From The Film Australia Collection. Made by The Commonwealth Film Unit 1959. Directed by Richard Mason. A description of the city of Newcastle, its industries and the life of the people generally.
I visited the steelworks as a school boy in the mid 1960's, in the early 1980's driving a truck collecting 'skulls' and taking them to Kooragang Island for fill, then in the 1990's cabling through the area for Telstra. In 2011 ended up driving a 40 tonne dump truck taking toxic sediments lifted from the Hunter River for processing on site which in turn was trucked to Kooragang containment cell. Overall Newcastle always fascinated me and yes it used to be a nice town. Main industries mostly gone now. Govt said we needed to drop tarriffs and import duties so our manufacturers could compete on the world markets. We don't even make a pair of shoes or a packet of biscuits anymore.
Newcastle was so much better back then form the looks of it. such a simple lifestyle. The city of newcastle seemed like a much more vibrant and welcoming place back then.
I am from Newcastle upon tyne in the UK, this Newcastle in Australia is just like what my city was like that was until corrupt politicians ruined it by the looks of what people are saying its started there to, this is what happens when we have corrupt companies and politicians in there back pockets .............. ever heard the saying its like taking coals to Newcastle, we had steel works, ship building and lots of coal mines just like our sister city its a real shame its all gone now
NFSA Films our countryside isn't like the Newcastle in Australia but its not to bad but the rest was just the same, its a terrible shame that both our governments have let these once very proud cities go to pot
God brings back so many memories of what newcastle was like before to much changed worst been manufacturing jobs gone it was so good to have a job at the old steelworks felt like you had a purpose in this material world now i can't wait to get out of it 🙏☯️
I remember visiting relatives over Easter if 1991, they were still getting over the damage caused by the earthquake about a year or so before. Their house backed onto a railway line and used to shunt a lot of wagons in and out of BHP, little did we know by the end of the decade it would be shut down still remember the whistle though
I drive through kooragang everyday. I love looking at the yellow coal machines - I always like to imagine the city back when its industry was thriving and how good we had it. Now its just exporting coal to china whilst Australia closes their coal fueled power stations and china slowly take over.
Billy Connolly described Newcastle the best... he said " this place is %#*%#*# paradise".. lol. (in true Billy expressionism..). If only we could castrate some chronic vandals then a paradise it would be.
Don't 4get people we all bought cheap crap from overseas, that's why there's no manufacturing jobs. Look at the car industry, when we made HOLDENS people were proud 2 buy one. I'm a NOVACASTRIAN & I still luv NEWY.
Where's all these once thriving industries now? Moved off shore where it's cheap to produce. Unburdened by the taxes and regulations that Australian business have to deal with. Soon there will be no industry in Australia. Good work Labour and Liberal parties. One says it looks after the worker the other supports business and industry both have failed. Australian jobs and industry gone at the expense of cheap imported goods and 'better' trade relations.
