[Brookes Family Home Movies: Reel 1]

This film shows a family visit to the beach and backyard play in Point Lonsdale c1950s -1960s. We see the children (James, Andrew and Margaret) with their mother and father playing on the seashore, building sandcastles together and drawing pictures in the sand. Joined by their pet dog, the children fill their buckets with sand and play with seaweed washed up onto the beach. There are good closeups of the children, reflecting examples of children’s fashion and hairstyles of the era.

We see the children venture out to the edge of the water and then play along the top of the seawall. There is great delight while eating ice cream from cones, and tears shed when an adult takes an uninvited taste.

The second, third and fourth sections of the film show the children on a summer’s day in a backyard. Tricycles, a blow-up wading pool with the backyard hose leading into it, swings and a sand pit create a great snapshot of children’s recreation, toys, and equipment particular to the era. We also see a young boy kicking what appears to be an American shaped football and two boys playing with toy cars and a toy police car.

The fifth section of the film shows a young baby being held by her mother. We then see the baby lying in her pram and being closely inspected and entertained by her older sibling.

We then go back to the beach with three very young children playing on the water’s edge with their mother beside them. Adults sit on the sand socialising, and there are scenes on the veranda of a holiday house. We see great examples of beach fashion, women’s hats, and children’s swimsuits.

This film shows examples of Victoria in the summertime, beach, women’s fashion and children’s fashion, children’s swim wear, vintage toys and a perambulator, children’s leisure and recreation activities that reflect the time.

Originally made using 16mm film.

Selected highlights list:
00:00:18:00 Mother and three boys playing in the sand
00:02:25:00 Children filling buckets with sand
00:02:36:00 Two children filling buckets with sand
00:03:09:00 Young boy crawling along the sea wall
00:03:34:00 Eating ice creams from cones, offering to share with passers by
00:03:50:00 Close up of eating ice cream
00:06:25:00 Three children on their tricycles with backyard swing
00:06:56:00 Two boys swing on their backyard bench swing
00:07:03 :00 Three children on swing
00:07:24:00 Children playing in sandpit
00:08:36:00 Nice wide shot of children playing on swing and in the sandpit
00:09:52:00 Three children playing in blow up wading pool
00:10:17:00 Three children crowded on a backyard swing together
00:10:32:00 Children trying to move wading pool full of water across the grass
00:12:44:00 Boys play with toy police car in sand pit
00:14:08:00 Children play with what appears to be an American shaped football
00:15:32:00 Boy riding on vintage tricycle in front of house
00:17:13:00 Baby in vintage pram with sibling peering in and attempting to play
00:17:53:00 Mother and three very young children sit at the water’s edge
00:18:15:00 Very young child at water’s edge – good example of children’s swim wear
00:20:28:00 Family on veranda of holiday house with seascape in background
00:21:48:00 Three women sitting on the beach wearing great hats
00:22:51:00 Great family beach scene as above