1.
Order of the British Empire
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There is also the related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of, the order. Recommendations for appointments to the Order of the British Empire were at first made on the nomination of the United Kingdom, the self-governing Dominions of the Empire, nominations continue today from Commonwealth countries that participate in recommending British honours. Most members are citizens of the United Kingdom or the Commonwealth realms that use the Imperial system of honours and awards. Honorary knighthoods are appointed to citizens of nations where the Queen is not head of state, occasionally, honorary appointees are, incorrectly, referred to as Sir or Dame – Bill Gates or Bob Geldof, for example. In particular, King George V wished to create an Order to honour many thousands of those who had served in a variety of non-combatant roles during the First World War, when first established, the Order had only one division. However, in 1918, soon after its foundation, it was divided into Military. The Orders motto is For God and the Empire, at the foundation of the Order, the Medal of the Order of the British Empire was instituted, to serve as a lower award granting recipients affiliation but not membership. In 1922, this was renamed the British Empire Medal, in addition, the BEM is awarded by the Cook Islands and by some other Commonwealth nations. The British monarch is Sovereign of the Order, and appoints all members of the Order. The next most senior member is the Grand Master, of whom there have been three, Prince Edward, the Prince of Wales, Queen Mary, and the current Grand Master, the Duke of Edinburgh. The Order is limited to 300 Knights and Dames Grand Cross,845 Knights and Dames Commander, and 8,960 Commanders. There are no limits applied to the number of members of the fourth and fifth classes. Foreign recipients, as members, do not contribute to the numbers restricted to the Order as full members do. Though men can be knighted separately from an order of chivalry, women cannot, and so the rank of Knight/Dame Commander of the Order is the lowest rank of damehood, and second-lowest of knighthood. Because of this, Dame Commander is awarded in circumstances in which a man would be created a Knight Bachelor, for example, by convention, female judges of the High Court of Justice are created Dames Commander after appointment, while male judges become Knights Bachelor. The Order has six officials, the Prelate, the Dean, the Secretary, the Registrar, the King of Arms, the Bishop of London, a senior bishop in the Church of England, serves as the Orders Prelate. The Dean of St Pauls is ex officio the Dean of the Order, the Orders King of Arms is not a member of the College of Arms, as are many other heraldic officers. From time to time, individuals are appointed to a higher grade within the Order, thereby ceasing usage of the junior post-nominal letters
2.
Mosman, New South Wales
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Mosman is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mosman is located 8 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Mosman. Along with other such as Vaucluse, Bellevue Hill, and Darling Point. It is home to many prominent Sydney business people, doctors, in February 1997, a notice was published in the Government Gazette by Mosman Council advising that they had assigned Mosman as the only suburb in the Mosman Local Government Area. They were involved in shipping, and founded a station on a bay in the harbour. George subsequently became involved in grazing, but Archibald continued with whaling activities, by 1838, he owned 108 acres along the Mosman waterfront. Archibald was buried in the cemetery of St Judes Church, Randwick and his grave is maintained by Mosman Council. Mosman was originally inhabited by the Borogegal tribe, bungaree was a well known Aboriginal who joined British explorers on voyages, including circumnavigating Australia with Matthew Flinders when he was 26. He later became leader of his tribe, was given land at Georges Head and he greeted newcomers whose ships entered Port Jackson, and became acquainted with Russian and French explorers. His image was painted many times and shown in London, Paris, in 1789 HMS Sirius—the flagship of the First Fleet—entered what is now known as Mosman Bay or Great Sirius Cove. In 1871 the Beehive Casemate was constructed into the side on Obelisk Bay. A Submarine Miners’ Depot was constructed at Chowder Bay in the 1880s, in 1888 the site was modified for the latest in harbour defences. The site was a position and considered the best place to observe. Minefields were laid across the shipping channels of Port Jackson from 1876 to 1922. From Georges Head, miners watched for ships entering the harbour and their job was to explode the mine closest to an approaching enemy ship. Each underwater mine was attached to a cable that ran up the cliff to the firing post. During a demonstration in 1891, a crowd of several people watched as a fatal accident killed four miners. As a result, Mosman became known as Australias most painted suburb, notable painters in this community included Julian Ashton, Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton and John Mather
3.
Neutral Bay, New South Wales
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Neutral Bay is a harbourside suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Neutral Bay is around 1.5 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, Neutral Bay takes its name from the bay on Sydney Harbour. Kurraba Point, formerly a locality in Neutral Bay, was declared a suburb in 2010. Surrounding suburbs include North Sydney, Cammeray, Milsons Point, Cremorne and Cremorne Point, the name Neutral Bay originates from the time of the early colonial period of Australia, where different bays of Sydney harbour were zoned for different incoming vessels. This bay was where all foreign vessels would dock, hence the name neutral, the Aboriginal name for the area was Wirra-birra. In 1789, soon after the arrival of the First Fleet in Sydney, Governor Arthur Phillip declared this bay a neutral harbour where ships could anchor and take on water. Neutral Bay was far away from Sydney Cove to discourage convicts from escaping on these vessels. This style was an attempt to get away from mass production, notable examples soon appeared in the area. Brent Knowle, in Shellcove Road, was designed by Bertrand James Waterhouse and it influenced home design in the area for at least the next fifteen years and has a state heritage listing. A different style was used for The Cobbles, also in Shellcove Road, designed by Peddle and Thorp and built in 1918, it made great use of natural stones and pebbles to achieve the desired look. It is an Australian interpretation of the California Bungalow style and has a heritage listing. The Gables, in Spruson Street, was another Waterhouse design and was built in 1920 and it was influenced by the shingle style which was brought to Sydney by Horbury Hunt, and featured prominent gables and extensive use of shingles. More Waterhouse designs appeared in Shellcove Road in the vicinity of The Cobbles, an outstanding example is Ailsa, which was designed by Waterhouse for Captain Robert Craig and built in 1908. It has a heritage listing. Along with Keynsham, St Annes, and Gundimaine House, these form a significant heritage group and have a state heritage listing. Neutral Bay was also the home of the English-born childrens author and painter May Gibbs, who lived for a time in Derry, afterwards, she moved to the home Nutcote in nearby Kurraba Point. The main shopping district of Neutral Bay, known as Neutral Bay Junction, is along Military Road and it features many quality shops, restaurants and cafes. The Big Bear shopping centre is a mall that features a supermarket
4.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is Australias national public broadcaster, owned and funded by the government. The ABC plays a role in the history of broadcasting in Australia. With a total budget of A$1. Founded in 1929 as the Australian Broadcasting Company, it was made a state-owned corporation on 1 July 1932 as the Australian Broadcasting Commission. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983 changed the name of the organisation to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, although funded and owned by the government, the ABC remains editorially independent as ensured through the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983. The ABC is sometimes referred to as Aunty, originally in imitation of the British Broadcasting Corporations nickname. The first public station in Australia opened in Sydney on 23 November 1923 under the call sign 2SB with other stations in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth. It also nationalised the Australian Broadcasting Company which had created by entertainment interests to supply programs to various radio stations. Over the next four years the stations were reformed into a broadcasting organisation through regular program relays. The Australian broadcast radio spectrum was constituted of the ABC and the commercial sector, in 1942 The Australian Broadcasting Act was passed, giving the ABC the power to decide when, and in what circumstances, political speeches should be broadcast. Directions from the Minister about whether or not to broadcast any matter now had to be made in writing and it was used only once, in 1963. In the same year, Kindergarten of the Air began on ABC Radio in Perth, cater argues that reform was urgently needed in 1945, By the end of World War II, the ABC was a decadent, hollow institution. Its authority had been compromised by a poorly drafted charter and further undermined by timid management, poor governance, in April 1945, Boyer refused to accept the post of chairman until Prime Minister Curtin issued a mandate of independence which Boyer drafted itself. The ABC commenced television broadcasting in 1956, and followed the earlier practice of naming the station after the first letter of the base state. ABN-2 Sydney was inaugurated by Prime Minister Robert Menzies on 5 November 1956, with the first broadcast presented by Michael Charlton, aBV-2 followed two weeks later, on 18 November 1956. Stations in other cities followed, ABQ-2, ABS-2, ABW-2. ABC-3 Canberra opened in 1961, and ABD-6 started broadcasting in 1971, although radio programs could be distributed nationally by landline, television relay facilities were not in place until the early 1960s. This meant that news bulletins had to be sent to each city by teleprinter, to be prepared and presented separately in each city, with filmed materials copied manually
5.
The Longest Day (film)
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The Longest Day is a 1962 epic war film based on Cornelius Ryans book The Longest Day, about the D-Day landings at Normandy on June 6,1944, during World War II. The film was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck, who paid author Ryan $175,000 for the film rights, the screenplay was by Ryan, with additional material written by Romain Gary, James Jones, David Pursall and Jack Seddon. It was directed by Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, and Bernhard Wicki, many of these actors played roles that were essentially cameo appearances. The film employed several Axis and Allied military consultants who had been actual participants on D-Day, many had their roles re-enacted in the film. These included, Günther Blumentritt, James M. Gavin, Frederick Morgan, John Howard, Lord Lovat, Philippe Kieffer, Pierre Koenig, Max Pemsel, Werner Pluskat, Josef Pips Priller and Lucie Rommel. A colorized version of film was released on VHS in 1994. The movie is filmed in the style of a docudrama, the film pays particular attention to the decision by Gen. Numerous scenes document the early hours of 6 June when Allied airborne troops were sent in to take key locations inland from the beaches. The French resistance is also shown reacting to the news that an invasion has started, the film concludes with a montage showing various Allied units consolidating their beachheads before they advance inland to reach Germany by crossing France. French producer Raoul Lévy signed a deal with Simon & Schuster to purchase the rights to Cornelius Ryans novel The Longest Day,6 June 1944 D-Day on March 23,1960. After finishing The Truth, Lévy set up a deal with the Associated British Picture Corporation, Ryan would receive $100,000, plus $35,000 to write the adaptations screenplay. Lévy intended to start production in March 1961, filming at Elstree Studios, but the project went into a halt once ABPC could not get the $6 million budget Lévy expected. Eventually former 20th Century Fox mogul Darryl F. Zanuck learned about the book while producing The Big Gamble, Ryan was brought in to write the script, but had conflicts with Zanuck as soon as the two met. Williams was forced to act as a mediator, he would deliver Ryans script pages to Zanuck, while Ryan developed the script, Zanuck also brought in other writers for cleanups, including James Jones and Romain Gary. Zanuck also realized that with eight scenes, shooting would be accomplished more expediently if multiple directors. He contracted with German directors Gerd Oswald and Bernhard Wicki, the British Ken Annakin, zanucks son Richard D. Zanuck was reluctant about the project, particularly the high budget. During the filming of the landings at Omaha Beach, the extras appearing as American soldiers did not want to jump off the craft into the water because they thought it would be too cold. Robert Mitchum, who played Gen. Norman Cota, became disgusted with their trepidation and he jumped in first, at which point the extras followed his example. The Rupert paradummies used in the film were far more elaborate and lifelike than those used in the decoy parachute drop
6.
Out of the Unknown
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Out of the Unknown is a British television science fiction anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC2 in four series between 1965 and 1971. Each episode was a dramatisation of a fiction short story. Some were written directly for the series, but most were adaptations of published stories. The first three years were exclusively science fiction, but that genre was abandoned in the year in favour of horror/fantasy stories. A number of episodes were wiped during the early 1970s, as was standard procedure at the time, Irene Shubik began her career working on educational films for Encyclopædia Britannica Inc in Chicago. Returning to London, she joined ABC Television as an editor on the anthology series Armchair Theatre. Shubik had been a science fiction fan since college, and in 1961 approached Newman with a proposal to create a science fiction version of Armchair Theatre. This became Out of this World, an anthology series hosted by Boris Karloff that ran for thirteen episodes between June and September 1962. Many of the episodes were adaptations of stories by writers including John Wyndham, Isaac Asimov, Shubik began work and soon found that finding science fiction stories suitable for adaptation was a difficult task. She later recalled “I had to read hundreds of stories to pick a dozen, either the conception is so way out you would need a fantastic budget to produce it, or the story is too short, too tight to be padded out to make an hours television”. When working on Out of this World Shubik had made a contact in John Carnell. He was the founder of science fiction magazine New Worlds and agent for many of Britains science fiction writers, Carnell was able to suggest stories and authors for Shubik to consider. Shubik received copies of science fiction anthologies from British publishers and also advice from many authors including Frederik Pohl, Alfred Bester. The latter two admitted to Shubik that they had run into difficulties in finding suitable material for television adaptation. Shubik considered asking Nigel Kneale if he would write a new Quatermass story for the series, the trip to New York would become an annual event for Shubik during her time on Out of the Unknown. On her return to London, Shubik learned that she had been appointed producer and she obtained the services of George Spenton-Foster as her associate producer. Spenton-Foster was a science fiction fan and his experience of BBC television production proved invaluable to Shubik. G. Two original stories - “Stranger in the Family” by David Campton and “Come Buttercup, Come Daisy, a title for the series had not been decided when production began
7.
National Film and Sound Archive
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The collection ranges from works created in the late nineteenth century when the recorded sound and film industries were in their infancy to those made in the present day. The Archive was formally established as the National Historical Film and Speaking Record Library in 1935, the work of the Archive can be officially dated to the establishment of the National Historical Film and Speaking Record Library by a Cabinet decision on 11 December 1935. At that time, an Advisory Committee was established to guide the institution and it reverted to its original name, National Film and Sound Archive, in December 2004. The NFSA Act became law on 20 March 2008 and came into effect on 1 July 2008, inscribed on the Australian Memory of the World Register in 2003. A2010 study compared the practices of accessioning and cataloging for NFSA collections. It found the NFSA to be stronger in current affairs and older programs, and YouTube stronger in game shows, lifestyle programs, YouTube cataloging was found to have fewer broken links than the NFSA collection, and YouTube metadata could be searched more intuitively. The NFSA was found to provide more useful reference information about production. National Film and Video Lending Service, containing over 16,000 titles, ownership of the collection was transferred to the NFSA from the National Library of Australia on 1 July 2008. Australian Jazz Archive Quality Cinema Lending Collection, The Cinema Lending Collection is a collection of premium-quality prints and this collection includes the Kodak/Atlab Cinema Collection, and the Deluxe/Kodak Collection. The goal of two collections is to preserve and make available a selection of significant Australian feature films produced between the 1950s-90s. This current project will be completed in June 2011, and by this time 75 titles will have been preserved, oral History Collection The National Registry of Recorded Sound is part of the Sounds of Australia program to promote and celebrate the nations sound heritage. Each year, the Australian public nominates new sounds to be added with final selections determined by a panel of industry experts. Film Australia Collection, contains a range of approximately 5,000 titles of quality Australian documentary and educational programs. The building to which the Archive moved in 1984 was the home of the Australian Institute of Anatomy from 1931-84, originally it held the anatomy collection of Sir Colin MacKenzie. This collection included the heart of the celebrated Australian racehorse Phar Lap and it features a symmetrical façade, a horizontal skyline, classical columns and a central entrance. The decorative foyer features images of flora, fauna and Aboriginal art. Face masks of well-known scientists from the late 19th century and early 20th century are featured on the walls as a reminder of its previous incarnation as the Institute of Anatomy. The building also features a courtyard, theatre and research centre
8.
Alan Goodrich Kirk
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Admiral Alan Goodrich Kirk was a senior officer in the United States Navy and a diplomat. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1909 and served in the United States Navy during World War I, during his wartime naval service, Alan Kirk became the U. S. naval attaché in London. Eventually, he requested a transfer to an Atlantic destroyer squadron, Kirk served as an amphibious commander in the Mediterranean in 1942 and 1943. He retired from the Navy as an admiral in 1946. Envoy to Luxembourg, 1946–49, as U. S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union, July 4,1949 to October 6,1951, Admiral Kirk took his post as the second president of Amcomlib, in February 1952. As a former U. S. ambassador to the Soviet Union, he oversaw the recruitment of emigres in New York City and Munich, less than a year after taking office, Kirk was forced to resign due to poor health. Also in 1952, he served briefly as Director of the Psychological Strategy Board, Alan Goodrich Kirk, U. S. Navy Admiral of Intelligence and Diplomacy. In, John Hattendorf and Bruce Elleman, nineteen Gun Salute, Profiles in U. S. Navy Leadership in Wartime Operations. Newport, Rhode Island, Naval War College Press,2010, media related to Alan Goodrich Kirk at Wikimedia Commons
9.
Victoria Bitter
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Victoria Bitter is a lager produced by Carlton & United Breweries, a subsidiary of Fosters Group in Melbourne, Victoria. It was first brewed by Sam Barrett and Charlie Moir at Victoria Brewery in 1854 and it is one of the highest selling beers in Australia. The origins of Victoria Bitter date back to Victoria Brewery founder and head brewer Vincent Burkitt, the campaign was used until quite recently. Like most Australian Lagers, VB is made using a wortstream brewing process, currently one third of the packaged beer sales in Australia are of VB. It is available in tinnies, stubbies, Long Necks and Twisties, Throwies or Grenades, as of 2005 VB also comes in 500 ml tinnies, which are commonly drunk by trade workers on lunch, being just enough to quench their thirst. It used to be available in the Northern Territory in a 1-litre tinnie nicknamed a Killer can, as with all packaged beer sold in Australia it was for many years only available in 750 mL or 26 2/3 fl oz bottles, until the introduction of stubbies and smaller cans. In July 2007 Fosters announced it would cut the alcohol content of VB from 4. 9% to 4. 8% in a bid to save millions of dollars in tax payments. The brewer cut the percentage of VB further in 2009. On 3 September 2012, CUB announced VB would be going back to its original 4. 9% alcohol recipe, CUB had received many complaints since it was changed to 4. 6% in 2009, and the beer had lost a large amount of market share. The updated VBs began rolling out in late October 2012, in 2016, VB was among the CUB products boycotted by unions after 55 CUB workers were allegedly sacked after refusing a 65% wage cut. The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union has said that they will not stop the boycott until the situation is rectified, according to ACNielsen in 2009 Victoria Bitter was claimed to be Australias only billion dollar retail beer brand, selling the equivalent of one slab every second. At one time VB sold twice as much as any other full strength beer and was the only Australian beer brand that is in the top 3 sellers in every state. Victoria Bitter held the highest market share of all beer sold in Australia for more than two decades, but in 2012 lost this position to XXXX Gold, in April 2011 VB held 13. 7% volume share and XXXX Gold had 11. 7%. Just one year on in April 2012 VB had dropped to 12. 3%, in addition to being sold in Australia, Victoria Bitter is also available in New Zealand, Bali, Indonesia, the UK, and, to a limited extent, other countries abroad. Despite its name, Victoria Bitter is a standard commercial lager rather than a bitter, since late 2012, Victoria Bitter has been sold at a strength of 4. 9% ABV after an interim period of producing the same product at an ABV of 4. 6%. The VB sold commercially in New Zealand is both 4. 9% and 4. 6% available in 375ml quantities in either bottles or cans, in May 2007, The launch was Fosters first ever mainstream variation of the VB brand. VB Midstrength changed its name to VB Gold in 2009 and sells over 1m cases every year and is growing strongly following its launch in late 2007, TV builder Scott Cam, a self-confessed VB fan, is the appointed VB Mid Ambassador. On 24 July 2007, The Australian reported that three months of Fosters launching VB Midstrength, market share for the full strength VB and mid VB had increased
10.
633 Squadron
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633 Squadron is a 1964 British film, which depicts the exploits of a fictional World War II British fighter-bomber squadron and stars Cliff Robertson, George Chakiris and Maria Perschy. The plot was based on a novel of the name by Frederick E. Smith, published in 1956. The film was directed by Walter Grauman and produced by Cecil F. Ford for the film of Mirisch Productions UK subsidiary Mirisch Films for United Artists. 633 Squadron was the first aviation film to be shot in colour, the squadron is led by Wing Commander Roy Grant, an ex-Eagle Squadron pilot. The plant is in a seemingly impregnable location beneath a cliff at the end of a long. The only way to destroy the plant is by collapsing the cliff on top of it, the squadron trains in Scotland, where there are narrow glens similar to the fjord. There, Grant is introduced to Bergmans sister, Hilde and they are attracted to each other, despite Grants aversion to wartime relationships. The Norwegian resistance is tasked with destroying the defences of the facility immediately before the scheduled attack. When unexpected German reinforcements arrive, Bergman returns to Norway to try to more forces. However, he is captured while transporting desperately needed weapons, taken to Gestapo headquarters, since Bergman knows too much, he must be silenced before he breaks. Grant and newly married Pilot Officer Bissell are sent in with a single Mosquito to bomb the Gestapo building, though they are successful, their shot-up Mosquito fighter-bomber crashes on its return, and Bissell is wounded and becomes blind. A tearful Hilde thanks Grant for ending her brothers suffering, still worried, Air Vice-Marshal Davis decides to move up the attack to the next day. However, the fighters are ambushed and killed, leaving the defences still intact. Although Grant is given the option of aborting, he decides to press on, the factory is destroyed at the cost of the entire squadron, though a few crews are able to ditch in the fjord. Grant crash-lands but a man helps Grants navigator, Flight Lieutenant Hoppy Hopkinson. Back in Britain, Davis tells a fellow officer who is aghast at the losses, authentic period aircraft were used instead of models or special effects to create many of the aerial sequences. In part, this was because 633 Squadron was the first film shot in colour in Panavision widescreen format, however, some aerial sequences were created using models and these are very obvious due to the unrealistic ways the models move. The film and the follow the same basic plot
11.
The Dove (1974 film)
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The Dove is a 1974 American biographical film directed by Charles Jarrott. The picture was produced by Gregory Peck, the third and last feature film he would produce. The drama is based on the life experiences of Robin Lee Graham. The story is adapted from Dove, the book Graham co-wrote with Derek L. T, the film tells of real-life Robin Lee Graham, a 16-year-old boy who sets out in a 23-foot sloop and is determined to be the youngest person to circumnavigate the world. He had planned the trip with his sailor father Lyle Graham for years. He sets sail on his journey and on one of his stops he meets and falls in love with the gregarious and attractive young woman, after much banter, Patti decides to follow Graham throughout his long journey. She meets him in Fiji, Australia, South Africa, Panama, as he travels around the globe, Graham experiences many adventures on the sea and land as he grows from a teenager to a young adult. Yet Graham finds the trip a very lonely experience, especially when the wind dies on him on the high seas, at one point he badly wants to quit the voyage but Patti and his father talk him out of it. At the end of the film Graham sails into Los Angeles with crowds welcoming him home, Robin Lee Graham set out to sail around the world alone as a teenager in the summer of 1965. National Geographic Magazine carried the story in three issues from 1966 to 1970, and he co-wrote a book detailing his journey called Dove, Graham was just 16 when he set out from Southern California and headed west in his 24-foot Lapworth sailboat. He became married along the way, and after almost five years, after he and his wife Patti attended Stanford University, they moved to Montana and settled down. The film is a travelogue of sorts and the producers filmed on location throughout the world, critic Nora Sayre, film critic for The New York Times, thought the film was too wholesome, so much so that Sayre wanted harm to come to the characters. His initial overwhelming sunniness turns the viewer into a sadist, Youre glad when his cat gets killed or grateful when a shark appears in the ocean. Deborah Raffin, as his girlfriend, is rarely allowed to stop laughing and wagging her head. Others liked the film. Grahams exploits and his struggle to sort out his feelings about himself and his loyalties to family and girlfriend are fascinating. The staff at Variety magazine said. an odyssey which provides nautical chills and thrills aplenty. Pic really takes off when he meets the girl. Their yes-no yes-no-yes affair is nicely handled. Wins Golden Globe Award, Golden Globe, Most Promising Male Newcomer, nominations Golden Globes, Golden Globe, Best Original Song, John Barry and Don Black, for the song Sail the Summer Winds,1975. The film opened in the United States in September 1974, paramount released a video of the film on April 16,1996
12.
They're a Weird Mob (film)
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Theyre a Weird Mob is a 1966 film based on the novel of the same name by John OGrady under the pen name Nino Culotta, the name of the main character of the book. It was the collaboration of the British filmmakers Michael Powell. Nino Culotta is an Italian immigrant, newly arrived in Australia and he expected to work for his cousin as a sports writer for an Italian language magazine. However, on arrival in Sydney Nino discovers that the cousin has abandoned the magazine, Nino declares that he will get a job and pay back the debt. Working as a labourer Nino becomes mates with his co-workers, despite some difficulties with Australian slang, Nino endeavours to understand the aspirational values and social rituals of everyday urban Australians, and assimilate. A romantic attraction builds between Nino and Kay despite her frosty exterior and her conservative Irish fathers dislike of Italians, a tone of mild racism exists in the film between Anglo-Saxon/Anglo-Irish characters such as Kay Kellys dad Harry and Nino. Harry says he doesnt like writers, brickies or dagos, but this is undermined when Nino, sitting in the Kelly house notices a picture of the pope on the wall. Nino says If I am a dago, then so is he, realising the impossibility of referring to the pope by that derogatory term, Harry gives in. Cast notes John OGrady, the author of the novel, makes an appearance as the grey-bearded drinker in the pub in the opening sequence of the film. Alida Chelli was the girlfriend of Walter Chiari, but almost did not get the part because she was thought to be too glamorous, Theyre a Weird Mob was optioned in 1959 by Gregory Peck but he could not come up with a workable screenplay. Michael Powell first read the novel in London in 1960 and wanted to turn it into a film, Powell obtained them three years later and brought in his long-time collaborator Emeric Pressburger, who wrote the screenplay under the pseudonym Richard Imrie. Walter Chiari had previously visited Australia during the filming of On the Beach, Clare Dunne was working as a weather girl when cast in the female lead. The actors dug trenches, poured concrete, laid bricks and so on, the stars footprints were set in concrete slabs in the pathway. Punchbowl railway station, where Nino is picked up by Joe prior to his first day at work has changed over the years, in a previous configuration it was possible to park a vehicle virtually at the bottom of the northern steps. Balgowlah Heights The place where Nino & Kay want to build their home is referred to in the making of documentary as Grotto Point, balgowlah Heights is on Dobroyd Head on the north side of the entrance to Middle Harbour. The film has been credited with the revival of the moribund Australian film industry, Theyre a Weird Mob grossed $2,417,000 at the box office in Australia, which is equivalent to $26,127,770 in 2009 dollars. In 1968 John McCallum wrote that of the $2 million the film had then earned, a behind-the-scenes documentary was shot called The Story of the Making of Theyre a Weird Mob. The film has released on Region 4 DVD by Roadshow
