Extracts from local TV archives digitised

Historic TV footage of the Fraser Coast between 1965 and 1975 has been digitised and saved to a YouTube playlist where people can view it from the comfort of their homes.  

Mayor George Seymour said an innovation grant from the Library Board of Queensland made it possible to digitise extracts from the archives of Wide Bay’s first television broadcaster, Channel 7.

“In the 1990s, former Fraser Coast librarian Robyn Dowling was contacted by Channel 7 Studio in Maryborough,” he said.

“The studio was closing down and operations were being moved to the Sunshine Coast and the libraries were offered some Channel 7 footage.”

Cr Seymour said Council applied for the grant and worked with Gympie and Bundaberg libraries to create the list of clips to preserve.

“Fraser Coast man Selwyn Connell helped edit the original clips, which we then had converted to VHS and then DVD.

“7LAB Library and Archive Services manager Paul Richardson digitised these clips in a format we could upload to YouTube.”

Cr Seymour said Council believed digitising and preserving the video clips was necessary to ensure they didn’t get lost and were easily accessible to everyone.

In one clip, former Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam can be seen opening Chifley place in January 1967 with Maryborough’s Brendan and Moira Hansen standing behind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylwNtoh9JWA

“Other clips include the trots at the old Maryborough Showgrounds, the telephone exchange in Maryborough, and a railway picnic at Hervey Bay.”

The playlist can be found at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYsvWaZnb-PRhI5fpnHVgziVTSjzV10ry