University Film To Aid Recruitment Overseas

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30478, 27 June 1964, Page 15

University Film To Aid Recruitment Overseas

The University of Canterbury is the first in New Zealand to commission a 16mm colour and sound film to assist recruitment of staff overseas. After two years in preparation it was shown this week to its first and most critical audience—present staff —and they applauded warmly. The Vice-Chancellor (Dr. L. L. Pownall) explained before the showing that the film was directed at whole families, say in an English Midland town, who might be contemplating university teaching overseas. The university assumed that the academic knew how to ascertain information about working conditions but believed that his wife and family would want to know more about a new way of life before they voted to move.

Originally a 13-minute film was planned but it had grown to 33 minutes under the direction of Mr Frank Chilton for the National Film Unit, assisted by a committee from the university. The film would be freely available on request from many New Zealand offices round the world and would be complementary to the booklet on the University of Canterbury and life in Christchurch. The statistical sampler in the booklet was being kept up to date, even to include the last Budget, Dr. Pownall said. Old And New

The film depicts the University of Canterbury in its traditional setting and on the new Ham site, shows by models the new buildings to be completed by 1970, and

gives many attractive glimpses of its environs, its laboratories and lecture rooms, and its field stations.

There are sequences on the city, its parks and gardens, its airport, its seaport, ■ its schools, dental clinics, Plunket rooms, and gardens, suburban shopping centres and typical homes in different price brackets—in fact homes of oresent staff.

The country is worked in generously by references to Lincoln College and research stations on the sea coast and in the high country and the story naturally moves to the easy accessibility of all kinds of sports and other recreations

The film will do much to show potential staff the nature of the places where they may work and live and (as it did to . present staff) indicate that the University of Canterbury is on. the brink of massive development with many sophisticated research activities extending from the Christchurch campus to Antarctica.