Dorothy Dean’s home movies vividly capture her friends and family basking in lazy summer days, all bathed in the warm glow of 16mm film. This clip opens with a charmingly comic moment: Australian champion swimmer Bill Cavanagh attempting – and repeatedly failing – to mount a horse. The film being silent, typical of home movies of the era, only heightens the slapstick as Cavanagh clambers up in a suit, then turns to the camera to pull a cheeky face.

The scene shifts to Torquay Beach, Victoria, where women ride the surf on inflatable Surf‑o‑Planes and friends lounge on the sand. Together, these fragments create a lively portrait of Australian leisure in the late 1930s, full of humour, sun and unguarded moments.