[KenRa Films Present: the Kenneth Rankine Home Movie Collection: Reel 34]

Kenneth Carruthers Rankine (1890 - 1968) was a keen amateur cinematographer and filmmaker. This collection of his home movies has been donated to ACMI by Kenneth’s granddaughter. The collection represents a wonderful slice of life in Australia; with contents including scenes of everyday life, major family occasions, holidays around Victoria including views of Melbourne, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory (A.C.T).

This film shows a road trip of over 2,000 miles (3,200 kms) through south-east Australia in a Riley motor car in the early 1950s.

Excellent scenes of country driving and towns visited including Lakes Entrance, Boydtown, Eden, Canberra, Echuca, Cohuna and Renmark before returning to Melbourne.

Opening with the title ‘The Dream Car’ a dream of a new car brings it to reality in a melodramatic piece and the travellers set off on their road trip.

Excellent views of the Riley car (appears to be a 1951 model), cars of the era in various towns and a very undeveloped Canberra and institutions such as the original National Library building and the Australian War Memorial.

This film was originally made using 16mm film.

Selected highlights list
00:00:00 KenRa opening credit sequence
00:00:10 ‘The Dream Car’ title card
00:00:14 woman looking through Riley car brochure
00:00:40 old car driven by women pulls in to driveway
00:01:08 more modern car takes its place (the 1951 Riley)
00:02:20 interior of car and engine
00:02:58 looking in boot (trunk)
00:03:16 man affixes side mirror to front car bumper
00:03:51 ‘Months later’ title card
00:04:02 ‘We make a trip’ title card
00:04:02 ‘of 2487 miles’ title card
00:04:07 farewells in driveway
00:05:02 map shows route east through Victoria
00:05:09 car on country roads
00:05:22 Lakes Entrance on map
00:05:23 views around Lakes Entrance
00:06:33 Boydtown on map
00:06:36 car outside building
00:06:52 boy approaches tower, views of Tudor style hotel
00:08:43 views of beach
00:09:09 inspecting ruined church
00:10:11 Eden on map
00:10:14 views of coastline
00:11:15 houses around coast
00:11:21 boy with large fish
00:11:44 timber mill / timber yard
00:12:18 truck enters timber mill / timber yard
00:12:55 Canberra on map
00:12:59 view of Canberra from high vantage point
00:13:03 Canberra house styles
00:13:36 Melbourne Ave street sign
00:13:45 view of the Republic of China in Taipei Embassy
00:13:57 views of the rear of Parliament House
00:14:40 great views of cars of the era in car park
00:16:00 churches and cemetery
00:16:20 original National Library building on King’s Ave
00:16:32 church with steeple
00:17:37 front of Parliament House and King George V memorial
00:18:00 Hotel Canberra
00:18:25 Albert Hall
00:18:40 Melbourne and Sydney buildings in civic centre
00:19:25 USA Embassy
00:19:44 views from hill of Canberra
00:20:00 Australian War Memorial showing lack of landscaping, interiors and exhibits and dioramas
00:20:05 inspecting submarine (looks to be recently installed)
00:22:56 Canberra buses with conductor and front and rear exit doors
00:23:34 Beauchamp House (now Ian Potter House) in Acton
00:23:40 dog on the tuckerbox Gundagai
00:23:53 dam spillway
00:24:18 good example of steel road bridge
00:24:36 Echuca on map
00:24:38 riverboat / paddles steamer being painted and views of Murray River
00:24:51 paddle steamer and riverboats at dock
00:25:16 good views street scenes lines with palms
00:25:30 card parked in street, horse drawn cart passing
00:25:45 frill necked lizard
00:26:01 Cohuna on map
00:26:10 Cohuna Hotel and street scenes
00:27:20 inspecting a steel wheeled tractor being used to pump water
00:27:37 farmers posing for camera
00:27:56 three young girls with calf posing for camera – very sweet
00:28:13 girls, adults and calves in paddock
00:29:01 Renmark on map
00:29:04 palm tree lined garden at river’s edge
00:29:44 Hotel Renmark and street scenes
00:30:02 PS Gem paddle steamer
00:30:19 woman holding baby kangaroo (joey)
00:30:40 PS Gem sailing to Mildura leaves dock and sails away
00:31:40 passengers on board, views of river and shore, passing under vertical lift bridge
00:32:35 passing through lock gates
00:34:05 mowing lawn with petrol mower – terrific early mower
00:34:33 red phone box, Riley pulls up alongside, man makes call
00:36:05 car pulls in to Melbourne home driveway
00:36:29 travellers welcomed home