David Robert Napier Donaldson
| David Robert Napier Donaldson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1930 (age 95–96) |
| 🏫 Education | University of Sydney (grad. 1952) |
| 💼 Occupation | |
David Robert Napier Donaldson (1930–) is a retired Australian academic, who worked in adult education at the University of New England, Armidale, the Administrative College of Papua New Guinea and TafeSA in Adelaide.
Involved in film societies since student days, he became the first Director of the Sydney Film Festival and held this position from 1954 to 1957. Until 1961, he operated the non-theatrical film distributor Filmart Associates, importing 16 mm prints of classic films into Australia. Donaldson was Secretary of the New South Wales Federation of Film Societies, and also held offices in the Australian Council of Film Societies (1953–60), Australian Film Institute (1958–1974) and National Film Theatre of Australia (1972). He was a foundation member of Media Resource Centre in Adelaide (1972). Filmart Associates was reestablished in the 1970s, in collaboration with his wife Rose Donaldson.
In 1953, Donaldson and the Sydney University Film Group were instrumental in the preservation of the silent film The Kid Stakes (1927). For many years, he campaigned for the search for the early Australian feature film Captain Thunderbolt (1952), which was eventually discovered in the Czech Republic in 2024.
He is a life-long advocate for screening 16 mm films and collects film prints and associated ephemera, as well as magic lantern slides.
Early life and education
Donaldson was born in 1930 and spent much of his early life in Broken Hill, before leaving for Orange. His father Robert Gotthard Donaldson was the Police Magistrate and also acted as coroner.[1][2] His mother Maud Mary Donaldson (neé Elgie)[3] had a degree from Aberystwyth College in Wales[4] and was on the secretarial staff of Winston Churchill before her marriage.[5] In 1935/36, he accompanied his mother and younger brother Michael on an 18 month trip around the world.[6]
He spent his high school years at Sydney Grammar School where he was awarded numerous academic prizes, including for Latin and English.[7] He was also a member of the Debating Club.[8] He finished high school in 1947 and started studying at The University of Sydney the following year. In 1951 he was a resident of Wesley College.[9] He graduated in 1952 with an Honours degree in economics.[10]
Career
In 1952 Donaldson started working as a research assistant in economic history at the NSW Institute of Technology.[11] From 1961 to 1964 he worked at the University of New England in Armidale.[12]
In 1965 he was one of the founding staff members of the Administrative College of Papua New Guinea,.[10][13][not in citation given] preparing the country for independence. Donaldson moved to Adelaide as lecturer at the newly established TafeSA in 1971 and worked there until retirement in 1991[10]
While studying at The University of Sydney, Donaldson joined the Sydney University Film Group (SUFG)[14] in 1951 and this "was the spring for lifelong activity in promoting shows and presenting films that matter"[10]. In 1952, Donaldson attended the inaugural film festival in Olinda,[15] which was to become the Melbourne International Film Festival. This prompted the SUFG and other organisations to establish the Sydney Film Festival. Donaldson agreed to be the first Director of the festival, responsible for programming, with D.J. McDermott appointed as a second Director responsible for business management[15]. The first Sydney Film Festival was held in 1954, Donaldson held the post of Director until 1957. He is now an Honorary Life Member of the Sydney Film Festival.[16]
At the same time, Donaldson was Secretary of the New South Wales Federation of Film Societies.[9] and also held offices in the Australian Council of Film Societies (1953–60), Australian Film Institute (1958–1974)[17] and National Film Theatre of Australia (1972), and was a foundation member of Media Resource Centre in Adelaide, South Australia (established in 1974)[10]
Donaldson also played a role in the rescue of early Australian films. In 1953 he and other members of the SUFG initiated the preservation of The Kid Stakes (1927). They reconstructed the film to its original form and raised funds to create screening prints[17].[18]
Since having seen Cecil Holmes' film Captain Thunderbolt (1952) during its initial release, Donaldson recognised its importance and advocated for its rescue.[19][20] The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia only held a shortened 53 minute TV version of the movie on 16mm film, until archivist and researcher Michael Organ located a complete 35mm print of the film in the National Czech Film Archive, Prague[20].[21][22]
Donaldson is also a long-time advocate for the recognition of J.P. McGowan, who was born in Terowie, South Australia, and became Australia's first Hollywood star and later Executive Secretary of the American Screen Directors Guild.[23] Donaldson is described as "a McGowan fanatic, collecting movies, slides, magazines, photos, anything that gives him a glimpse of JP".[24] He was also involved in the Terowie Days of Rail and Screen (2002–2010), where McGowan's films were celebrated.[25][26]
While in Sydney, Donaldson also operated Filmart Associates, a small distribution company providing 16 mm prints for non-theatrical exhibition. Films for hire included Riefenstahl's Olympia (1938), Carné's Le jour se lève (1939) and Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953) by Jacques Tati[9].[27][28][29] In the 1970s, Donaldson and his wife Rose Donaldson re-established Filmart in Prospect, Adelaide, lending 16mm films[30] and later also distributing DVDs.[31]
An advocate for screening 16mm films, he is also a collector of film prints and traded films, equipment and ephemera with other collectors, frequently advertising in collector's magazines.[32][33][34] Donaldson has an interest in magic lantern slides, has attended conventions of the Magic Lantern Society of the US and Canada[35] and contributed to its newsletter.[36] In 2018, at the conference The Magic Lantern in Australia and the World, he presented the documentary Reg Perry remembers (1977), about the Salvation Army's Limelight Department.[37][38]
Other interests
Donaldson has a life-long interest in Jazz and has contributed seminars at the South Australian Jazz Archive.[39][40][non-primary source needed]
In 2024, to celebrate his 94th birthday, Donaldson donated $94,000 to Climate 200, supporting independent candidates for parliament and environmental policy.[41][verification needed]
Personal life
Donaldson was married to Rose Mignon Williams (1931–2013).[42] They have four children.[citation needed]
References
- ↑ "News from Broken Hill: Coroner's finding". The Recorder (Port Pirie). 14 July 1936. p. 3.
- ↑ "Farewell to Magistrate". The Recorder (Port Pirie). 16 January 1939. p. 4.
- ↑ "Maud Mary Donaldson". Geni.com. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ "Mrs. R. Donaldson to visit England". Barrier Miner (Broken Hill). 21 September 1935. p. 7.
- ↑ "The Churchills of England: Mrs. Donaldson's address to C.W.A. conference". Dubbo Dispatch. 25 September 1942. p. 4.
- ↑ "Mrs. R. Donaldson back from 13 months' tour: Heard guns mark opening of of Abyssinian war". Barrier Miner (Broken Hill). 30 November 1936. p. 1.
- ↑ "Prize List, 1947". The Sydneyan: 10. July 1948.
- ↑ "Debating Society". The Sydneyan: 53. November 1947.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "9. David Donaldson interviewed by Bruce Hodson". National Library of Australia Oral History and Folklore collection. 15 July 1994.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 "David Donaldson (XII)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ Donaldson, David (October 2014). "Hearing from John Flaus". Senses of Cinema (72).
- ↑ "David Donaldson". Linkedin.com. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ "Why choose Somare Institute of Leadership and Governance". Silag.ac.pg. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ Ollivain, Hope (9 November 2021). "Magic and McCarthyism: The forgotten history of campus film societies". Honi Soit. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Webber, Pauline (2005). History of the Sydney Film Festival 1954–1983. MA Thesis. University of Technology Sydney. Search this book on
- ↑ Sydney Film Festival: 4–15 June 2025. SFF: The bigger picture (PDF). Retrieved 17 June 2026. Search this book on
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Donaldson, David (4 August 2015). "How They Rescued 'The Kid Stakes' – The Story of an Australian Silent Saved by Students in the 1950s". 4:3.
- ↑ Brady, John (14 December 2012). "The history of silent classic The Kid Stakes". National Film and Sound Archive". Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ Donaldson, David (February 2014). "Looking for Captain Thunderbolt (Cecil Holmes, 1953)". Senses of Cinema (published March 2014). 70. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Organ, Michael (18 September 2023). "Captain Thunderbolt 1951". Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ Groenewegen, Stephen (27 September 2024). "Captain Thunderbolt rides again". National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ Donaldson, David (June 2025). "How they discovered the print of Captain Thunderbolt". Reel Deals. June 2025: 8–9. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ Mayer, Geoff (December 2017). "The Railroad Man: Hollywood's First Australian. The Adventurous Life of J.P. McGowan by John J. McGowan". Senses of Cinema (85). Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ Black, Elisa (27 February 2011). "The Terowie tearaway". Sunday Mail (SA). Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ "Stunt love: Press kit" (PDF). Closer Productions, South Australia. 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ "Terowie's Days of Rail and Screen Easter 2006". Reel Deals (Advertisement). September 2005: 10. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ "Records of the Canberra Film Centre: Correspondence (File 8a) (NLA MS 1751)". National Library of Australia. 1957.
- ↑ "Classified Advertisements. Film–30 good 16mm films". Nation: 19. 23 May 1959.
- ↑ Hope, Cathy. A history of the Sydney and Melbourne Film Festivals, 1945-1972: Negotiating between culture and industry (Thesis). University of Canberra. p. 25. Search this book on
- ↑ Donaldson, David (1 December 1980). "Alternative to the Box". The Prospecter (Fitzroy, SA). p. 10.
- ↑ Donaldson, David (December 2000). "Filmart Adelaide". Reel Deals (Advertisement). December 2000: 8.
- ↑ "Information Sheet 32 – Films and Projectors Marketplace" (PDF). Federation of Victorian Film Societies. December 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ Donaldson, David (December 2000). "Features - Shorts for Summer". Reel Deals (Advertisement). December 2000: 38.
- ↑ Donaldson, David (December 2025). "Aust Classic Doco [...]". Reel Deals. December 2025: 28.
- ↑ "Convention 2018 highlights: Victoria BC". Magic Lantern Society News: 2. June 2018.
- ↑ Donaldson, David (November 2016). "Archive in the Spotlight: The Malle (sic) Scrub series". Magic Lantern Society US and Canada News: 5.
- ↑ The Magic Lantern in Australia and the World (PDF). National Film and Sound Archive & Australian National University. September 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2026. Search this book on
- ↑ "Reg Perry Remembers – Title Version". National Film and Sound Archive Catalogue. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ "South Australian Jazz Archive Book Club". sajazzarchive.org.au. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ "South Australian Jazz Archive Book Club". sajazzarchive.org.au. November 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ McIlroy, Tom (1 February 2025). "A 94-year-old among the biggest financial backers of Climate 200". Australian Financial Review. p. 3.
- ↑ "Rose Mignon Donaldson (Williams)". Geni.com. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
Category:Film Category:Cinema Category:Film Festival Category:Sydney Category:Australia Category:Adelaide Category:Broken Hill Category:16mm film Category:University of Sydney alumni Category:Papua New Guinea
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