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Sydney Opera House: Construction launch

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Old photo of woman and two men
Sydney Opera House: Construction launch

SUBJECTS:  History

YEARS:  9–10


In what ways can a building reflect the aspirations of the society around it?

The design and construction of the Sydney Opera House took place between 1957 and 1973.

This short, silent clip shows part of the ceremony marking the commencement of the building's construction. This was a period of political and economic transition, as Australia left World War II behind and looked towards a more peaceful and prosperous future.


Things to think about

  1. 1.How often have you seen a ceremony to mark the commencement of a building reported on television news or current affairs programs? What would make a building sufficiently important for such a ceremony to be given such coverage?
  2. 2.Significant people shown in this short clip are: NSW Labor Premier, Joseph Cahill; the Lord Mayor of Sydney, HF Jensen; and the architect who designed the Sydney Opera House, Jorn Utzon. Which of them can you identify in the clip? What is shown at the start of the clip? Why would the task that Cahill is performing in the clip have been considered newsworthy?
  3. 3.Utzon, the architect who designed the Sydney Opera House, was eventually forced to resign from the project and would never see the finished building in person. Research this situation in more detail. Before doing so, write down three questions that you can use to guide your inquiry.
  4. 4.There's no soundtrack for this short clip. Write your own commentary track (voice-over) for the clip. It should be expressed as it would have been in 1959, when this film was taken. As you describe the scenes in the footage, try to convey the mood that would have been expressed in such a commentary.



Date of broadcast: 23 Nov 1960


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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