 local golfers say hello to the camera with lovely old houses behind the golf course
00:12:48:00 a golfer in a 1950s style hat likely to be a ‘Stetson’ and his tie tucked into his shirt leans casually on his golfclub before we see him toss his cigarette stub behind him
00:13:07:00 a refreshment tent set up near the golf course clubhouse with people relaxed
00:13:42:00 ladies and beers at the refreshment tent
00:13:50:00 the camera pans an attentative crowd of onlookers
00:14:47:00 the large crowd follow the play under huge lovely trees on the golf course