By ERWIN CHLANDA
The makers of the movie Finding Miss Almond, which is set mostly in Alice Springs, is seeking funding from Screen Territory under the Production Attraction Incentive Program which invested $1.3m in the Netflix series Territory whose location is the Top End.
Producer Mark Smith says: “I will ensure as many dollars as possible are spent in The Centre.”
He is launching today a 26-minute documentary about the film’s subject, the history of the now famous group of Aboriginal boys, mostly from The Centre, who were sent to Adelaide for further education at St Francis House under the care of Isabel Almond and Percy Smith, the founding Anglican rector of Alice Springs in 1933.
Sixty-six boys were at St Francis House over its life from 1946 to 1960, many of them achieving national careers in politics, administration and sport.
John Moriarty, the first Indigenous socceroo, is known for his Qantas Aboriginal flying art series.
Historian and academic Gordon Briscoe was the first Indigenous person to stand for Parliament and to achieve a PhD at the Australian National University.
Charles Perkins was a passionate civil rights activist and Commonwealth Department Secretary. Vincent Copley played for Fitzroy in the VFL.
Others were three-time Port Adelaide Football Club premiership player Richie Bray, sprinter and Port Adelaide footballer Ken Hampton, 200 game Central Districts SANFL footballer Sonny Morey, Jim Foster who played rugby in England and Wally McArthur who also played rugby in England after he missed out on Olympic selection, on racist grounds.
Seven of the St Francis boys have been recognised by Queen Elizabeth II with the Order of Australia.
Finding Miss Almond is being developed in partnership with Los Angeles and Adelaide based movie director Mark Webber who has had success at international film festivals, including Robert Redford’s Sundance Film Festival in Utah. He also has his own special connection to Australia, as he is married to actress Teresa Palmer, who is from Adelaide.
Mr Webber’s recent acting work includes the Netflix action blockbuster Trigger Warning, released in June, in which he stars alongside Jessica Alba.
PHOTO: Footballer Richie Bray was one of the St Francis House high achievers from The Centre who make up the story of Finding Miss Almond.