[George Malins Home Movies: Reel 15]

George William Malins (1910–2007) was an amateur filmmaker who made home movies in Australia and overseas from the 1940s to 1970s. According to his daughter, George was ‘optimistic, happy and enthusiastic’, an outlook reflected in his films which are a history of home life and a love of travel.

George came to Australia from England as a young man by way of the merchant navy, after having seen South America and some of Asia. He met his future wife Sybil, who was impressed by George’s world travels and his dreams for the future.

The family lived in the Melbourne suburb of North Balwyn, spending their summers camping at Wye River on the Victorian coast often with extended family and friends.

George and Sybil must have shared a sense of adventure as they eventually sold the family home and sailed on the ‘SS Orontes’ to England, travelling around Britain for two years.

The George Malins Home Movie Collection was donated to ACMI by the creator’s daughter, Ruth Hargrave. The films were made on 16mm film.

This film takes place during a trip to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. The film shows members of the Royal Papua Yacht Club sailing on the harbour, from the perspective of another yacht.

Selected highlights list:
00:00:02:00 view of building painted with sign ‘Royal Papua Yacht Club’
00:00:11:00 yachts sailing on the water, including close ups of rigging and sails and what appears to be a bamboo mast
00:00:39:00 group of men on a yellow sailing yacht, filmed from yacht alongside
00:00:52:00 yachts sailing on the harbour from different vantage points: in some shots open sea can be seen in the background; in others the cliffs of the harbour and the buildings of the city of Port Moresby
00:01:35:00 we see a man seated on the deck of the boat, smiling at the camera while adjusting ropes in the wind
00:02:16:00 a second man in a short sleeve shirt releasing a large floating buoy onto the water over the side of the boat; the buoy is decorated with the classic shield logo of BP (formerly British Petroleum), with yellow initials on a green shield design
00:02:32:00 the man is now seated on the edge of the boat while a third man cleans a firearm