NFSA Film Australia

This 1949 edition of Australian Diary takes viewers inside the apprentice training schools and shipyards of Whyalla, South Australia, where a new generation of shipbuilders learned the trades that would help power Australia's post-war maritime industry.

Filmed during a period of industrial expansion, the newsreel follows apprentices studying drafting, machining, forging, woodworking and ship construction while working alongside experienced tradesmen. Their training contributed to one of the nation's most important industries, supplying ships for Australia's transport and trade networks.

The film captures the scale of shipbuilding at Whyalla, including work associated with the Iron Kimberley, one of the largest ships built in Australia at the time. Today, the footage stands as a valuable record of Australia's industrial heritage, vocational training and the skilled workforce that helped build the nation after the Second World War.

The Australian Diary Series (1947–1970) records aspects of everyday life, industry and production in mid‑20th‑century Australia. To watch more Australian Diary films visit: 👉 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCED13FCE809FD297

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Chapters 00:00 Australia's Future Shipbuilders 00:55 Learning the Skills of Shipbuilding 01:36 Hands-On Training in the Workshops 02:12 Building Every Part of a Ship 02:36 Australia's Largest Ships Take Shape 03:07 Launching the Iron Kimberley

From the Film Australia Collection, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia Title: Australian Diary 28: Ship Building is Absorbing Study for Cadets NFSA ID: YM4QBY9C Catalogue ID: 1452 Year: 1949 Credits: Production Company: Australia Department of Information

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