[George Malins Home Movies: Reel 19]

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 using 16mm film.

This film shows some of the family travels through Europe in their Bedford camper van. We see the ferry crossing between Malmo, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark, a campground and a border check point.

Selected highlights list:
00:00:02:00 we see the ferry between Malmo, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark crossing the water; there is a large DFDS Seaways (a Danish shipping company) cruiser behind
00:00:24:00 a flock of seagulls flying over the deck of the boat
00:00:43:00 a campground, featuring colourful tents and the Malins’s camping set up
00:01:14:00 the Bedford van arrives at a checkpoint, pulling up beside a yellow Volkswagen Kombi van; there is a sign reading ‘Report here’ in multiple languages: Dutch, French, German and Swedish
00:01:37:00 the van drives onto a ferry with Union Jack flag painted onto the side
00:01:45:00 city streets in what appears to be London