A crowd of the pioneer miners from the 1861-62 goldrush are gathered together in the street and facing the camera. Many have umbrellas opened. Plenty are sporting longish white beards, and are well-dressed in winter suits. A sign is visible in the background on one of the buildings: “Sun Fire Office”. The camera closes in on the miners.
Intertitle: “MR JAS. ROBERTSON, OF LAWRENCE, OTAGO, Organiser and leader of the Gabriel’s Gully Jubilee Celebrations of the 20th May 1911. Mr. Robertson was associated with the miners in the first rushes to the goldfields.”
The dark entrance [to the Dunedin Early Settlers Hall & Museum] framed by two pillars. Mr James Robertson emerges and stands between the two pillars. He carries a furled umbrella in his right hand and is wearing a three piece suit and bowler hat. He proceeds to walk down steps, pausing to tip his hat to the camera with a slight smile. A medal is visible on his right lapel and a white ribbon is pinned to his left lapel [possibly the 50th Jubilee commemoration ribbon that was given out to the pioneer miners the previous year.]
Intertitle: “PROGRESSION OF VETERANS FROM THE EARLY SETTLERS HALL, DUNEDIN, JUNE 6, 1912”
A procession of old miners walk by the statue of poet Robert Burns. (There are a few women and children amongst the miners.). The men wear long winter overcoats with suits underneath, and many sport long white beards. All wear hats, mostly bowlers, but trilbys and tweed caps can also be seen. A piper in full Scottish regalia can be seen in the crowd. A drizzle of rain falls and many umbrellas pop open over heads. At one point a horse and cart can be seen in the background, behind the main body of the progression, in front of grand [Government] buildings.
Intertitles: “BRING THE GOOD OLD BUGLE BOYS” followed by “VETERANS OF THE GABRIEL’S GULLY RUSH OF 1861”
A [miner’s union representative] in black suit and fedora is framed in the entrance between the same pillars as James Robertson earlier. He takes off his hat while looking direct to camera.
Mr James Robertson again emerges from the dark entrance between the two pillars. As he steps into the light at the top of the steps, the [miner’s union representative] appears, at bottom left of frame, walking up the steps to meet Robertson. They meet and shake hands. The men have positioned themselves into side profile for the camera, and now stand, hands clasped in a posed shot. They walk down the steps together.
Intertitle: “GOOD HEALTH AND LONG LIFE TO THE VETERANS OF ‘61”
Same framing shot again with the [Early Settlers Hall] entrance way. James Robertson & [the miners’ representative] emerge and walk, side by side, down the steps. They both tip their hats to camera.
Last title: “UNITED LET US BE”. (Camera zooms in until “United” fills the screen).