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MARINE Rescue’s 25 year history in the Great Lakes will be captured on film by two well-respected, former ABC employees.
Husband and wife Max Donnellan and Wendy Borchers, who moved to the Great Lakes in December, were asked to take on the film by Marine Rescue members due to their extensive working backgrounds in film and television.
Mr Donnellan has a 38-year history with the ABC as a filmmaker and has worked on many television programs and high profile sporting events including the series Big Country from 1968 to 1991, which documented the lives of rural Australians from across the country.
He has also worked as a producer and director for many children’s television programs and as the executive producer for the Commonwealth Games in 1982 when ABC was the host broadcaster.
Mr Donnellan will be getting back behind the camera to film interviews and the day-to-day operations of Marine Rescue while also assisting with the directing and producing with the guidance of Marine Rescue’s Unit Commander Michael Thomas.
Wendy began her colourful career with the ABC in Sydney in 1967 and started off in radio in news and current affairs before moving into the role of a film researcher and archivist.
A well respected figure at the ABC, many employees have said when it comes to archives: “If anyone knows it’s around Wendy will find it.”
“I love history, I’m very passionate about it all. Archiving is like detective work. There was always the joy of picking up a stone and finding what was underneath it.”
Wendy has used these detective skills for the Marine Rescue film which has seen her sifting through newspaper archives at the Great Lakes Advocate.
Wendy will also conduct interviews and write a script for the film.
“We’re making a record of the visual history which includes interviewing a lot of past and current members, male and female,” Max said.
“I’ll be going out on their boat and having a look at what they do in terms of their training, what they do up in the tower, how they answer a distress call, activities socially and how they raise money for the organisation.”
Wendy said the film should be a nice piece of history in itself.
“I think it will be a nice record for the club; it will be something they’ll have for a long time.”
The couple say while they are still doing the groundwork it is hard to say how long the film will take to complete but they anticipate it will be by the end of the year.
“You can’t rush these things. I’d say it will be ready by Christmas,” Max said.
Marine Rescue hopes to have the film featured in next year’s Forster Film Festival.