[Gadsden Family Home Movie Collection: Reel 131]

The Gadsden Company has a long and proud history of manufacture, dating back to its foundation by Jabez Gadsden in 1879. The company pioneered tinplate printing in Australia, and produced the first printed can the country had seen. By 1936 the company had twelve factories spread throughout Australia and New Zealand.

The company’s success allowed two generations of Gadsden family men – Stanley Gadsden and his son Ronald – to pursue their interest in amateur filmmaking (a relatively expensive hobby for the time). The two cameramen captured the family’s children, homes, many of its major events and holidays on film.

A collection of the films made by these Gadsden family photographers has been donated to ACMI by Chris Gadsden (Ronald’s son). The films comprise a fascinating assortment of imagery that provides a window into bygone days and customs.

This film shows scenes of Sydney and the Blue Mountains, NSW around 1936. There are some wonderful views of Sydney’s waterways including some houses on the lower cliffs, a few bays and a glimpse of the Harbour Bridge. Whilst in the Mountains we see walkers and horseback riding.

Later in the film there are scenes at an air terminal where one of the early Australian air services, the ‘Australian National Airways (ANA)’ is operating. The ANA was established by Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm in 1930 (ceasing in 1931).

This film was originally made using 16mm film.

Selected highlights list:
00:00:12:00 family members looking out over the sea from high cliff tops
00:01:20:00, a woman is perched perilously close to the edge of the cliff whilst looking out over the view with her companions
00:02:03:00 small boats appear in the water below
00:02:17:00 family member wandering along a bush track under gums
00:02:50:00 view of the ‘Three Sisters’ at Katoomba in the Blue Mountains
00:03:14:00 member of the family on horseback
00:03:30:00 lots of handshaking and goodbyes at what we see is an air terminal, precedes an ‘Australian National Airways’ plane taking off. Children and adults wave goodbye from very close by when compared to contemporary terminals.