[Charles Hayes Home Movies: Reel 12]

The Charles Hayes Home Movie Collection is a collection of home movies originally made on 8mm and 9.5mm film between the 1940s and 1970s by Charles Edward Hayes (1914–1993). The resulting footage shows us the life of a family living in Heathmont in Melbourne’s south east with their many pets and farm animals, their family holidays and gatherings, their suburb and their cars as well as scenes from Melbourne at the time.

This film shows snippets of family life while at play, at birthday celebrations and on holiday. We see the family drive across the bridge to Phillip Island and enjoy swimming and canoeing at the beach there. The reel also includes scenes of caravan camping, koalas and a trip to the war memorial at Mount Macedon. The family enjoy games of tennis, ball games and swings and roundabouts at a playground. The film includes good examples of fashion, Austin cars and recreational activities of the time.

Originally made using 9.5mm film.

Selected Highlights List (time codes from Access Overscan)

00:01:37:00 children with their dad in the water at the beach (good example of bathing fashion)
00:02:58:00 tennis match between mum and dad
00:04:29:00 car with caravan and family in bush camp setting
00:05:14:00 Austin car with family standing at the front talking and combing hair
00:05:58:00 children being pushed on swings in a park by their mother (good fashion and sunglasses references)
00:7:30:00 close-up of little girl’s face as she blows out her birthday candles and looks to camera
00:07:41:00 family in front of war memorial at Mount Macedon
00:08:36:00 steam train travelling on a country rail line
00:08:46:00 family looking out from a ferry window
00:08:52:00 kids on a roundabout at a playground
00:09:00:00 grandmother, mother and children sitting on a playground wall – the grandmother is shooting a water pistol.
00:09:08:00 children on playground roundabout and dad jumps on to join them
00:09:32:00 a koala sitting in a tree climbs to the top and looks down
00:09:45:00 family and friends stand in front of a picket fence (good example of family groups and fashion from the time)
00:10:01:00 wide shot as cars travel across the bridge to Phillip Island

00:10:14:00 POV from inside car as it drives over the Phillip Island bridge