Bathie Stuart “has made four major films, two on New Zealand, one on the Polynesian Islands, and the other on Melanesia. Her work takes her to many remote places, such as the island of Malekula, where she filmed the natives of the Big Namba tribe, people rarely seen by Europeans. There she was welcomed by the chief, his four wives and 20 children, after having to climb 3000 feet up a mountain to their clan headquarters.” - newspaper article, 31 May, 1960.
000:00 “Bathie Stuart presents ‘Melanesia’”; map of Melanesia, focussing on New Caledonia.
000:54 Aerial and hilltop views of an island; sign reading “Bienvenue en Nouvelle Caledonie’; a French flag; panoramic views of a seaside town (Noumea?) filmed from a hilltop, showing downtown, residential, harbour and industrial areas; exterior of the South Pacific Commission building; street scenes, a statue and many people moving about; shots of a variety of buildings (one named ‘Biarritz’); a variety of shots showing trees and flowers growing in and around private homes; a church, and nuns walking toward the camera; exterior of churches; a schoolyard full of children posing for the camera (with nuns).
006:14 A statue; a rundown building; bunkers/warehouses on the edge of town; a woman posing in her garden; grainy shots of unidentifiable structures; people on the beach swimming and watching yachts and speedboats in the harbour.
008:45 Children outside a house,and walking through a garden; shots of native trees and palms; a church.
009:17 A large contingent of armed men in uniform being inspected by their superiors, watched by a crowd of locals; uniformed men marching, with a brass band, down a road; shots of jeeps and trucks carrying personnel away; parading men, intercut with shots of the watching locals.
011:55 Aerial views of islands and reefs; a quick succession of shots showing a lagoon, surrounding rocks and a boat on the water; a fortified stone wall bearing the sign: ‘Residence Gendamerie: Postes et Telecommunications’; local homes; deserted sea front fortifications; a small bus drives up to a house and the passengers disembark and take refreshments (?); a fisherman hanging nets.
014:50 Exterior of a church (?); local Melanesian (Kanak?) people arriving for a church service (?) and leaving afterwards; children and a nun posing for the camera; women and children herding sheep along a road; many people working in the fields; a Melanesian village, with people congregating outside; a man with a small plane posing for the camera outside an Aero Club.
017:20 A map, focussing on New Hebrides [Vanuatu].
017:44 Aerial view of islands; passengers and crew getting off the plane; more aerial photography; some Melanesian people (ni-Vanuatu?) walking down a dirt road; tourists getting off a ship; Melanesians loading a boat (?) and a European family posing for the camera beside a boat; Melanesians posing for the camera in a clearing (near their homes?) and sitting listening to a leader speak.
021:43 Shots from a moving boat, including shots of men on the boat; on shore, children and young men pose for the camera; shots of women, village buildings and beaches.
023:46 Melanesian men (in traditional namba or loin cloth - they could possibly be Big Namba men from the island of Malakula?), working in the jungle; posing for the camera; children in the village; a woman in traditional clothing posing uncomfortably for the camera; shots of tribes people posing in front of a thatched structure; a woman (Bathie Stuart herself?) shakes hands with a native man; at an airstrip; aerial views; [yellow].
027:43 A map, focussing on Brisbane; aerial views; Brisbane filmed from a hill; city buildings; a park; people at a wishing well; kangaroos and koalas.
030:04 A map, focussing on the Great Barrier Reef; aerial views; people and boats on a beach; structure named ‘under water coral gardens observatory’; shots of fish and coral filmed from the observatory; a tattooed man showing off a crocodile jaw; aerial views of a river; street scenes in a town; a swimming pool surrounded by palms (a hotel?); a Melanesian man (Papua New Guinean?) carrying a tray of tropical flowers; a tropical garden (private?); a cemetery; men and women playing lawn bowls; crowd of aboriginals watching a football game; sign reading ‘Lae Native Markets’; crowds of local Melanesian people gather at the market; a house flying the Australian flag; a town; the coast; a local family; aerial views of a large mountain (volcano?).
036:57 Bathie Stuart posing with Melanesian men outside the Cosmo Hotel; sign reading ‘Rabaul Golf Club’; scenes of the golf club; views of a house and private garden (?); a Melanesian man holding a European child outside a tunnel; a woman standing beside a gateway; a plane taking off; a European couple at a coffee plantation (spreading the beans to dry, coffee plants); a river in the bush; a group of men in elaborate ceremonial dress.
041:00 A map focussing on Port Moresby; buildings and people on the roads; a formal garden; a group of Melanesians including a woman with a baby in a brightly coloured sling (hung from a harness worn on the head); shots of Melanesians (wearing traditional costume?)posing for the camera; a group of Europeans gathered on the porch of a house.
043:44 Sign reading ‘Royal Papuan and New Guinea Constabulary Training Depot’; small groups of armed men in uniform being drilled by their commanders; an older European couple strolling in a manicured garden (Missionaries?); a small Melanesian boy; children running out of a building (Mission school?); a woven structure being erected(?); shots of scenery and locals; uniformed boys marching on a field; a blond Melanesian child.
047:45 Shots of Melanesian people posing for the camera (they wear traditional rather than western clothing); women and children gathered outside a thatched building in the jungle; preparing food (?); villagers gathered around a fire, posing for the camera; an entrance to a farm(?) and european-style buildings; activity within a village; close ups on local inhabitants.
051:15 A European woman looking at a monument; a collection of European buildings with a Red Cross sign out front; European people on a beach; crowds at a local market; Bathie Stewart investigating a woman in traditional garb; close ups of individuals; boats lined up on the shore and in the lagoon; houses built over the water; the Australian flag.
053:38 Last picture frame.