Another teacher story

The pupils seen acting at choir practice in the early part of the film were from Afon Tâf High School in Troedyrhiw in Wales. The choir recorded the entire choral soundtrack at the school and it was used in both the Welsh and Australian sequences. The beginning of the film used locations in two Welsh mining villages; Treharris and Trelewis near Merthyr Tydfil. The school is Webster Street School, Treharris which has since been demolished.

 

A reader complained about "Wake in Fright" being such a frightening movie, for which I do apologise. Well, here's another movie about a teacher for which I neeedn't apologise except perhaps for it being a bit of a blurry copy.

"Sunstruck" is the story of a young Welshman - played by no other than Harry Secombe! - who decides to emigrate to Australia where the New South Wales Education Department has attracted him with this "Teach in the Sun" poster. Instead of teaching on the beach, he finds himself in Kookaburra Springs, a one-horse town in the far west of the state (the movie was filmed on location in the lost village of Nelungaloo, outside Parkes, in 1970) to teach sixteen children from 8 to 15 years of age.

 

The classic fish-out-of-water plot was inspired by a promotional poster from the NSW Department of Education to attract teachers from Britain, in which a teacher wearing swimmers and an academic gown and board stands on Sydney's famous Bondi Beach.

 

There were 16 children in the film and 14 were Parkes locals. The youngest local featured was seven-year-old Sharryn Cunningham from the tiny farming community of Bindogundra. For these bush kids, being involved in the filming was a mind-bending walk on the wild side. They had on-set catering which served steak. These kids had never had steak before. Growing up on a farm it was chicken or lamb or that's it.

 

Harry Secombe poses with the 16 children selected to appear in the film.
Youngest Sharryn Cunningham, with pigtails and bows, is seated.

 

Of course, we all remember Harry Secombe who was a member of The Goon Show from 1951 to 1960. He was knighted in 1981, after which he jokingly referred to himself as Sir Cumference. He died in 2001.

It's so special, at long last, to find a copy of this wonderful movie again. It's absolutely made for leisurely weekend-viewing on a sunstruck day.

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